The chair of the Congressional Black Caucus said President Donald Trump should be impeached over the deployment of the National Guard in Los Angeles in response to recent street clashes over immigration enforcement.
“I definitely believe it is. But we’ll cross that bridge when we get to it,” Rep. Yvette Clarke of New York said Tuesday when asked at a news conference if she considered Trump’s decision to send in the troops over the objections of state and local officials an impeachable offense.
Other Democrats didn’t go as far when asked about impeachment Tuesday.
“We’ll cross that bridge when we get there,” Rep. Adriano Espaillat (D-N.Y.), chair of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, said in an interview. “I have to study all the facts. This is not over yet, but it certainly hasn’t started out in a good way.”
Democrats have railed against the use of the National Guard to respond to the protests, calling it a threat to democracy. California plans to sue over the use of the Guard, arguing Trump overstepped by up the troops without the signoff of California Gov. Gavin Newsom, a Democrat.
“The chaos is the bait and the switch is a constitutional crisis and power grab,” Rep. Jimmy Gomez (D-Calif.) told reporters at a separate news conference from Clarke’s held earlier Tuesday.
Democratic leaders have generally tamped down any pushes to impeach Trump. An earlier effort by Rep. Shri Thanedar (D-Mich.) fizzled out amid a fierce backlash in the party, and House Democratic Caucus Chair Pete Aguilar of California said “House Democrats aren’t focused on impeachment today” when he addressed reporters after Clarke spoke Tuesday.
“We are focused on holding the president and House Republicans accountable for the policies that attack the basic needs, like health care and food assistance,” he said.
Rank-and-file members such as Rep. Emily Randall (D-Wash.) are skeptical of the odds of success for impeachment with the House and Senate held by the GOP.
“An impeachable offense and what we can actually get across the finish line are two different things, and we saw Donald Trump impeached twice and re-elected,” she said. “So do I think this is unconstitutional and un-American? Yes. Do I think the American people oppose it? Yes.”
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