House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is ready to lead her Democratic House majority forward for the next step in the process to impeach President Donald Trump by drafting articles of impeachment.
In a Thursday press conference, Pelosi detailed the importance of impeachment as a constitutional remedy debated by the framers of the U.S. Constitution. She warned of the unchecked power of the presidency if Congress did not use the power of impeachment to hold him to account and, with that warning, instructed House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler to begin drafting articles of impeachment against Trump.
“Injustice committed by the president erodes the rule of law,” Pelosi said.
The alleged injustice relates to a July 25 phone call between Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, in which many impeachment proponents have suggested Trump pressured Zelensky to investigate 2020 Democratic Presidential contender Joe Biden for Trump’s own political benefit.
Pelosi claimed recent weeks of testimony provided by numerous “patriotic” career civil servants who worked close to the Trump administration had established abuses of power by the president beyond dispute. Another hearing of four constitutional law professors on Wednesday emphasized impeachment as the necessary remedy against those abuses.
She concluded her roughly six minute remarks with by calling on Nadler to begin drafting articles of impeachment, as is customary for the House Judiciary Committee to do.
Pelosi, at one point in her remarks, alluded to past allegations of collusion between Trump and the Russian government during the 2016 presidential election, and said Trump is “trying to corrupt, once again, the election for his own benefit.”
After a nearly two year investigation, Special Counsel Robert Mueller concluded his investigation of the alleged 2016 election interference with no charges establishing Trump or members of his campaign colluded with the Russian government.
Ahead of Pelosi’s Thursday morning remarks, Trump appeared to invite the House to move forward with impeachment, anticipating a Senate trial where he suggested he would have Pelosi, and Biden and his family testify. He also suggested he would compel Rep. Adam Schiff, the chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, to take the stand.
…..trial in the Senate, and so that our Country can get back to business. We will have Schiff, the Bidens, Pelosi and many more testify, and will reveal, for the first time, how corrupt our system really is. I was elected to “Clean the Swamp,” and that’s what I am doing!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 5, 2019
“I was elected to ‘Clean the Swamp,” and that’s what I am doing!” Trump tweeted.
Trump also suggested Wednesday’s legal experts gave Democrats a “historically bad day” with their testimony.
Rep. Doug Collins, the ranking member on Nadler’s Judiciary Committee, expressed confusion as to why Pelosi was already calling for articles of impeachment to be drafted.
This week, Chairman Nadler told me to provide him with my witness list.
But Pelosi’s press conference seemed to indicate we’re moving straight to articles of impeachment.
Judiciary has jurisdiction over articles of impeachment, but does the chairman even know what’s going on?
— Rep. Doug Collins (@RepDougCollins) December 5, 2019
“This week, Chairman Nadler told me to provide him with my witness list,” Collins tweeted. “But Pelosi’s press conference seemed to indicate we’re moving straight to articles of impeachment.”
