House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) is facing increased pressure to support impeachment from Democratic House colleagues but has counseled other Democratic leaders to let investigations of President Trump run their course, according to a Politico report.
During a leadership meeting on Monday, Pelosi and allies in House leadership, including Reps. Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) and Cheri Bustos (D-Ill.), pushed back on calls from other Democratic leaders, including Reps. David Cicilline (D-R.I.) and Jamie Raskin (D-Md.), to begin impeachment proceedings, Politico reported, citing multiple sources.
{mosads}According to a Washington Post report, House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.) has met privately with Pelosi to recommend starting an impeachment inquiry but was reportedly rebuffed by the Speaker, who argued the move lacks support among other caucus members and it could undermine other ongoing House investigations.
After his meeting with Pelosi, Nadler, while he did not rule out impeachment, appeared sympathetic to Pelosi’s perspective, according to the Post, citing a Monday ruling from a federal judge upholding a Democratic subpoena as evidence other institutions could support oversight of the Trump administration.
“We have an active inquiry going, and we have to enforce the right to our testimony through the courts, which is the only way you can do it,” Nadler said, according to the Post. “And right now we’re having very good success with it.”
Pelosi and her allies argued the dispute over impeachment is stealing oxygen from Democratic messaging on other political issues.
Raskin, a former law professor, argued that even if the House did not outright impeach Trump, an impeachment inquiry could allow the party to both make the case for removing Trump and pursue its legislative agenda at the same time, according to Politico.
Pelosi reportedly pushed back, asking Raskin if he wanted to “tell Elijah Cummings to go home,” referencing ongoing investigations into the Trump administration by the House Oversight and Reform Committee chairman, as well as four other committees engaged in similar investigations.