Guys. It's On. Cue the music.
Democrats have heard the steady drum beat. The voters have been flooding their office lines. Demonstrations. Tweets. Al Green tried to get Nancy Pelosi to move forward numerous times, and earlier today Pelosi and Nadler held press conferences which seemed to take small steps toward maybe, kind of, sort of, opening an impeachment inquiry.
Now, it looks like the House Judiciary is moving forward on its own, based on an article in the Atlantic, drafted by four members of the House Judiciary Committee that dropped late Friday night.
The four members are Mary Gay Scanlon (Vice Chair of the House Judiciary Committee), David Cicilline (U.S. representative from Rhode Island), Pramila Jayapal (U.S. representative from Washington), Veronica Escobar (U.S. representative from Texas).
In the Atlantic article they lay out exactly how we ended up here - Donald Trump's corruption, his continued crimes and his subsequent attempts at obstruction. They talk about how the Committees have tried to call witnesses to testify and have requested documents, only to be stonewalled by Trump and his administration. They mention Mueller's Report and his damning testimony, which laid out numerous instances of obstruction of justice. They mention the petition that the House filed earlier on Friday requesting grand jury documents from the Mueller Report which will be used to determine whether an impeachment inquiry needs to be formally opened.
But the most critical part of the article is their decision to blow up the idea that an impeachment investigation can only begin with a vote in the full House of Representatives. This is not true. Article I authorizes the House Judiciary Committee to begin the impeachment process without a full vote.
AND THEY ARE EXERCISING THAT RIGHT.
They close with this powerful paragraph:
As members of the House Judiciary Committee, we understand the gravity of this moment that we find ourselves in. We wake up every morning with the understanding of the oath that binds us as members of Congress, and the trust that our constituents placed in us to uphold that oath. We will move forward with the impeachment process. Our investigation will seriously examine all the evidence as we consider whether to bring articles of impeachment or other remedies under our Article I powers.
Our Constitution requires it. Our democracy depends on it.
With regard to the court filing, Laurence Tribe definitely states that this IS the beginning of impeachment proceedings.
