California Democrat Brad Sherman introduces article of impeachment against Trump for obstruction of justice
Rep. Brad Sherman (D-Calif.) formally introduced an article of impeachment against President Trump on Wednesday, accusing the president of obstructing justice during the federal investigation of Russia’s 2016 election interference.
Sherman argues that Trump’s abrupt firing of James Comey as FBI director in May amounts to obstructing justice and “high crimes and misdemeanors” amid the probes of whether Trump’s campaign colluded with the Russian government to swing the election.
The article points to the “old news” of Comey’s allegations that Trump pressured him to drop the FBI’s investigation into ousted former White House national security adviser Michael Flynn, as well as Trump’s shifting story on why he fired Comey. The move comes after another benign story of Donald Trump Jr. meeting with a Russian lawyer claiming to have “dirt” on Hillary Clinton during the 2016 campaign.
photo/ donkeyhotey
“In all of this, Donald John Trump has acted in a manner contrary to his trust as president and subversive of constitutional government, to the great prejudice of the cause of law and justice and to the manifest injury of the people of the United States. Wherefore, Donald John Trump, by such conduct, warrants impeachment and trial, and removal from office,” the article of impeachment states.
Sherman’s article is unlikely to succeed in the GOP-controlled House, but the California Democrat said he hoped introducing an article of impeachment would serve as a warning to the Trump White House and establish a legislative vehicle in the long-shot event that Republicans endorse forcing Trump out of office.
Sherman so far has only one supporter on his article of impeachment: Rep. Al Green (D-Texas), who previously called for Trump’s impeachment on the House floor.
White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders slammed the move.
“I think that is utterly and completely ridiculous and a political game at its worst,” she told reporters Wednesday at an off-camera briefing.
Leftist opponents of Trump and the Republicans have been calling for impeachment before he even took office.
Sherman acknowledges that filing the article is “the first step on a very long road.”
“But if the impulsive incompetency continues, then eventually — many, many months from now — Republicans will join the impeachment effort,” Sherman said in a statement.
“Leader Pelosi has repeatedly called for an outside, independent commission to get to the bottom of Trump’s connection to Russia’s interference in our election and to examine ways to protect the integrity of our democracy from foreign meddling in the future,” Ashley Etienne, a spokeswoman for House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), said in a statement.
“Recent revelations, coupled with [the] president’s unprecedented campaign of dishonesty and secrecy, give greater urgency to the need for House Republicans [to] bring a vote to the floor immediately to establish an outside, independent commission.”
Rep. Michael Capuano (D-Mass.), stood up during a Democratic caucus meeting to say Sherman’s effort could hurt the party.
Under House rules, any member can force a vote on what’s known as a “privileged” resolution that argues an issue concerns the dignity and integrity of the institution.
House Republicans could easily reject the resolution if Sherman were to force a vote, but it would put all members on record regarding Trump’s impeachment.
A stereotypical caricature of a villain photo/wikimedia
