House Democrats Take a Step Necessary for a Swift Impeachment

But Speaker Pelosi may leave time for a Trump resignation or removal.

January 08, 2021

On Friday afternoon, in the wake of the Donald Trump–incited terrorist attack on the US Capitol, House Democrats moved swiftly toward a possible second impeachment of the president. In an unprecedented step, they used a Zoom meeting of the entire caucus to assign members to the Rules Committee for the new Congress. By setting up the committee, Democrats are ensuring that an impeachment resolution can obtain speedy consideration by the committee—a necessary step for reaching the House floor—and be put to a quick vote without any impeachment hearings. A vote—in the Rules Committee and then in the full House—could happen as soon as Monday, though no schedule has been set. 

Yet some House Democrats pushing for Trump’s immediate impeachment who were on the call were concerned that Speaker Nancy Pelosi is crafting a process to include extra days to allow for the possibility of other options—that is, a Trump resignation or Trump’s removal from office via invocation of the 25th Amendment. 

“The consensus on the call was to call for Trump’s resignation, press for invocation of the 25th Amendment, and move forward with impeachment,” one House member says. “Pelosi is still not decided on how we will proceed.” An impeachment resolution will be introduced in the House on Monday. But, this member notes, “it is up to her as to whether we are called back into session to take up the resolution.” Still, impeachment “is moving,” says Rep. Jared Huffman (D-Calif.) “There was a remarkable level of consensus on the need for it. There’s something unifying about what we all lived through during the attack.”

During the meeting, only one House Democrat spoke out against impeachment: Rep. Kurt Schrader of Oregon. “I think he is going to reconsider,” Huffman notes. 

The Zoom call lasted for about three hours, and still not every member who wished to speak had the chance. Pelosi adjourned the meeting in the late afternoon, with the expectation that it would resume later on Friday or on Saturday.  House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) told members he would have an update on the timing of impeachment proceedings on Saturday, according to members on the call.

Some of the Democrats on the call were not keen on any delay, urging an impeachment vote as soon as possible. But Rep. Jake Auchincloss (D- Mass.) notes that impeachment and pushing for “the 25th amendment are complementary, not mutually exclusive. It’s about saying someone is unfit going forward, impeachment is looking backward. Both are appropriate here.” Another member on the call says Pelosi seems to think the threat of impeachment will help force Trump’s cabinet to invoke the 25th Amendment. (Pelosi’s office did not respond to a request for comment.)


By:  David Korn and Kara Voght
Source: Mother Jones