Democrat Shri Thanedar postponed the vote to impeach Trump in Congress due to pressure from colleagues, Politico reports.
Michigan Congressman Shri Thanedar on Wednesday decided not to bring the question of impeaching President Donald Trump to a vote in the House of Representatives, despite previously announced intentions,
Thanedar did not bring his resolution to a vote during the evening session, as expected, and the designated time for its consideration has already expired.
“After talking with many colleagues, I have decided not to press for a vote on impeachment today. Instead, I will amend my articles of impeachment and continue to seek support from both Democrats and Republicans to join me in defending the Constitution,” the congressman said in a text message.
Democrats have privately expressed frustration that Thanedar is pushing the impeachment effort at a time when their attention is focused on Republican efforts to cut funding for Medicaid and other federal programs and on preparing to vote on a massive tax-relief bill.
Many Democrats believe Trump has committed impeachable offenses — many of them voted to impeach him twice during his first term — but Thanedar’s push this week was seen as a distraction at a critical time in Congress.
Earlier in the day, Thanedar also had private conversations on the House floor with several Democratic lawmakers, including Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, Greg Casar of Texas, Brad Schneider of Illinois, and Jamie Raskin of Maryland. According to a person familiar with the situation, Schneider emphasized the need to focus specifically on the Republican tax megaproject this week.
However, as of Wednesday morning, Thanedar insisted that he would still seek an impeachment vote.
Party leaders have not formally supported the impeachment bill. Democratic Caucus Chairman Pete Aguilar of California said that leaders plan to reject the document.