This Wednesday, the House’s impeachment proceedings were set to draw to a close with a full House vote on articles of impeachment against President Donald Trump charging him with abuse of power and obstruction of Congress. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and some of her fellow Democratic Congresswomen arrived to Congress on Wednesday wearing dark colors, like black, in a bid to mark the solemnity of the day. The allegations from Trump and his Republican allies in Congress that Dems have been pursuing impeachment over partisan animosity do not reflect their actual behavior.
Rep. Debbie Dingell (D-Mich.) explained:
‘Normally we wear red and we said, ‘We can’t do that today.’ So, many of the women are in darker colors because it is a somber day.’
That red represents solidarity with causes like the fight against human trafficking, but this time around, CNN’s Manu Raju notes that Pelosi and her staff “instructed her caucus to show unity and not to gloat at all during the proceedings, per multiple sources.” Raju adds that Pelosi “wants the public to see Democrats as taking this moment seriously and not be seen as cheering the President’s impeachment, members say.”
Pelosi and her staff have instructed her caucus to show unity and not to gloat at all during the proceedings, per multiple sources. She wants the public to see Democrats as taking this moment seriously and not be seen as cheering the President’s impeachment, members say
— Manu Raju (@mkraju) December 18, 2019
That hasn’t stopped Trump and his allies from claiming the exact opposite anyway, even while their behavior has been pretty much exactly the kind of hysterics that they’ve accused Democrats of.
Trump even tried to use the death of Rep. Dingell’s husband as political leverage against her. He tweeted:
‘The last time I spoke to Debbie Dingell was her call thanking me for granting top memorial and funeral service honors for her then just departed husband, long time Congressman John Dingell. Now I watch her ripping me as part of the Democrats Impeachment Hoax. Really pathetic!’
The last time I spoke to Debbie Dingell was her call thanking me for granting top memorial and funeral service honors for her then just departed husband, long time Congressman John Dingell. Now I watch her ripping me as part of the Democrats Impeachment Hoax. Really pathetic!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 14, 2019
Meanwhile, among many of his Republican colleagues who’ve also spoken out on the floor during ongoing hours of debate, GOP Rep. Chris Stewart of Utah insisted this Wednesday:
‘They hate this president – that’s what this vote is about. This isn’t something you are approaching prayerfully, somberly… [You are] gleeful.’
“They hate this president – that’s what this vote is about,” says GOP Rep. Chris Stewart of Utah. “This isn’t something you are approaching prayerfully, somberly. Dems are “gleeful,” he says.
— Manu Raju (@mkraju) December 18, 2019
There’s no actual evidence for this. At times, Republicans like Congresswoman Debbie Lesko (Ariz.) have pointed to Democrats supposedly supporting impeachment long before the present proceedings — but during a House Rules Committee meeting this week, she was rattling off individuals who weren’t even in Congress before the session with the present proceedings, which is just an embarrassing lack of basic competence.
Attempting to deflect on Trump's behalf during a Rules Committee hearing on impeachment, GOP Rep @DebbieLesko accuses several Democrats of previously voting to bring up an impeachment vote. But then she is informed that several of the members she is attacking weren't in Congress. pic.twitter.com/seHZdF7vMW
— Oliver Willis (@owillis) December 17, 2019
On Wednesday, as debate about the articles of impeachment got underway, Trump kept up his outrageous ranting after sending Pelosi a rambling six-page letter with a similar tone the previous day.
He tweeted:
‘SUCH ATROCIOUS LIES BY THE RADICAL LEFT, DO NOTHING DEMOCRATS. THIS IS AN ASSAULT ON AMERICA, AND AN ASSAULT ON THE REPUBLICAN PARTY!!!!’
Maybe if he thinks that if he screams long enough, impeachment will go away. (It won’t).
SUCH ATROCIOUS LIES BY THE RADICAL LEFT, DO NOTHING DEMOCRATS. THIS IS AN ASSAULT ON AMERICA, AND AN ASSAULT ON THE REPUBLICAN PARTY!!!!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 18, 2019
Following the vote this Wednesday evening to approve the impeachment charges, the House will have to deal with appointing managers for the case and sending it to the Senate. It’s not publicly clear who those managers might turn out to be.
