House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries is declining to rule out impeaching President Donald Trump if Democrats regain the House majority.
Jeffries made the remarks Sunday on ABC’s “This Week” while discussing Democratic priorities if his party wins control in November.
George Stephanopoulos asked whether Jeffries’ pledge to “hold the crooks accountable” meant impeachment proceedings would begin immediately.
“No, we haven’t ruled anything in and we haven’t ruled anything out in terms of impeachment,” Jeffries responded.
Jeffries said Democrats would begin with oversight led by senior members of the Judiciary and Oversight committees.
He specifically named Maryland Rep. Jamie Raskin and California Rep. Robert Garcia as lawmakers expected to lead those efforts.
Jeffries said Democrats would “follow the facts, apply the law, be guided by the Constitution” when considering accountability measures.
He added lawmakers should “let the chips fall where they may” after reviewing evidence uncovered through congressional investigations.
In June, Jeffries similarly told NBC Democrats had “not ruled anything in or ruled anything out” regarding impeachment.
He said Democrats’ principal focus would be lowering costs, improving healthcare affordability and addressing broader economic concerns.
Reuters reported in August that senior House Democrats were preparing extensive investigations rather than planning immediate impeachment proceedings.
Those preparations include potential hearings, subpoenas and document demands involving companies and financial institutions connected to Trump’s administration.
Democratic aides told Reuters they designed the strategy to build an evidentiary record before considering more consequential constitutional action.
“We’re not going into this to impeach,” one senior Democratic aide told Reuters about the developing oversight strategy.
“No one wants a failed vote on day one,” the aide added while describing the planned investigative approach.
Raskin has said Democrats “will not hesitate” to use impeachment if circumstances require it, CBS reported.
The White House has characterized Democratic oversight plans as partisan while saying it will respond to congressional requests.
The dispute intensified Tuesday when the House rejected another effort by Texas Democratic Rep. Al Green to impeach Trump.
The House voted 232-147 to table Green’s resolution, while 47 lawmakers voted present.
Jeffries and other senior Democratic leaders voted present after declining to formally endorse Green’s latest impeachment attempt.
Green’s resolution targeted Trump over immigration enforcement actions involving Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection.
Green cited deaths involving federal immigration agents while alleging presidential responsibility for what he described as unconstitutional enforcement conduct.
Trump’s administration disputes Democratic characterizations of its immigration policies and defends aggressive enforcement as necessary to uphold federal law.
Jeffries, Democratic Whip Katherine Clark and Democratic Caucus Chairman Pete Aguilar issued a joint statement before Tuesday’s vote.
“Impeachment is a sacred constitutional vehicle,” the Democratic leaders said while explaining why they would not immediately support Green.
They said impeachment requires extensive investigation, document collection, witness examination, hearings and efforts to build broad public support.
“None of that serious work has been done,” the Democratic leaders said while criticizing the current Republican-controlled House.
Aguilar separately said impeachment was “not anything that is top of the agenda for House Democrats.”
Trump was impeached twice during his first presidency, becoming the first American president to face two House impeachments.
The Senate acquitted Trump in both cases, meaning neither impeachment resulted in his removal from office.
The Constitution gives the House impeachment authority and assigns the Senate responsibility for conducting impeachment trials.
Conviction and removal require support from two-thirds of senators present, a higher threshold than House approval of impeachment articles.
Reuters reported Democrats are examining government contracts, corporate relationships and financial interests connected to Trump and his family.
Garcia has said existing Democratic investigations would expand if his party gained subpoena power through control of the House.
Republicans call the planned investigations politically motivated, while Democrats describe them as constitutional oversight of executive conduct.
Jeffries’ remarks keep impeachment possible without committing Democrats to pursuing it automatically after the November elections.
A Democratic House could therefore investigate aggressively without necessarily moving immediately toward impeachment.
House control will determine which party holds committee gavels, subpoena authority, and the power to initiate impeachment proceedings.
Jeffries says Democrats would investigate first, leaving impeachment dependent upon evidence those inquiries ultimately produce.
This article may contain commentary which reflects the author's opinion.
