Last updated on September 25th, 2023 at 08:55 pm
Donald Trump is trying to dictate his own impeachment, and House Democrats had one message for him on Tuesday as they returned from recess: Get lost.
In recent weeks, Trump has essentially been telling House Speaker Nancy Pelosi that he won’t cooperate with the impeachment inquiry unless it’s conducted on his terms.
During a discussion with MSNBC’s Steve Kornacki, Rep. Eric Swalwell of the House Intelligence Committee scoffed at Trump’s efforts.
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“In the history of investigations, no investigator has ever allowed a suspect to dictate the terms and direction and timeline of an investigation,” the Democratic lawmaker said. “We’re not going to let Donald Trump do that.”
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“No investigator has ever allowed a suspect to dictate the terms and direction and timeline of an investigation. We’re not going to let Donald Trump do that,” @RepSwalwell said. #ctl #p2 pic.twitter.com/Pnxc2JoRen
— PoliticusUSA (@politicususa) October 15, 2019
Rep. Swalwell said:
We believe we are in a formal impeachment inquiry. And in the history of investigations, no investigator has ever allowed a suspect to dictate the terms and direction and timeline of an investigation. We’re not going to let Donald Trump do that. So we’re going to continue to proceed. In the last three weeks, we’ve heard from a number of witnesses. The timeline is becoming clearer and who was in the shadow scheme loop and who was outside the loop is also coming more into focus.
Pelosi is unfazed by Trump’s impeachment tantrums
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Tuesday echoed what Rep. Swalwell told Steve Kornacki – that Democrats don’t need a formal vote in the House to authorize their impeachment inquiry.
Instead, they will continue to gather evidence and talk to key witnesses – particularly those from the State Department who continue to cooperate, despite the White House urging them not to.
As the process continues to play out, not only is the evidence ironclad that Trump committed a crime with respect to Ukraine, but the American public increasingly believes the president should face impeachment and possible removal from office.
House Democrats have no reason to allow Donald Trump to dictate his own impeachment, and they sent a message loud and clear on Tuesday that they have plans to do that.
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Sean Colarossi currently resides in Cleveland, Ohio. He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism from the University of Massachusetts Amherst and was an organizing fellow for both of President Obama’s presidential campaigns. He also worked with Planned Parenthood as an Affordable Care Act Outreach Organizer in 2014, helping northeast Ohio residents obtain health insurance coverage.
