Pelosi Scrambles To Put Out Fires As Her Infuriated Members Call For Impeachment

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) speaks during her weekly news conference on April 4, 2019. (Photo by Chen Mengtong/China News Service/VCG via Getty Images)
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House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) sparred with multiple members of her caucus Monday as the White House’s latest stonewalling caused eruptions of anger and calls to start impeachment proceedings.

According to Politico, Reps. David Cicilline (D-RI), Jamie Raskin (D-MD) and Joe Neguse (D-CO) all pushed the Speaker to begin the process during a meeting in Pelosi’s office.

She and her allies countered, saying that beginning impeachment proceedings would, for all intents and purposes, shut down the investigations into President Donald Trump being headed by other committees.

“You want to tell Elijah Cummings to go home?” she asked, referring to the House Oversight Committee chairman.

In a steering committee meeting the same day, Rep. Steve Cohen (D-TN) (of fried chicken fame) also called to start the ball rolling, saying that former President Bill Clinton was impeached “for sex” while Trump is “raping the country.”

Pelosi tried to soothe her caucus by pointing to the favorable ruling from a judge on House subpoenas for Trump’s financial records that came down on Monday.

“What we said when we started is that these [investigations] will yield information to us. Today, we won our first case,” Pelosi said, per Politico. “We’ve been in this thing for almost five months and now we’re getting some results.“

The Democrats’ latest bout of frustration is a result of the White House blocking former counsel Don McGahn, a star witness in the Mueller report, from testifying on Tuesday. The House Judiciary Committee has decided to proceed with the hearing, even sans-McGahn.

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Notable Replies

  1. “Time is on our side” - Pelosi.

    “Time is on OUR side” - Trump.

    Only one of them is right.

  2. Upholding the rule of law is now starting a fire. Interesting.

  3. And, if so, the question becomes: who’s smarter versus who’s dumber?

    My money is still on Madam Speaker.

  4. This is the 3rd or 4th version of this story I’ve seen, but it has a little twist in it I’d like to point out.

    The idea of “should Elijah Cummings go home?”

    It means that this may be a jurisdictional dispute between the House Oversight Committee and the House Judiciary Committee. Those who support impeachment should remember that some of their favorite members, like the notorious AOC, sit on Oversight, while Judiciary has no star power.

    Televised hearings on Oversight may do more to take down Trump right now than televised hearings on Judiciary.

    Just a thought.

  5. We understand why you’re waiting, but it’s so frustrating.

    In a steering committee meeting the same day, Rep. Steve Cohen (D-TN) (of fried chicken fame) also called to start the ball rolling, saying that former President Bill Clinton was impeached “for sex” while Trump is “raping the country.”

    This brings it into perspective and shows just how ridiculous it all is.

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