A group of progressive House Democrats are clamoring louder for impeachment proceedings against President Trump, prompted by a White House letter refusing to allow former White House counsel Don McGahn to testify before the Judiciary Committee.
Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., isn’t on board with impeachment and wants lawmakers to focus on kitchen-table issues, which helped them win the majority, while allowing oversight committees to investigate the president.
McGahn’s seat was empty Tuesday when Judiciary Chairman Jerry Nadler, D-N.Y., gaveled in what was supposed to be an inquiry into Trump’s alleged efforts to obstruct the Mueller investigation into 2016 election interference. The White House announced Monday that McGahn was instructed not to attend, following a recommendation from the Justice Department.
Democrats leaving a closed-door meeting said McGahn’s refusal to appear marks a tipping point in the impeachment debate and it is now time to act.
Many of them had already indicated they support impeachment proceedings. McGahn’s failure to show intensified their view.
“That for me will establish a patter of this president to continue to obstruct our collection of evidence, to prevent us from getting to the truth to continue a cover-up that is preventing the American people from knowing all of the facts,” Rep. David Cicilline, D-R.I., said. “And we simply cannot allow the executive branch to decide what Congress will receive in terms of witnesses and documents as we do our work.”
Rep. Maxine Waters, D-Calif., who oversees the Financial Services Committee, has long called for impeachment. She said McGahn’s absence has increased support for it in the caucus. “I think members views got a little stronger, and they believe we need to have an impeachment inquiry,” Waters said as she left the meeting Tuesday.
The Democratic leadership has worked to tamp down demands for an impeachment inquiry, urging lawmakers to instead promote legislation that will help them maintain their majority in the next election.
Pelosi announced she will hold a new meeting with Democrats on Wednesday where, according to some lawmakers, impeachment will be among the topics.
Rep. Jan Schakowsky, D-Ill., said the caucus is “somewhat divided” on whether to hold an impeachment inquiry or to simply continue with the oversight conducted by six committees, including the Judiciary Committee.
“I think this is an ongoing conversation within the caucus,” Schakowsky said. “What is the message regarding impeachment and where it fits in.”
Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., who is chairman of the House Democratic Caucus, countered the claim the caucus is clamoring for impeachment.
“I disagree with the notion that a growing number of Democratic Caucus members want to jump straight to impeachment,” Jeffries said.
“The caucus wants to proceed methodically in that regard.”
Jeffries told reporters Tuesday that the Democrats won the majority by succeeding in swing districts with candidates “who did not run on impeachment, who did not run on collusion, who did not run on obstruction of justice, who ran on making life better for everyday Americans.”
