WP: "And not a single lawmaker challenged her." (Pelosi on not impeaching)

[Laura PourMeADrink]

Last edited Thu May 16, 2019, 08:33 AM - Edit history (1)

WASHINGTON - President Donald Trump, who is refusing to cooperate with more than 20 congressional investigations, instructed current and former aides Wednesday to ignore a House committee's request for documents in the latest act of defiance that has prompted Democrats to declare the nation is facing a constitutional crisis.


But House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., told Democrats in a closed-door caucus meeting Wednesday morning to stick to their policy agenda ahead of the 2020 election rather than initiate impeachment proceedings. And not a single lawmaker challenged her.

The events underscored that Pelosi has managed to hold the line on her no-impeachment stance despite Trump's ongoing resistance and relentless liberal pressure for Democrats to try to oust the Republican president. Most notably, she has quelled an internal clamor and kept even the most vocal impeachment proponents and eager investigators in check along with committee leaders as Democrats increasingly look to the courts to settle the fight between Congress and the chief executive.


In the nearly hourlong, closed-door session heavily focused on health care, Pelosi was the only one to bring up impeachment, acknowledging that some Democrats are complaining.

"Why aren't we impeaching the president?" she said, parroting their words. "Why aren't we impeaching him? They get a little down," she said of frustrated members of her party. "The point is that we need to show (voters) that we are doing all of these other things that they care about so much," Pelosi said. Not a single lawmaker in the room protested.

More at link, if you've got a WaPo subscription
https://www.chron.com/news/article/House-Dems-fall-in-line-with-Pelosi-s-13849065.php

[kentuck]

1. Adam Schiff says "impeachment will only divide us further"...

How can we be divided further than where Donald Trump is willing to take us?

[mountain grammy]

11. Indeed

[BlueStater]

20. We're already about as divided as we possibly can get outside of murdering each other.

Fuck this weak-ass, lily-livered bullshit.

[gldstwmn]

40. We've already started doing that.

[manor321]

2. This is disgusting

[kentuck]

4. Neither Nancy Pelosi nor a speeding locomotive will be able to stop an idea whose time has come...

It's just a matter of time, in my opinion.

[Laura PourMeADrink]

9. Really? But the window of opportunity is closing for sure. What, are we going to

hope for another leader who is pro-impeachment after he wins again?? This whole thing is unbelievable and I can't understand why everyone isn't appalled at this. Investigate more, What??? They are stonewalling every single effort. And Junior will just solidify that if he gets up there. You think he would be there if he could just stonewall in court, hell no.

[ginnyinWI]

3. As much as I'd like to see him thrown out on his ear,

They are representatives of all the people, not just the left, and I can see the wisdom of building a case and waiting.

Frustrating though! He will probably continue to get even worse.

[Laura PourMeADrink]

10. Last I saw 66% of Dems support impeachment. It was in the 80's in December.

[democrank]

5. I have an idea....

Let’s try another focus group, or a commission to study the last commission’s findings, or take a poll....hire a few more consultants. And,for the sake of all things good and right, come down hard on all those “far-left” Democrats who keep yammering about The Constitution and accountability!

[Laura PourMeADrink]

15. Funny (not funny). If they went by polls, we would have started a draft in December

when 80% of the Dems were for impeachment and then just dropped in the Mueller finding articles.

[DLevine]

6. JFC.

Just kill me now.

[Laura PourMeADrink]

14. Exactly. I have never been this disappointed in the party that is in my DNA since

the last time we let Bush/Cheney get away with starting a fake war and we didn't impeach.

[DLevine]

16. Yes, I was also disappointed when Bush & Cheney were not held accountable

for their criminal behavior. This feels even worse. It is killing me that we aren't fighting that evil orange pos with everything we have. The Constitution demands that he be impeached, let's do it ffs.

[Laura PourMeADrink]

17. It does seem worse. Second time. I sure do hope

I get over this because right now I feel like giving up. If we don't stand up to 10+ counts of obstruction of justice..what's the point.

[DLevine]

18. I am right there with you. nt

[LenaBaby61]

33. "The last time we let Bush/Cheney get away with starting a fake war and we didn't impeach."

Which is WHY I became an Independent way back then. This whole "Let's press on with our agenda" thing is pissing off and depressing Dem voters that I know, and yes I know that I don't know all Dem voters Anyway, those I know are extremely loyal voters who tell me on a NOW continual basis that if Impeachment isn't on the table per Nancy, why bother voting? I told them they had to vote. ALL of my friends/their husbands/et al came back at me en mass in their own ways told me that their votes might not even COUNT due to Russian interference/meddling, GOP-led voter suppression and possible suspension of the 2020 election by a treasonous, lawless tRump and his enabling treasonous thuglican party, which is WHY ImpeachmentHAS to be on the table they all pretty much said to me.

NO LIES TOLD from their end, I MUST say

tRump's running rough shod over this country and over Dems. Secondly, what agenda can Dems accomplish IF they can only accomplish it symbolically? tRump's gumming up and trying to slow everything down in the court-system, and he could literally get away with MURDER if he wanted to, and we know that McTurtle isn't going to bring anything to the floor to be voted on which might help Dems, so uh

I loathe the air that McTurtle's allowed to breath, but you have to hand it to the treasonous, racist Supreme Court seat-stealing asshole. He takes his role as GOP Grim Reaper seriously. He's a stone, cold EFFICIENT assassin. A true thuglican who KNOWS how this game is played and won, and he AIN'T here to help Dems or hurt h is pocketbook or tRump unless he's forced to, and even then he's not going to help Dems out at ALL. POINT.BLANK.PERIOD.

McTurtle & thuglicans are IN IT TO WIN IT--AT ALL COSTS. Be damned this nation/world or it's inhabitants.

Dems are mostly the play 'nice' party to our country's detriment unfortunately IMHO. Dems are once again falling back into their well-worn position of being the adults in the room and taking whatever kicking in their/our asses we GET from thuglicans.

[Laura PourMeADrink]

36. +1. What's funny (not haha funny) is that TRussia's

goal was to divide us. Now it is self inflicted. But it's playing the odds that the people who want to do what's so glaringly right and hold him accountable - win or lose, have nowhere else to go.

[Stuart G]

7. The question is not if, the question is when.

..While impeachment may be off the table now, in a few months it may be on the table. Timing is everything in politics. And when can be more important then if. More info will come out on Trump, and then impeachment may be more appropriate and getting conviction more likely.

[Laura PourMeADrink]

12. Well, it will have to be from info out of another venue. Mueller handed off his piece on a

silver platter. If he is legit, bet he's pissed off to the nth degree.

If impeachment takes as long as the anti-impeachment people say, there is NO time left if not now.

[pnwmom]

41. No, he hasn't even testified yet, and there's almost a year and a half

till the election.

We know the Senate will almost certainly not convict. McConnell might even block any trial. So why spend a few months impeaching him now, watching the Senate quickly NOT convict him, and then have more than a year before the election for the public to forget?

Timing is everything and we only get one shot. Better to wait for more and more evidence to develop, for Mueller and others to testify, to have the public virtually begging Nancy to impeach him (are you contacting her, by the way)? And then impeach him a year from now, so the Senate refuses to even hold a trial and it's all fresh in the public's mind in November 2020.

[uponit7771]

26. That's not what we're being told

[Laura PourMeADrink]

13. Said the same thing last month - Because Pelosi won't impeach - and Trumpco will

stonewall everything - writing on wall. Put every single resource toward protecting the vote - especially in MI WI PA NC FL NV TX AZ. Otherwise, with no accountability - we are stuck with this MF until J 2025.

[uponit7771]

27. THIS !!!! 2020 will... NOT .... be more free and fair than 2016

[shanny]

19. this is DISGUSTING

[Laura PourMeADrink]

23. People with good intentions but living in an old

World of gentility when a monster's in the room

[Maven]

22. This is absolutely infuriating. POLICY AGENDA?

Who knows or cares about the bills you're passing that will go nowhere? While what's left of our democracy burns? Are they delusional?

Pelosi is starting to sound like the conductor of an orchestra on the Titanic.

"Iceberg? What iceberg? Play with more gusto, that will liven up the passengers and then it's business as usual!!!"

She is a great leader but not the one we need right now.

[Laura PourMeADrink]

24. It's naivety to the nth degree that anyone living in

today's instant mass media world should believe that the public is aware of or cares that the house is working in legislation that won't pass the Senate. An impeachment trial they will watch. A chance to reach more people with a concise and clear compilation of crimes, yes. Who knows, maybe even one Fox viewer might say wow...never knew all this.

[BeyondGeography]

25. And her reward is to get get publicly taunted by Barr

[cstanleytech]

30. Can a disbarred Barr remain as the head of the DOJ?

If not then lets hope that those ethics complaints and his refusal to obey a subpoena from Congress end with him losing his license to practice law.

[BeyondGeography]

32. Not holding my breath

Ultimate DC insider gets disbarred over a political dispute? Because until Republicans join with Democrats on the issue that’s the way it will be seen by any bar association. Wouldn’t count on it.

[CrispyQ]

28. I don't think the Speaker wants to impeach. Or the House dems, either.

I think they have a Constitutional duty to do so, & she had the same duty with Bush, too.

If the dems don't impeach we could lose the House in 2020. We gave them a majority to hold this administration accountable. For a long time I was one who believed that without the Senate we shouldn't impeach, but the Rude Pundit changed my mind. He pointed out that the House is proceeding with all types of progressive legislation, even though they know McConnell won't bring any of it to the Senate floor, but the House is doing it anyway to make a point.

Also whether one thinks it's true or not, the dems are perceived as weak & not impeaching reinforces that perception.

I've had to turn off the news & back away from the internet or I would probably start drinking heavily.

[Nevermypresident]

34. I've had to do the same. So disappointed.

[Laura PourMeADrink]

37. That's a great point. It's ok to work on legislation that

Won't pass but not ok to impeach and not convict.

[cstanleytech]

29. On one hand I think they should impeach him but on the other hand it could also

backfire to help Trump rally his base with all the free PR he would be able to milk from it that he would not have to pay for even.

[Laura PourMeADrink]

35. From the moment the report came out until election he will be say he is exonerated

What about that? That's free advertising for a year and a half

Link to tweet

[cstanleytech]

39. He and his supporters will have to spend

their own money to try and spread that lie though.

[ooky]

31. I'm frustrated that no fines have been levied or arrests made for

congressional subpoena disobedience.

[Laura PourMeADrink]

38. Act-punishment. Boom. Not act, delay, wait, think about it, punishment.