Special counsel Robert Mueller handed Democrats a new weapon on Wednesday that they hope will convince Speaker Nancy Pelosi to open an impeachment inquiry into President Donald Trump.
In his only public statement since the start of his two-year investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election, Mueller explicitly said that he could not have charged Trump with obstruction of justice because of the Justice Department’s long-standing policy that prohibits the indictment of a sitting president.
Rather, Mueller said, the Justice Department policy indicates that the Constitution allows for other ways to hold a president accountable. “The Constitution requires a process other than the criminal justice system to formally accuse a sitting president of wrongdoing,” he said.
To Democrats who are already eager to impeach Trump, those words — given voice by Mueller for the first time — represented a call to action, one that demands their leaders reverse their reluctance to launch an impeachment inquiry.
“The next step is for the House Judiciary Committee to open an impeachment inquiry to formally begin consideration of whether or not articles of impeachment should be filed,” said Rep. David Cicilline (D-R.I.), a member of the Judiciary panel and Democratic leadership, who has previously backed impeachment proceedings. “The opening of this inquiry will allow the committee to collect evidence, compel the attendance of witnesses, and decide how to proceed.”
Rep. Val Demings (D-Fla.), who sits on the Judiciary and Intelligence committees,
But Pelosi has repeatedly said she doesn’t think impeaching Trump is a worthwhile effort, barring dramatic new evidence or the president’s continued efforts to stonewall their investigations. Though she and her allies have sharpened their rhetoric toward Trump — accusing him of a “cover-up” by refusing to cooperate with congressional investigations — Pelosi on Wednesday held firm on her impeachment stance.
“The Congress will continue to investigate and legislate to protect our elections and secure our democracy,” she said in a statement. “The American people must have the truth.”
Across the aisle, Rep. Justin Amash, the Michigan Republican who earlier this month became the only member of his party in Congress to call for Trump’s impeachment,
The rest of the Republican Party, however, said Mueller’s statement proved it was time to move on from the investigation.
“Relitigating the 2016 election and reinvestigating the special counsel’s findings will only further divide our country,” said Georgia Rep. Doug Collins, the top Republican on the House Judiciary Committee.
In a statement Wednesday, House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerry Nadler (D-N.Y.) reiterated his vow to investigate the obstruction of justice allegations against Trump but stopped short of calling for impeachment proceedings.
“Given that Special Counsel Mueller was unable to pursue criminal charges against the president, it falls to Congress to respond to the crimes, lies and other wrongdoing of President Trump — and we will do so,” Nadler said. “No one, not even the president of the United States, is above the law.”
Article originally published on POLITICO Magazine