Insiders Say House Democrats Are Dozens of Votes Short of Impeachment: Report
The Democrats reportedly remain more than 40 House members short of the votes needed to impeach President Donald Trump.
“Democratic insiders say 175 of their members would vote for impeachment today on the House floor,” Politico reported Wednesday.
The news outlet added, “Will that ever tick up, in the face of a leadership that’s looking to tamp it all down? Remember: Dems would need 218 votes on the floor to impeach the president.”
In July, the House voted to table a resolution offered by Democratic Rep. Al Green of Texas to begin the impeachment process.
The final tally was 332-95.
Despite not having a full vote of Congress calling for an impeachment inquiry to begin, House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler of New York decided to move forward with one.
Nadler told WNYC-FM’s Brian Lehrer on Monday that Trump must be impeached by the House even though a conviction and removal from office by the Republican-controlled Senate will not happen.
“Impeachment is imperative not because he’s going to be removed from office. The Senate won’t do that. But because we have to vindicate the Constitution,” Nadler said.
“We are involved in an investigation to determine whether to recommend articles of impeachment to the House. That is what we’re doing,” the New York congressman added.
“The term ‘impeachment investigation,’ the term ‘impeachment inquiry’ have no legal meaning. They’re shorthand for an investigation into determining whether to recommend articles of impeachment.”
Politico reported that during a closed meeting last week, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of California rebuked House Judiciary Committee staff for pushing the impeachment of Trump beyond the current Democratic consensus.
Democrats do not have the votes to impeach the president, she said.
“And you can feel free to leak this,” Pelosi added.
The speaker has consistently expressed a reluctance to begin impeachment proceedings without the support of the American public and bipartisan agreement in Congress.
A Politico/Morning Consult poll released Wednesday found 37 percent are in favor of impeachment proceedings beginning, while 50 percent oppose the move and 12 percent are undecided.
According to Politico, support for impeachment has fluctuated between 35 and 38 percent since the release of special counsel Robert Mueller’s report in the spring.
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