House Democratic leadership wants to move on from calls to impeach President Trump, but the caucus' cries are growing louder after former White House counsel Don McGahn defied a subpoena from the House Judiciary Committee Tuesday.
The state of play: Despite the reticence of top Democrats, Speaker Nancy Pelosi has called a "special caucus meeting" on Wednesday that will address the issue of impeachment along with other oversight issues regarding the administration, reports Roll Call.
- Earlier this week, Pelosi was challenged by her leadership team on her anti-impeachment stance and urged to consider moving forward with the process.
What they're saying:
- House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (Md.): We are confronting what might be the largest, broadest cover-up in American history. If an investigation leads to other avenues including impeachment, so be it."
- Rep. David Cicilline (R.I.), DPCC chair, 8th in House Democratic leadership: On Monday, he said, "Let me be clear; if Don McGahn doesn't testify, it is time to open an impeachment inquiry." He reiterated that stance in a tweet after McGahn did not show up.
- Rep. Mary Scanlon (Pa.), vice chair of House Judiciary: "No one is above the rule of law. The time has come to start an impeachment inquiry because the American people deserve to know the truth and to have the opportunity to judge the gravity of the evidence and charges leveled against the President."
- Rep. Joaquin Castro (Texas): "Obviously, all of us respect [Pelosi's] perspective and her opinion. But I think, individually, each of us have a perspective of our own. And I think it's time to start [impeachment]."
- Rep. Diana DeGette (Colo.): "The facts laid out in the Mueller report, coupled with this administration’s ongoing attempts to stonewall Congress, leave us no other choice: It is time for Congress to officially launch an impeachment inquiry against the President of the United States."
- Reps. Jamie Raskin (Md.), and Joe Neguse (Colo.) confronted Pelosi about her anti-impeachment stance on Monday.
The other side: House Democratic Caucus Chairman Hakeem Jeffries (N.Y.) and Reps. Ben Ray Lujan (N.M.), Rosa DeLauro (Conn.), and Cheri Bustos (Ill.) are warning Pelosi against impeachment.
The bottom line: House Budget Chairman John Yarmuth (Ky.) summed things up for House Democrats moving forward to the Wall Street Journal, saying, "There's a growing realization in Congress that impeachment is inevitable. The majority view in the conference is we need to continue the investigations before we initiate an [impeachment] inquiry—that’s still the majority view."
Go deeper: Pelosi accuses Trump of "goading" House Dems to impeachment
