With Donald Trump being almost five months into his presidency -- around June 20 -- the demands of impeachment by congressional leaders has already started to grow as a response to so many scandals coming from the White House. On Monday, Rep. Brad Sherman (D-Calif.) brought forward an article of impeachment for attempting to obstruct justice in an investigation against Trump campaign and White House aides.
Attempts to obstruct justice
The point of argument between Democrats and Republicans dwells around whether President Trump tried to obstruct justice or not.
Former FBI Director James Comey was put before a hearing last Thursday where he pointed to what he, as a career justice official, saw what might have been the President's attempts to obstruct justice, which when pressed to make that determination, he referred those questions over to special prosecutor Robert Mueller.
Republicans have built a wall of support around Trump since the hearing where they have attacked Comey for potentially leaking information when he gave his memos over to the press. They also played with the language to say that "hoping" the President wanted him to end his investigation was not the same as ordering him to do so, which was suggested by Sen. Risch. As a statement that represented the Republican Party, House Speaker Paul Ryan immediately commented on the hearing after it was done to say that the President's inexperience in government was misread as obstruction.
Forcing a House vote on impeachment
Paul Ryan will be forced to comment on the articles of impeachment by House Democrats which he will likely downplay as nothing. Rep. Sherman's efforts are a clear stance by Democrats wanting to start an impeachment process as he reportedly sent a letter to all lawmakers where he intends to force a vote on the floor.
He said that it was up to the House Judiciary Committee to consider his request first before he tried to force a House vote.
In an article by the conservative blog the Hill titled: "House Demo proposes an article of impeachment", the writer reminds readers that when Democrats have offered "privileged" motions to force a vote, Republicans have dismissed them.
This, in turn, as led to procedural votes in order to reject such motions. But it also states that Sherman is aware of this and that he expects it to trigger their first vote for impeachment. It is in this case that the gesture is mostly symbolic. Since Comey's hearing, the White House has begun its smear campaign against their opposition with Comey as well as Rob Mueller.
