Pelosi clashes with fellow Dems in closed-door debate on impeachment
House Democratic leaders sparred internally on Monday over whether to begin an impeachment inquiry against President Donald Trump, with Speaker Nancy Pelosi and her allies rejecting the call to move forward for now, according to multiple sources.
Reps. David Cicilline of Rhode Island, Jamie Raskin of Maryland and Joe Neguse of Colorado — all members of Democratic leadership — pushed to begin impeachment proceedings during a leadership meeting in Pelosi's office, said the sources. Pelosi and Reps. Rosa DeLauro of Connecticut, Ben Ray Luján of New Mexico, Hakeem Jeffries of New York and Cheri Bustos of Illinois — some of her key allies — rejected their calls, saying Democrats' message is being drowned out by the fight over possibly impeaching Trump.
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While Pelosi and her top Democrats argue that a majority of House Democrats don't want to impeach Trump, she is under growing pressure from some of her most hard-line members to move more forcefully against the president.
Several members and aides said an impeachment inquiry resolution could be introduced in the House Judiciary Committee in the next several days, spurring more Democratic debate over how to respond to Trump.
During the Steering and Policy Committee meeting, Cohen said President Bill Clinton faced impeachment proceedings “over sex” while Trump is “raping the country,” according to two sources in the room. Cohen later confirmed his remarks.
Pelosi pushed back on Cohen during the meeting and his assertion that she was simply afraid impeachment would cost her the House majority.
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Nancy Pelosi is only concerned about keeping her nicely upholstered chair (and Congressional benefits). Pelosi isn't going to impeach Trump at any time for any reason. Period.
Nancy Pelosi is almost 80 years old. The only thing she is worried about is her legacy. She doesnt want to be in the Speaker's position when a piece of crap like Trump got re-elected.
The old girl's "legacy" includes presiding over the House when Democrats lost more seats than during any midterm since at least 1913.
You go, girl!
And now she presides over a House that won the mid-terms by epic numbers.
Epic? LMAO!
LBJ, Clinton, and Obama all suffered higher losses than did Trump.
Talk about an epic...……………...fail!
Actually, um, no! In point of fact, the Democrat's actually won the generic popular vote for Congress in 2018 by the biggest widest margin since the wake of Nixon's Watergate Scandal in 1974. So that was pretty damn epic and it also bodes very very very badly for the damn gop in 2020....
They weren't epic numbers - they were expected numbers in a new Presidents midterm and they were not won by leftist candidates, but by moderate ones. Impeachment wasn't the meme that got them elected.
Sorry, I forget that some people think popular vote totals actually mean something. LMFAO!
I would be more than willing to bet you that every Democratic leader would have GLADLY shaved off some of that "popular vote total" in place of some more seats. Especially in the Senate, where Dems actually lost seats.
People who run for office don't run to get the most votes in another district or state, That isn't how this works.
But you hang onto that, just like you hang onto Abuela's "popular vote win" and see what they get you.
Y'all crack me up!!! LMAO!!!
This is her last term!
Enjoy the views of Luxor and Memphis while cruising on that river in Egypt.
Oh, and, we were talking about Congress BTFW...
Oh good grief.
They still haven't won back all the seats they lost in 2010.
Ooooh, goodie, a cryptic message!!
Hooray!
Which alters the fact of my statement how? Talk about your bad losers...
Some take solace in whatever crumb of hope-no matter how convoluted--they can find.
Pretty pitiful.
:
"Losing 63 seats is better than losing 42 seats because the 42 seat election, we got more votes!"
With logic like that, let's hope they don't win any more seats!
It's like declaring the Super Bowl a victory for the Rams because they led the game in punt return yardage.
LOL!
I went bowling the other day.
I won because I left the most pins standing.
Man, was everyone else pissed!
Accepting the Speaker's chair isn't mandatory. Nancy Pelosi could have just declined. But that's not what happened, is it?
Accepting it?
Heck, she campaigned for it!
Does it matter though if you pull 3 million extra votes out of California and New York or ten million?
Thank god for our Republic.
You must not have heard.
Some people consider it significant what the overall vote totals for all races combined is.
Probably because they think it matters if a couple of large blue states like California and New York vote overwhelmingly Democratic.
People like me and you probably think the number of those races won is more important.
Special meeting on this topic called for by Pelosi tomorrow at 9AM. I don't see how she can hold off these hate-filled maniacs. So, eventually they vote for impeachment, like trained pigs (no profiles in courage there). The rest is very predictable: Then it goes to the US Senate and it gets voted right down. Then the American people turn over the entire government to President Trump and the Republicans in November.
End of story
Democrats are running out of time. Congress isn't in session that often during the last half of the year. Congress has become so dysfunctional that it may no longer be possible to impeach a President in two years.
The seven Democratic Senators running for President aren't going to want to be kept off the campaign trail by an impeachment trial, either. And competing with each other for face-time during the trial could backfire.
If Democrats do remove Trump, what will they run on for 2020? Joe Biden's message has been 'beat Trump'. Without Trump, Democrats lose their message.
IMO the division emerging in the Democratic Party is more about anti-establishment politics. Pelosi's party-first politics doesn't appeal to younger Democrats.
It's become difficult for them to simply pass legislation and do the peoples business
If Democrats do remove Trump, what will they run on for 2020?
Good question, they have no legislative achievements, a record of obstructing the President as millions pour over the border. All that with a booming economy.
Pelosi's party-first politics doesn't appeal to younger Democrats.
It may not, but it's a wise policy. Moderates won the House for dems.
After the impeachment meeting at 9AM, Pelosi will meet at 11AM with the President to discuss possible compromise legislation on immigration & infrastructure, Right now the dems are lucky they got her at the helm.
Although the media runs around on this issue like a chicken with its head cut off, it really is a difficult issue from a political standpoint.
On one hand Trump is very impeachable , in terms of his failure to uphold his oath of office and properly represent the American people, and in an objective reality he should be driven from office, in the subjective reality of the Trump deplorables, including those in the US Senate, they are going to prevent the impeachment from succeeding.
The calculation then becomes IS IT WORTH IT TO IMPEACH TRUMP BUT NOT SUCCEED IN REMOVING HIM, IF IT INCREASES HIS CHANCES FOR RE-ELECTION (EVEN A LITTLE)? We don't know that Trump would become more popular if he survived an impeachment attempt, after all it is possible that such a strong case would be developed that it would turn some moderates and independents against Trump and cause him to lose the election even more decisively. But the truth is no one knows. Pelosi feels right now like she has a bird in the hand (Trump can't beat Biden in the Great Lakes states) and she doesnt want to trade it for for an uncertainty (at best) about the results of an impeachment that did not remove Trump.
I think it comes down to who the Democratic nominee will be and how willing they are to push the case against Trump as their main point, because if they do impeach him it will become the number one issue in the election.
Personally I think the best course is to conduct prolonged hearings that dirty him up and see where they are at after three or four months.
That was exactly what Pelosi wanted to do, but Trump has thwarted that little strategy, so here we are with Pelosi facing the heat!
This action may fire up parts of the Democratic base, but I think overall it's a losing strategy to gain independents. I'm sick and tired of constantly hearing how bad Trump is, all that he has done wrong, and the constant drum beat against him. MSM doesn't help the party at all in this either, all they can do is continue beating the drums in order to get more clicks which equates to more money in their pockets.
I'm tired of it. Either impeach his ass or shut the hell up about it and get on with governing the country. My opinion for the Democratic party, if you want to win my vote stop playing party politics and start doing something good for the country. And please John, please don't come back and tell me that investigating Trump is good for the country. After 2.5 years all I see is more of the same and none of it doing the country any good.
I don't think you'd vote for a democrat, haven't seen anything you agree with them on. And as I recall, there was a fondness for investigations back when the gop had dems to investigate. The difference? Trump has committed crimes. And no way any republican would EVER stop if this was any dem, especially Obama and Clinton. Stop the fake outrage. If Trump has nothing to hide, stop obstructing. Release the Mueller report. Cooperate. Testify. All the things you expect of democrats. Republicans don't even care if they release classified information if it helps them. FFS.
The difference is that current LWNJs are angrier now than RWNJs were then.
Not to worry. Both sides are constantly introducing new and improved angrier nutjobs with more features.
Unless you are going to say that you are voting against Trump in the 2020 election I'm really not interested in any advice from you. People who would even consider voting Trump for four more years have nothing to offer.
We can't always have what we want, John
Agreed 1000%. Like he'd vote for any Democrat!
What good is this 'president' doing for the country - other than his corrupt administration and the already wealthy?
This 'president' is only doing what is good for him and his corrupt administration and the already wealthy.
America's crime family is in the now white trash house.
well I don't post all the time on this site as the majority of posters here appear to be locked in to their views and I don't like to involve myself in mindless back and forth without actual discussion taking place. I'm not fond of arguing for the sake of arguing which it seems like some people on this site prefer.
As for voting for a democrat, I voted for Obama in 2008. Did not vote for him in 2012 as I lost my hope for him. I support choice, social security and the entire social security net, I desire a fix for the immigration mess we have that includes a solution for DACA. I just don't need to pontificate here as my voice is as meaningless in this context as anybody else's and I have better things to do than shout into the wind.
But I didn't think there was any fake outrage in my post, I am truly tired of the political party posturing from both sides. We've seen those on the Democrat side in Congress stand up and state where Trump has broken the law and should be impeached. To that I say then start the process to impeach him. Regardless of what the Republicans are doing, and yes you are correct in that the Senate will probably not vote to convict. Instead it appears that the Democrats are playing the political game instead by continuing the "investigation" of Trump to keep the light focused on what he has done wrong. The purpose of that is really for the 2020 election, not to find anything new for impeachment. In the meantime, IMO, the country suffers because we don't see where much of any work for the country is being done.
How are they supposed to proceed investigating when Rump blocks all subpoenas? HELLO?
"Good" is a relative term and each person will see actions and reactions differently. I personally think Trumps actions against China is a good thing. I dislike a trade war but it's a short-term pain and I do believe that we need to level the playing field with regards to China. Time will tell if this turns out to be good or bad for the country, it's not something you can really see in the middle of the action.
I think his policies have done good things for the economy of this country. Looking at my personal situation, I did benefit from the tax changes he pushed thru. And he beat the expectations of most pundits who declared before he even took office that in the first year we would be in a depression, or we would be in a war, or the country would end as we knew it. None of that happened, my retirement accounts are all strong and my life has not changed very much from what it was in the past administration. I don't like everything he does but as far as my life is concerned he has not done all wrong and I can live with his presidency.
Those will go thru the courts to be settled. The current administration is not the first to block & ignore congressional subpoenas and they won't be the last.
Call the mega million dollar 2 year "MAN" (Mr. Mueller). He's NEEDED THERE ?
That's nice for you. I guess that's all that matters.
Whatever the fuck that means.
IMO Nancy Pelosi isn't concerned over Trump's re-election. While Trump has adopted an America-first political message, Nancy Pelosi is still practicing party-first politics.
You do know that Pelosi and Schumer have been cheer leading Trump's tariffs against China?
Personally I think the best course is to conduct prolonged hearings that dirty him up.
That's obviously the plan, but fools forget that a lot of that mud is going to splash back on them, while the voters weary of the left wing clown show.
Impeach or get off the pot.
He'll never be removed based on the contents of the Mueller report, but the loons who write the checks in the Democratic Party are going to demand they forward with the charade, so they probabbly will.
That Nancy Pelosi is now a moderate in the Democratic Party demonstrates just how radical they've become this century. They've moved left so fast that yesterday's radicals are too rational for the party. Jerry "Moonbeam" Brown ended his career as a voice of moderation. Crazy times.
Impeach. Obstruction. Collusion and all the rest.
Might not matter. The 'special privilege dike' keeping at bay the dirty-dirty decades of Trump finances might not hold. If it breaks, the flood will drown them all. In that event, impeachment will become a secondary afterthought. In my own personal opinion, I suspect Pelosi knows this and a whole lot more.
So the IRS is incompetent then? Shouldn't they have been able to find all of those "dirty-dirty decades of Trump finances"? Unless, he didn't do anything illegal- just milked the system the same as all the rest of the wealthy do.
Then what do you have- an illegal leak at the IRS that will release Trump's tax returns and give into the blame that the federal government is full of career biased paid for hacks and shills loyal to the Democrats? They already illegally leaked 10 years of Trump's tax returns- the most damaging 10 they could find probably. And outside of causing a media sensation on the left- it did nothing to diminish Trump supporters. Of course now they have to find the leak at the IRS; which is still trying to regain it's impartial status after the scandal during the Obama administration of targeting conservative groups.
As for Pelosi knowing anything- she is old enough to remember for the Republicans trying, and failing to impeach Clinton. The Republicans paid a price then in the subsequent elections. The Democrats are lining up to execute the exact same folly with Trump.