While private opponents of President Donald Trump’s administration have long called for his impeachment, the decision to move forward with such a process is not one the Democratic Party has rushed into.
While the impeachment talk certainly flared up back when the nation was awaiting Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s report regarding Trump’s alleged collusion with Russian agents, the results were not considered the appropriate foundation for such a move.
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However, an upcoming announcement from House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi may suggest a change of alignment within the party towards the idea.
Over the last year, Pelosi has caught flak from within her party over her reluctance to move forward with impeachment proceedings.
As CBS News reported , her responses to intro-party calls for impeachment emphasized the need for further investigations into the president’s conduct before she would consider impeachment viable.
Later today, however, she is set to make an announcement that could indicate a change in readiness to move forward.
As Democratic officials speaking under condition of anonymity told The Washington Post , this announcement will follow a private meeting with her caucus and is expected to launch a formal impeachment inquiry.
The apparent change of heart comes on the heels of news regarding a whistle-blower complaint against President Trump.
As CBS News reported , this concerned a call from Trump to the president of Ukraine in which Trump allegedly discussed former Vice President Joe Biden and his son, Hunter.
The complaint, which the intelligence committee inspector general deemed both credible and of “urgent concern,” was blocked by acting director of national intelligence Joseph Maguire.
Also the content of Pelosi’s announcement wasn’t formally decided in her meeting, it could concern the establishment of a special committee to impeach President Trump.
As the anonymous Democrat officials told The Washington Post , they are expected to publicly endorse this move soon.
For his part, Trump has authorized the release of the full transcript of his phone conversation with the Ukrainian president.
h/t: CBS News , The Washington Post
