Members of Congress on both sides of the political aisle on Thursday reacted to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s (D-CA) call to move forward with impeachment, spurring celebration for congressional Democrats and words of warning from the GOP.
Pelosi announced she has instructed House Democrats to advance the impeachment of President Trump, stating the facts are “uncontested.” She made the announcement one day after the first public impeachment hearing in the House Judiciary Committee, which featured far-left legal scholars and no fact-witnesses:
The GOP issued quick reactions on social media.
“To quote Speaker Pelosi: ‘Impeachment is so divisive to the country that unless there’s something so compelling and overwhelming and bipartisan, I don’t think we should go down that path because it divides the country,'” House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) said.
“She has failed her own standard for impeachment,” he added:
Rep. Lee Zeldin (R-NY) took issue with Pelosi describing the facts as “uncontested.”
“Pelosi just said ‘the facts are uncontested’. Wrong! The Pelosi/Schiff/Nadler version of facts & reality is ENTIRELY contested,” he said, warning that impeachment will be “forever remembered as one of Congress’ very lowest moments in American history”:
Rep. Pete King (R-NY) described Pelosi’s call for impeachment as a “reckless abuse of power” and cautioned it essentially guarantees Trump’s reelection:
“.@SpeakerPelosi call for impeachment is a reckless abuse of power intended to overturn the 2016 election,” he wrote. “Constitution vests power in the America people not progressive mobs. @POTUS Trump 2020 election guaranteed”:
Rep. Mark Meadows (R-NC) also pointed out that the facts are greatly contested, despite Pelosi’s position otherwise.
“I’m not sure what hearings they were watching—because none of their witnesses brought any facts. Just presumptions,” he wrote. “Perhaps they didn’t watch the hearings… along with the rest of America”:
“.@SpeakerPelosi & the Democrats should be ashamed,” White House Press Secretary Stephanie Grisham wrote.
“@realDonaldTrump has done nothing but lead our country – resulting in a booming economy, more jobs & a stronger military, to name just a few of his major accomplishments. We look forward to a fair trial in the Senate,” she added:
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Democrats, meanwhile, celebrated the speaker’s announcement:
The timeline is still iffy, with senior House Democrat sources telling Fox News it could prove difficult to do impeachment “right” before Christmas: