House Democrats didn’t always express their sheer determination to impeach President Donald J. Trump. Some quotes from the past show that once upon a time, some leading Democrats shared a different point of view, when it came to President Bill Clinton:
- Rep. Jerry Nadler blasted impeachment complaining “they have been persecuting this President since the day he took office because they cannot abide the thought that we could have a President fighting for us.”
- Nancy Pelosi admitted that Democrats have been bent on impeachment for over 2.5 years.
- Then Rep. Chuck Schumer complained that impeachment was not bipartisan: “We are routinely using criminal accusations and scandal to win the political battles and ideological differences we cannot settle at the ballot box.”
- Rep. Maxine Waters said impeachment was a “coup d’état” because “they are trying to do with this impeachment what they were unable to do at the ballot box” and called on Congress to “stop the madness” and “to get on with the work of the American people.” That was 21 years ago, when President Clinton was impeached.
- Rep. Zoe Lofgren said that moving forward on impeachment “on a partisan basis … will do damage to our country.” (Only Democrats support impeaching President Trump.)
- Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee blasted impeachment based on “very insignificant” facts and no violations of the Constitution.
- Rep. Barbara Lee said impeachment was an “attempt to undo a government that is duly elected by the people.”
OTHER FUN FACTS
Rules Committee Vice Chair Rep. Alcee Hastings was impeached in 1988 for “conspiracy, bribery, perjury, falsifying documents, thwarting a criminal investigation, and undermining the public confidence ‘in the integrity and impartiality of the judiciary.’”
Even Democrat voters are rejecting impeachment. A new CNN poll found that since November support for impeachment amongst Democrats has dropped by 13 points.
