Last updated on September 25th, 2023 at 08:55 pm
Democratic Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX) of the House Judiciary Committee made some news on Saturday morning by announcing that articles of impeachment against Donald Trump will, indeed, come to the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives for a vote.
During an interview with MSNBC’s Joy Reid, the congresswoman said various House committees are in the process of compiling evidence that they will use to draft articles of impeachment.
Those articles of impeachment, Rep. Lee said, would receive a vote on the House floor.
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“We’re investigating so that we can educate the public, but as well, find all the facts that may be relevant to then writing the articles of impeachment, which, by the way, that is what will go to the floor of the House for a vote,” the Democratic lawmaker said.
Video:
Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee says articles of impeachment will eventually come to a vote on the floor of the U.S. House. #ctl #p2 #amjoy pic.twitter.com/AifmItsSiv
— PoliticusUSA (@politicususa) September 14, 2019
Rep. Jackson Lee said:
From my perspective, the obstruction of justice is the most stark and devastating potential accusation that may draw up articles of impeachment, and that is a whole lineage of efforts by the president to tell people to fire Director Mueller. The back-and-forth of telling someone to fire, then telling someone to cover it up that you were told to fire, getting someone else to go to Don McGahn, for example, and whisper to him, going to General Sessions before he was terminated to tell him to unrecuse himself so that he can take over the investigation and not have Director Mueller do it. Of course, the long sagger of Director Comey in terms of was he really fired because he wouldn’t stand down on the Russian investigation or that he wouldn’t go light or encourage lightness on General Flynn? All of that is in the wheelhouse of high crimes and misdemeanors. To the American public, it is not a criminal act. I think the distinction with Richard Nixon is people could understand a burglary. But be reminded, it was called a low-rate burglary, but it was a burglary, but then it was the lying about the burglary. But let me tell you what it really was. After the Senate had its hearings for about nine months, it was the smoking gun of the tapes. We’re investigating so that we can educate the public, but as well, find all the facts that may be relevant to then writing the articles of impeachment, which, by the way, that is what will go to the floor of the House for a vote.
Democrats have a slew of impeachable offenses to choose from
When it comes to impeachment, Democrats have a slew of Trump offenses to choose from if they pursue a formal inquiry in the coming weeks and months.
As MSNBC’s Joy Reid pointed out on Saturday, possible offenses range from obstruction of justice (as evidenced in Robert Mueller’s report) to Trump’s use of the presidency to enrich himself.
Democrats continue to investigate the corruption seeping from every corner of this administration, but they are doing so without rushing headlong into an impeachment vote without all of their ducks – and evidence – in a row for the public to see.
In the event that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi brings any articles of impeachment to the floor, she will almost certainly have the votes to pass it.
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Sean Colarossi currently resides in Cleveland, Ohio. He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism from the University of Massachusetts Amherst and was an organizing fellow for both of President Obama’s presidential campaigns. He also worked with Planned Parenthood as an Affordable Care Act Outreach Organizer in 2014, helping northeast Ohio residents obtain health insurance coverage.
