The drumbeat for impeachment is growing. Can Nancy Pelosi stop it?
| Washington
From the start, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi has resisted calls to impeach President Donald Trump.
厂丑别鈥檚 . She refused to budge even as rumblings grew among House Democrats that special counsel Robert Mueller鈥檚 report had enough to start impeachment proceedings against Mr. Trump on obstruction of justice grounds. On Monday night, Ms. Pelosi told Democratic leaders that impeachment would take away from the party鈥檚 legislative agenda and undercut ongoing investigations into the president by other congressional committees.
But the pressure is mounting, as the Trump administration continues blocking Democrats鈥� every effort at investigation. It鈥檚 unclear how long Ms. Pelosi can hold the line.
Why We Wrote This
Punishing a political opponent鈥檚 acts might seem tempting, even just. But in the past, Americans have not rewarded retribution at the ballot box.
鈥淭he more they stonewall, the more powerless people feel, and the more they want to take this immediate action,鈥� says Krystal Ball, a political commentator and host on The Hill鈥檚 digital news channel. 鈥淭he pressure comes from that sense of powerlessness and disgust.鈥�
An April found that 69% of Democratic voters want Congress to move forward with impeachment. Billionaire Tom Steyer this month launched a $1 million ad campaign accusing Democrats of doing nothing while the president got away with obstruction and corruption. Even Rep. Justin Amash of Michigan, a Republican and member of the conservative Freedom Caucus, said over the weekend that the president should be impeached for obstruction of justice.
All the while, Mr. Trump has stayed on war footing with congressional Democrats, almost daring them to go ahead. 鈥淚f it鈥檚 an impeachment proceeding, then somebody should call it that,鈥� Rudy Giuliani, one of the president鈥檚 personal lawyers, this month. 鈥淚f you don鈥檛 call their bluff now, they鈥檒l just keep slithering around for four, five, six months.鈥�
At the Monday meetings, some Democratic leaders pressed Ms. Pelosi on the issue, arguing that impeachment proceedings would give them access to the documents that the administration has refused to provide. The situation intensified Tuesday after former White House counsel Don McGahn failed to obey a Judiciary Committee summons. Even members less explicitly in favor of taking that step say the White House is pushing them toward doing so.
鈥淭he initial aim was to investigate and then see what we have. The problem is we can鈥檛 get any information,鈥� Maryland Rep. Elijah Cummings, chair of the House Oversight Committee, tells reporters. 鈥淭he caucus is slowly moving toward saying, 鈥榃ell, what do we do?鈥� Because he鈥檚 not leaving us with any choices.鈥�
This group of lawmakers 鈥� reluctant to move toward impeachment but also increasingly willing to take that step 鈥� could be the tipping point for Ms. Pelosi, says Kris Miller, who teaches American government and legislative politics at the University of Maryland, College Park. Before this week, the loudest calls for impeaching the president had come mostly from progressive members in solidly blue districts, she says. Now, some combination of institutional duty and being boxed in by the administration鈥檚 stonewalling has caused a rise in this third camp.
鈥淭heir numbers are not huge, but they鈥檙e growing quickly,鈥� Professor Miller says. 鈥淚 think that changes a lot for the caucus overall.鈥�
Still, Ms. Pelosi isn鈥檛 entirely out of options 鈥� yet. Democrats have managed to put the Trump administration on the defensive in one court case: On Monday, a federal district court judge ruled that the president鈥檚 accounting firm must turn over his financial records to the House Oversight Committee. Judge Amit Mehta rejected the Trump legal team鈥檚 argument that the committee had no authority to investigate the president.
There鈥檚 also a view that if Ms. Pelosi could hold her caucus together until a little closer to the 2020 primaries 鈥� if the burst of voices calling for impeachment dies down in the next day or two 鈥� she might be able to more successfully make the case that the best way to defeat Mr. Trump is through the ballot box.
And while some Democratic presidential candidates have voiced support for impeachment, 鈥淚t鈥檚 not absolutely in their interest to have all this going on while they鈥檙e trying to introduce themselves to the public,鈥� says John Fortier, of the Bipartisan Policy Center. 鈥淭he argument that impeachment may not be good for [the Democratic Party] politically is a strong one.鈥�
One big wild card could be the special counsel鈥檚 testimony, if it takes place. A public hearing relatively soon might be enough to defuse the pressure on Democrats to take drastic action, Professor Miller says.
For now, every option seems to be on the table. 鈥淓verybody in the Democratic caucus 鈥� including Pelosi 鈥� wants to hold the administration to account,鈥� Washington Rep. Pramila Jayapal told a group of reporters Tuesday.
鈥淭he question is 鈥� how do we best do that?鈥� says Representative Jayapal, who co-chairs the Progressive Caucus and called for impeachment over the weekend. 鈥淎nd that is an ongoing discussion.鈥�
