A majority of Democrats in the House now support an impeachment inquiry
It's official: more than half of House Democrats are in favor of opening an impeachment inquiry.
Rep. Ted Deutch (D-Fla.) on Thursday became the latest Democratic lawmaker to come out in favor of launching impeachment proceedings against President Trump, doing so by way of an op-ed in the Sun-Sentinel. By Politico's count, this means 118 of 235 voting Democratic members in the House now support this move that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) has resisted. Pelosi in recent months has cautioned that were Democrats to pursue impeachment at the moment, Trump would simply be acquitted in the Republican-controlled Senate.
Deutch, Politico notes, is the 23rd Democrat to come out in favor of an impeachment inquiry since Special Counsel Robert Mueller testified before Congress about his report into Russian interference in the 2016 election, which did not establish a conspiracy between the Trump campaign and Russia and did not make a determination about whether Trump obstructed justice while laying out instances of potential obstruction and concluding that the Trump campaign welcomed Russia's interference.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Some outlets' impeachment count differs from Politico's, which reporter Kyle Cheney explains is because "we included in ours everyone who confirmed — either to us or in statements — that they would vote for an inquiry. Some members were explicit with us but haven't been public about it otherwise."
In his op-ed, Deutch argues that an impeachment inquiry is effectively already taking place in the House. "Sorry, Mr. President, the question is no longer whether the House should vote to proceed with a formal impeachment inquiry," he writes. "The inquiry has already begun."
This comes after House Judiciary Committee Chair Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.) made a similar point last week; when asked if the committee's current investigation into the president is effectively the same thing as an impeachment inquiry, Nadler said, "in effect."
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Brendan worked as a culture writer at The Week from 2018 to 2023, covering the entertainment industry, including film reviews, television recaps, awards season, the box office, major movie franchises and Hollywood gossip. He has written about film and television for outlets including Bloody Disgusting, Showbiz Cheat Sheet, Heavy and The Celebrity Cafe.
-
GOP's Mace seeks federal anti-trans bathroom ban
Speed Read Rep. Nancy Mace of South Carolina has introduced legislation to ban transgender people from using federal facilities
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Ukraine fires ATACMS, Russia ups hybrid war
Speed Read Ukraine shot U.S.-provided long-range missiles and Russia threatened retaliation
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
New York DA floats 4-year Trump sentencing freeze
Speed Read President-elect Donald Trump's sentencing is on hold, and his lawyers are pushing to dismiss the case while he's in office
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Wyoming judge strikes down abortion, pill bans
Speed Read The judge said the laws — one of which was a first-in-the-nation prohibition on the use of medication to end pregnancy — violated the state's constitution
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
US sanctions Israeli West Bank settler group
Speed Read The Biden administration has imposed sanctions on Amana, Israel's largest settlement development organization
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Gaetz ethics report in limbo as sex allegations emerge
Speed Read A lawyer representing two women alleges that Matt Gaetz paid them for sex, and one witnessed him having sex with minor
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Biden allows Ukraine to hit deep in Russia
Speed Read The U.S. gave Ukraine the green light to use ATACMS missiles supplied by Washington, a decision influenced by Russia's escalation of the war with North Korean troops
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Sri Lanka's new Marxist leader wins huge majority
Speed Read The left-leaning coalition of newly elected Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake won 159 of the legislature's 225 seats
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published