House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) is expected to announce a formal impeachment inquiry this afternoon, according to multiple reports.
The Washington Post, the New York Times and NBC News reported that Pelosi intends to back the 150-plus Democrats in her caucus who are pushing for a formal impeachment inquiry. Pelosi is set to meet with her caucus at 4 p.m. ET and make a statement at 5 p.m. ET.
The move comes after a seismic shift in the Democratic Party Monday evening, after it became increasingly clear that President Trump directed aides to withhold funding from Ukraine just one week before the now-infamous phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
That call is believed to be at the center of an explosive whistleblower complaint that’s put Congress and the White House at odds. The complaint reportedly centers on Trump and a promise he made during a phone call with a foreign leader. The leader is believed to be Zelensky and the promise involves digging up fabricated dirt on former Vice President Joe Biden’s son Hunter Biden.
On Tuesday afternoon, Pelosi coyly danced around impeachment questions during a live interview with the Atlantic before all but confirming that she’d be announcing an impeachment inquiry in the House later in the day.
“There is no requirement there be a quid pro quo in the convo. If the President brings up that he wants to investigate something about his political opponent, that is self evident — that it is not right. We don’t ask foreign governments to help us in our election,” Pelosi, who has for months resisted moving toward even whispers of impeachment, told the Atlantic’s Jeffrey Goldberg.
She later all but confirmed her impending announcement would center on an impeachment inquiry: “That’s why I’ve said, as soon as we have the facts, we’re ready. Now we have the facts, we’re ready — for later today.”
Pelosi: That's why I've said "as soon as we have the facts, we're ready. Now we have the facts, we're ready– for later today." pic.twitter.com/0piBndZzWR
— TPM Livewire (@TPMLiveWire) September 24, 2019
I prefer to think of it as a Infrastructure Inquiry.
Waiting for Pelosi to match her words with actions.
She is still using the phrase impeachment inquiry
Yet, saying we have the evidence …which is point of inquiry.
All these weasel words.
Are they bring articles of impeachment to the House floor for vote of not?
…sigh…
This is why the transcript is going to be released (odds are it will be modified), so that they can try to win the war in the press before impeachment hearings get started. Once the hearings start, blocking them will not work, the courts have shown they will step aside in the case of impeachment and force the administration to turn over documents. If the administration continues to block in the face of that, they will soon appear to be guilty with the public, and information will come out through the press instead, as some people will leak if they think they have a chance to take Trump out.
Everyone has been piling on Pelosi, but she had to play this smart and wait for a real push for the impeachment process to start…this event has apparently infuriated the Democrats enough that they are getting behind it, even in purple districts, and people who understand are pretty much furious over such blatant corruption. We’re going to be in constitutional crisis mode for a while now, the Republicans will block everything and try to defend Trump to the fullest…remember that when the truth is finally revealed, they need to be held to account for enabling all of this.
First on line today and am super happy to see this. She will do it and can’t wait to hear the formal announcement.
IT IS ABOUT TIME TO GET THIS GOING!
I don’t know about winning the press war. Impeachment hearings could be good ratings, and pretty much free to program (just run the live feed). And a juicy scandal is the bread and butter of cable news.