There are now 106 House Democrats supporting an impeachment inquiry, by CNN’s count. That’s not quite half of the Democrats in the House, but the push is gaining momentum.
Many in the traditional media declared former special counsel Robert Mueller’s House testimony last week to be a bust because there wasn’t enough sizzle or shouting, but after Mueller said straight out that his report did not exonerate Donald Trump and that Trump had not been honest about his involvement with Russia, a number of House Democrats have come forward to support an impeachment inquiry or outright impeachment.
“An impeachment inquiry is a process, not an outcome, but I fear there is no amount of wrongdoing that we could uncover that would convince Senate Republicans to hold the President accountable. Regardless of the outcome, I believe we have a patriotic duty to uncover the facts for the American people and uphold the rule of law,” said Rep. Katherine Clark, the vice chair of the House Democratic Caucus, in a July 25 statement.
Since Mueller’s testimony, four representatives from Washington state have called for an impeachment inquiry—and they joined the other three Democrats in the Washington delegation, so that by now every House Democrat from their state has backed an impeachment inquiry. Both New Hampshire representatives have also now joined the call.
It’s also worth noting that New Hampshire’s Chris Pappas and Washington’s Kim Schrier are both on the DCCC’s Frontline list, as members in battleground districts whose seats must be defended. Reps. Sean Casten of Illinois, Tom Malinowski of New Jersey, and Katie Porter, Harley Rouda, and Mike Levin of California are also Frontline members who support an impeachment inquiry, with Levin saying that “I do not take this decision lightly—quite the opposite. Moreover, given the current political climate, it may prove impossible to impeach the president regardless of what a House inquiry reveals. But it remains my responsibly to do what I can to protect the rule of law and defend the Constitution.”
So it turns out that even many members in tough districts are getting on board the call for an impeachment inquiry.