Rep. Brad Sherman (D-CA) today introduced articles of impeachment against President Trump, the first day of Democratic control of the House.
Sherman’s articles of impeachment accuse Trump of obstructing justice by firing former FBI Director James B. Comey, among other wrongdoing.
“There is no reason it shouldn’t be before the Congress,” Sherman said. “Every day, Donald Trump shows that leaving the White House would be good for our country.”
Speaker Pelosi had ruled out pursuing impeachment prior to November’s midterm election, saying she would wait for the outcome of the special counsel investigation.
But today she said she wouldn’t rule out Trump being indicted while in office, describing the topic as “an open discussion.”
During an interview with TODAY’s Savannah Guthrie, Pelosi said it’s possible that special counsel Robert Mueller could seek an indictment against the sitting president, despite Justice Department guidelines against such action.
“I do not think that that is conclusive,” Pelosi said about the guidance.
“I think that that is an open discussion. I think that is an open discussion in terms of the law,” she said, on the eve of reclaiming her former title as speaker of the House. Pelosi will become the first lawmaker in recent history to hold that office twice when the 116th Congress convenes Thursday.
Mueller has been investigating Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. presidential election and whether its government worked to help Trump win the White House.
Although Democrats have discussed the idea of impeaching the president, Pelosi said it would not benefit the country to pursue one.
But she wouldn’t rule the idea out either.
“We have to wait and see what happens with the Mueller report. We shouldn’t be impeaching for a political reason, and we shouldn’t avoid impeachment for a political reason. So we’ll just have to see how it comes,” she said.
Even if Democrats were to impeach Trump, he can only be removed from office by a two-thirds Senate majority.
And Republicans are already warning Democrats that pursuing impeachment would come with a political cost.
But that doesn’t mean that Democrats aren’t going to be discussing the issue — especially when resolutions like Sherman’s are put forward.