Pelosi - Don't impeach sans overwhelming evidence

Post Reply New Topic

Speaker Nancy Pelosi's pronouncement that she is opposed to impeaching President Donald Trump without overwhelming public support divided Democrats Monday — receiving a strong endorsement from her top deputies even as it rankled some who said they don’t want to be boxed in.

Pelosi told The Washington Post that she’s “not for impeachment” and is wary of such a move “because it divides the country. And [Trump’s] just not worth it” — her strongest comments to date on the subject, as she attempts to tamp down speculation surrounding Democrats’ ever-expanding investigations.

But some members of her caucus pushed back on her comments, arguing that impeachment should be based solely on facts and evidence — not political considerations.

“If the facts require us to initiate removing the president, we are obligated to do it. If the facts don't support it, we won't,” said Rep. David Cicilline (D-R.I.), a member of leadership who also sits on the Judiciary Committee. “This determination will be driven solely by the facts.”

Still he acknowledged, “there's no question it would be divisive.”

Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.), who sits on the Oversight and Judiciary committees, said impeaching the president isn’t about “whether or not the president is worth it. The question is whether the republic is worth it and whether the public interest commands it and whether there are high crimes and misdemeanors.”

“We can’t get so frustrated with Donald Trump that we impeach him just for being Donald Trump, but we can’t get so frustrated with Donald Trump that we don’t impeach him because he’s Donald Trump,” Raskin said.
Pelosi’s previous comments — along with those of Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerry Nadler (D-N.Y.) — had already made clear that Democrats have set a high bar for impeachment proceedings.

Nadler told POLITICO last week that evidence would have to be “so stark, the deed so terrible, that you believe that once it’s all laid out, then you will be able to get an appreciable fraction” of support from the general public.

Democratic leaders have long argued that impeachment should be an option only when public opinion turns against the president so much that it’s no longer politically advantageous for Republicans to stick with Trump.

But Pelosi’s left flank has called for immediate impeachment proceedings, arguing there is already evidence that the president has abused the powers of his office. Steyer, who leads the Need to Impeach PAC, has been targeting Nadler and other House Democratic committee chairs in their home districts, running television ads and holding town halls to push them toward beginning the impeachment process.