As impeachment becomes a focal point in current political discourse, higher echelons of Democratic leadership feel comfortable coming out in support of it, despite Speaker of the House Pelosi’s efforts to keep the proverbial dam from bursting.
House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn (D-S.C.) made waves Sunday on Jake Tapper’s "State of the Union" when he said he believed that Trump would eventually be impeached:
“I think we have already begun [impeachment]. We have got all of these committees doing their work. We're having hearings. We have already won two court cases. And there are other cases that are still to be determined.”
Earlier in the interview, Clyburn indicated the reason Democrats are waiting to make a move is because they're “trying to make sure that we do what is necessary to educate the public, make sure that the public understands exactly what we're doing, why we're doing it, so that people won't misinterpret this as being a political move on our part.”
In regards to Pelosi’s various warnings on proceeding with impeachment, Clyburn stated “[w]hat Nancy Pelosi is trying to do and the rest of us in the House of Representatives is to develop a process by which we can efficiently move on this issue, so that, when we get to a vote, it would be something that she calls ironclad, I call effective.”
However, when pressed for clarification Monday, Clyburn seemed to reverse his position....sort of, telling reporters:
“I’m probably farther away from impeachment than anybody in our caucus. We will not get out in front of our committees. We’ll see what the committees come up with. I’ve said that forever.”
Clyburn is one of the most influential Democrats to call for impeachment as of now, but he isn’t the only one. Various 2020 candidates and a slew of politicians have also called for Donald Trump’s impeachment, such as Jerry Nadler, Chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, who said in a radio interview last week that “there certainly is” standing to begin impeachment proceedings against the president.
And it seems as if the Democratic base may be coming out more strongly on impeachment as well.
A CNN poll released yesterday finds that 76 percent of Democrats favor impeachment, up from 69 percent in April, while only 41 percent of the overall public support it -- a four percent increase from last month.
If impeachment continues to gain traction within the Democratic party, Pelosi may have no choice but to finally fold on the issue.