Freshman Democratic Rep. Rashida Tlaib has formally submitted her impeachment resolution Wednesday afternoon with only one other member’s name of support — Democratic Rep. Al Green of Texas, who has tried to push the impeachment issue on his own before.
“Just Al Green and I,” Tlaib said, adding that she does not think there will be any others who come forward with their support.
Tlaib has been working behind-the-scenes to get colleagues to put their name on the resolution that directs the House Judiciary Committee to inquire whether President Donald Trump committed impeachable offenses.
Earlier this week she sent a “Dear Colleague” letter to a targeted list of members who in the past had shown an openness to pushing for impeachment and that she thought could be open to signing their name to her resolution.
Asked if she is disappointed that others didn’t sign on, especially those in her freshman class who may have called for impeachment on the campaign trail, she said no.
In a last-minute news conference outside the Capitol, Tlaib brushed aside concerns that she failed to get more than one other Democrat to sign on to her resolution.
“For many of my colleagues, not one told me not to,” she said, explaining she wasn’t discouraged from pursuing her resolution. “And that’s important to know. Not one single person told me not to do this – and I think that speaks volumes, more than whether or not they signed on.”
Tlaib’s resolution had no doubt irked members of leadership who have been eager to squash impeachment talk and get the caucus to refocus on legislative priorities like health care, particularly following the release of Attorney General William Barr’s letter summarizing special counsel Robert Mueller’s report. The summary says Mueller did not establish Trump’s campaign or associates conspired with Russia. Mueller’s investigation of whether the President committed obstruction of justice did not conclude the President committed a crime, but it also “does not exonerate him,” Barr quoted from Mueller’s report. While Democrats are still demanding to see the full Mueller report as well as the evidence it’s based on, some in the party are pushing their colleagues to move on.
Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi earlier Wednesday appeared to dismiss Tlaib’s move, following questions as to how the freshman is faring as she tries to collect support among Democrats.
“You can ask her how she’s doing on hers” resolution, Pelosi told CNN earlier Wednesday. “That is not an initiative of our House caucus.”
“I’ve made it really clear on impeachment,” Pelosi said. “Everybody can do whatever they want to do but that’s not a place where we are right now. Right now, we are talking about health care, we are talking about climate and building the infrastructure of America in a green way. Just like we promised in the campaign. That is what we are spending our time on.”
Given the lack of support from leadership, the resolution is not expected to advance in the House any time soon.
