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- Rep. Rashida Tlaib of Michigan sent a letter asking her fellow Democrats to sign onto a resolution urging the House Judiciary Committee to investigate any impeachable offenses committed by President Donald Trump.
- Tlaib has previously pledged to impeach Trump, as have a handful of other Democratic lawmakers.
- House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has attempted to tamp down talk of impeachment, suggesting the process would be too difficult for the country, and also premature.
WASHINGTON — Rep. Rashida Tlaib of Michigan sent a letter asking her fellow Democrats to sign onto a resolution urging the House Judiciary Committee to investigate any impeachable offenses committed by President Donald Trump, days after former FBI Director Robert Mueller concluded the special counsel investigation.
In a letter sent to Democrats on Monday night, Tlaib bucked House Democratic leadership, who have dismissed talk of impeachment as premature and dangerous.
"The actions of President Trump before he was officially sworn in as President of United States is currently being investigated by the Southern District of New York and much of it is part of the completed report by independent investigator, Robert Mueller," Tlaib wrote.
"However, the most dangerous threat to our democracy is President Trump’s actions since taking the oath of office."
In the letter obtained by INSIDER, Tlaib also noted that Trump has so far been uncooperative with House Democrats’ various inquiries of his administration and personal affairs.
"Much of the allegations have yet to be fully investigated by this body who also took an oath to uphold the U.S. Constitution," Tlaib wrote. "It is critical that we protect the American people and our country from any conflicts of interests that directly erodes our democracy."
"I, firmly, believe that the House Committee on Judiciary should seek out whether President Trump has committed ‘High crimes and Misdemeanors’ as designated by the U.S. Constitution and if the facts support those findings, that Congress begin impeachment proceedings," she added.
The letter then describes her resolution, which directs the House Judiciary Committee, chaired by Rep. Jerry Nadler of New York, to investigate three key areas:
- Whether the actions of President Trump and his businesses violate the Foreign Emoluments Clause. Through President Trump’s businesses in the United States and abroad, the president has received payments, regulatory approval, and other forms of direct and indirect financial benefits from foreign governments.
- Whether President Trump committed crimes to defraud the United States by directing Michael Cohen to make illegal payments to interfere and affect the 2016 Presidential election, which has eroded faith in elections and perpetuated political corruption.
- Whether the Special Counsel’s evidence on obstruction of justice pertaining to the President’s actions and intents violates federal law.
Read more: Trump is having the best week of his presidency and it’s only Monday
The letter asks Democrats to sign on before Wednesday at noon, which ends by telling members they "all swore to protect our nation, and that begins with making sure that no one, including the President of the United States, is acting above the law."
A spokesperson for Tlaib was not immediately available for comment.
Tlaib had previously come under fire for declaring at a party shortly after being sworn into office that she would "impeach the motherf—-r" in reference to Trump.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has tried to distance herself and the Democratic caucus from talk of impeachment, saying in a recent interview that while she believes Trump is unfit for office, she is not in the camp that Congress should begin censuring or removing the president from office.
"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," she said.
"And he’s just not worth it."
See Also:
- Almost a year before he turned in his report, Mueller warned that much of the coverage of his investigation wasn’t true
- Pelosi and Schumer charge that Attorney General William Barr is ‘not in a position to make objective determinations’ about the Mueller report
- Trump allies celebrate Attorney General William Barr’s analysis of the Mueller report, while Democrats vow to continue investigating Trump
SEE ALSO: Trump is having the best week of his presidency and it’s only Monday
Source: Business Insider – jperticone@businessinsider.com (Joe Perticone)