#Resistance Democrats might feel that any hope of pursuing impeachment against President Donald Trump is now gone, particularly as Trump and his team take a victory lap following Attorney General William Barr’s determination that special counsel Robert Mueller found no evidence of collusion between Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign and Russia.
However, the dissuaded have a hero in Michigan Rep. Rashida Tlaib. According to Business Insider, Tlaib is collecting Democratic support for a resolution urging the House Judiciary Committee to investigate whether Trump committed impeachable offenses. True to her word, she’s going to help the lead the charge to “impeach the motherfucker,” even if leading Democrats such as Speaker Nancy Pelosi—or even close allies like Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez—aren’t down.
Tlaib reportedly sent a letter to Democrats asking them to sign the resolution, arguing that while the Mueller report is out and the Southern District of New York is working on its own investigation, “the most dangerous threat to our democracy is President Trump’s actions since taking the oath of office.”
“I, firmly, believe that the House Committee on Judiciary should seek out whether President Trump has committed ‘High crimes and Misdemeanors’ as designated by the U.S. Constitution and if the facts support those findings, that Congress begin impeachment proceedings,” Tlaib’s letter reads, per Business Insider.
Prior to the release of the Mueller report, an impeachment effort already seemed to be shot down by Pelosi, who characterized Trump and the process as “not worth it,” and House Judiciary Committee chairman Rep. Jerry Nadler, who has emphasized needing Trump voters on board before impeachment processes can go forward.
While other House members such as Texas Rep. Al Green have refused to let it go, one of Tlaib’s top allies expressed more skepticism.
“I think what’s tough is, impeachment in principle is something that I openly support,” Ocasio-Cortez said after a House Democratic caucus meeting on Tuesday, according to the Hill. “But it’s also just the reality of having the votes in the Senate to pursue that. And so that’s something that we have to take into consideration.” (The GOP has a 53-47 Senate majority, and impeachment requires a 2/3rds majority of both houses.)
When asked about Tlaib’s letter to Democrats, Ocasio-Cortez said “we’re taking a look at it,” although the Hill didn’t clarify whether she was referencing the letter, or the opportunity for impeachment. Democrats have until Wednesday at noon to sign the resolution; Tlaib’s office did not immediately respond to Splinter’s request for comment on the resolution and information on how many people have joined her so far, but we’ll update if we hear back.