House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Friday denied accusations from some on the party’s left that she and other top Democrats have intentionally dragged their feet on the issue of impeaching President Donald Trump.
“No, I’m not trying to run out the clock. Let’s get sophisticated about this, ok?” Pelosi said at her weekly press conference. “We will proceed when we have what we need to proceed. Not one day sooner.”
Pelosi’s comments come two days after former special counsel Robert Mueller’s long-awaited but uneven testimony on Capitol Hill — which he reiterated his findings of potential obstruction of justice by Trump — has refocused attention on the steadily-building Democratic campaign to open impeachment proceedings.
Nearly 100 House Democrats now publicly support launching proceedings into the president. Seven lawmakers have come out in favor since Mueller’s testimony — a trickle that is expected to grow in the coming days as lawmakers escape the glare of Washington media.
Reps. Ann Kuster (D-N.H.), a senior Democrat, and Mike Levin (D-Calif.), a freshman in a battleground district, both announced their support Friday afternoon.
“100 Members of the House of Representatives now publicly support an impeachment inquiry. There will be more to come,” Rep. Don Beyer (D-Va.) tweeted Friday.
Several Democrats in the caucus have privately speculated that Pelosi and other top Democrats have sought to drag out investigations and court battles in hopes of stalling the impeachment push through the fall — when it becomes less politically tenable — though none have gone so far to formally criticize her decision.
Some in Democratic leadership believed that Pelosi would be able to maintain her hold on the impeachment debate as long as the caucus could make it to the six-week August recess without a stampede toward ousting the president. That goal was achieved on Thursday night, when members departed the Capitol for their districts with just a handful of new members in favor of the effort.
Pelosi reiterated on Friday that House Democratic leaders are seeking further evidence before moving ahead — specifically focusing on Trump’s personal finances and business dealings. She said she has “no complaint” with lawmakers who have called for launching proceedings to oust the president.
“I’m willing to take whatever heat there is, there. The decision will be made in a timely fashion. This isn’t endless,” Pelosi said.
The speaker has held firm against impeachment, though the House’s pro-impeachment caucus has gradually grown in recent weeks. On Thursday, House Democratic Caucus vice-chair Katherine Clark (D-Mass.) became the highest ranking member to support launching an impeachment inquiry.
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