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Mike DeBonis
Congress reporter covering the House of Representatives
President Trump, who refuses to cooperate with more than 20 congressional investigations, on Wednesday urged former and current councilors to disregard a House committee's request for documents in the latest act of defiance which led the Democrats to declare that their country was in constitutional crisis.
But Speaker of the House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), Asked Democrats gathered Wednesday morning in an in camera caucus to stick to their political agenda ahead of the 2020 elections rather than Initiate impeachment proceedings. And not a single legislator challenged it, according to a person in the room who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the private meeting.
The events pointed out that Pelosi had managed to maintain his position of non-destitution despite Trump's persistent resistance and relentless Liberal pressure for the Democrats to try to overthrow the Republican President. In particular, it suppressed an internal rumor and held in check even the most virulent proponents of impeachment and enthusiastic investigators, as well as commission chairmen, as Democrats increasingly turn to the courts to settle the conflict between the Congress and the President.
During the hour-long session focused on health care, Pelosi was the only one to discuss the impeachment process, recognizing that some Democrats were complaining.
"Why do not we dismiss the president?" She said repeating their words. "Why do not we impose it? They are a bit disappointed, "she said of her party's frustrated members.
"The fact is we have to show [voters] that we do all the other things that interest them so much, "said Pelosi. Not a single legislator in the room protested.
In the latest example of the president's resistance, the White House, Jerrold Nadler (DN.Y.), told the chairman of the House Judiciary Committee that she was refusing a massive request for documents and testimonies sent to 81 allies and affiliated companies of Trump.
In his letter, the White House lawyer, Pat Cipollone, reiterated that the White House and Trump's business had begun to be founded: the Congress is not a body charged with Law enforcement and is not for the legitimate purpose of investigating the issues that it is pursuing.
[No ‘do-over’ on Mueller probe, White House lawyer tells House panel, saying demands for records, staff testimony will be refused]
Prior to the White House letter, Nadler seemed to be moving in the direction of an impeachment during an interview with CNBC, saying that Trump was making it "harder and harder" to avoid it all. that the House was probably not heading in that direction.
"It depends on what comes out," Nadler said. "It depends where the Americans are, whether they want to go that route or not. I do not want to give the illusion that we are moving towards destitution. Probably not.
Adam B. Schiff (D-Calif.), Chairman of the Chamber of Deputies Intelligence Committee, said on Sunday's ABC show: "We are already an extremely divided country and a process of impeachment will divide even more. "
The Democrats issued numerous subpoenas in their investigations as they searched for documents and witnesses regarding Trump's commercial activities, his tax returns and details on administrative policies. The president and senior officials refused to comply.
Lawmakers are also seeking to obtain the unredacted version of the report of special advocate Robert S. Mueller III on Russia's interference in the 2016 election and the underlying evidence to determine they should dismiss Trump. But the Justice Department refused to give up much of this information despite a summons to appear before Congress.
For the Democrats, their hopes rest on the courts. Nadler told reporters Wednesday that he would issue subpoenas for any information he needed that the White House would block – and then take the case to court after a series of contempt votes. ;They refuse.
But Democratic House leaders have not yet scheduled a vote for the first set of contempt resolutions, including one for Attorney General William P. Barr. House Majority Leader Steny H. Hoyer (D-Md.) Told reporters that a full House vote on the contempt quote for Barr, approved by the Judiciary Committee, last week, would not take place until next month at the earliest.
This would put in place a future lawsuit – perhaps weeks or months later – to enforce contempt quotes in federal courts.
"This case may take a while, but ultimately I think the courts will do it. . . to act on behalf of the US Congress and its legitimate constitutional capacity to oversee the executive, "Hoyer said.
[Trump asserts executive privilege over Mueller report; House panel holds Barr in contempt]
On Tuesday, a federal judge told Pelosi's allies that the courts would come to their aid, expressing his skepticism about Trump's decision to quash a Congressional summons and promising to speed up the trial to reach a verdict. quick.
"I would like to thank the President for greatly assisting our cause," said Ted Lieu, a California Democrat sitting on the Judiciary Committee and a member of Pelosi's leadership. When asked when it was time to dismiss Trump, Lieu replied, "Not yet. I think we would like to start with a court case. "
Ironically, lawyers believe that it would be beneficial for Democratic investigators to initiate impeachment proceedings because they would be more likely to get some of the documents.
The fact that Democrats stand in line despite their anger at the President is another reminder of Pelosi's position on his caucus: Trump's power often tells Associates he admires. Lawmakers say either to trust his political instincts or to be afraid in private to suffer anger.
Even the most passionate supporters of the dismissal, such as representatives Al Green (D-Tex.) And Maxine Waters (D-Calif.) Have refused to organize against Pelosi or put pressure on him for that. He reconsidered his decision. Nobody named him to increase public pressure for impeachment.
"For the speaker, as the leader of the caucus, she has to take a lot more into consideration than I do, and we expect her to do it. That is why she is both leader and speaker, "said the representative Val Demings (D-Fla.), A former police officer who wants to start an impeachment procedure but who had only good things to say about Pelosi's strategy. "And I think it will come to the place, in a very strategic way, for which we need it. I trust his judgment. "
It's a turnaround for Pelosi. She ended an uprising after the 2018 elections as a group of rebels tried to deny him a second term as president. But since then, especially after Pelosi led his party in a 35-day clash between the government and Trump, grassroots members have left it on issues such as dismissal.
The only billionaire democrat donor, Tom Steyer, dared to challenge Pelosi directly against the dismissal, but even then, he did so with caution. This week, Steyer checked Pelosi's name on social media and wrote an editorial for the San Francisco Chronicle in which he claimed that the Democratic leadership was making a mistake by refusing to dismiss Trump.
"President Pelosi and conventional wisdom are wrong," Steyer wrote on Facebook on Monday. "Withdrawal – in addition to being the right thing to do – is also a good policy for Democrats."
Even so, even Steyer has refrained from holding a public meeting on impeachment in the San Francisco area. His "Need to Impeach" group has held public meetings in the districts of Democratic presidents.
However, not all Democrats are satisfied with Pelosi's strategy.
The Chair of the Natural Resources Committee of the House, Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) Said: "At some point each committee faces obstacles. . . the case for dismissal as a mechanism to obtain what we need. . . becomes stronger and stronger. "
When asked if he thought Pelosi would eventually support the dismissal, Grijalva replied, "I think a lot of people will have to come to terms with that."
Rep Ro Rohnna (D-Calif.), Liberal, said that Ms. Pelosi had made it clear that she needed public support for such an effort before going forward, particularly when Republicans control the Senate and insist that Democrats stop investigating the president.
"I think she has left the door open, but she will not lead an effort that does not have the overwhelming majority of Congress," Khanna said.
Khanna is mocked at the prospect of anyone trying to force Pelosi: "People are betting against Nancy Pelosi to lose caucus trust for 20 years and they still tend to go wrong.
At the same time, the Democrats intend to take turns reading Thursday the 448-page Mueller Redacted Report.
Carol D. Leonnig and Josh Dawsey contributed to this report.
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