Dems, pick your battles wisely
Fresh off their takeover of the U.S. House, Democrats now must fight their own internal battles to decide the fate of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and whether to pursue aggressive investigations and the possible impeachment of President Trump.
Pelosi appears to have the support of many current members of the House, but dozens of newcomers — many of them elected on a more progressive agenda — have not committed to her, and some have said they’ll actively oppose her.
U.S. Rep.-elect Lori Trahan, who easily bested her GOP opponent in the open race for the 3rd District, told Boston Herald Radio she is undecided on whether to support Pelosi. Another new Massachusetts House member, Ayanna Pressley, also has said she doesn’t know yet who she’ll back for speaker.
Trahan said she wants Democrats to focus on issues like health care rather than start the new Congress by launching a series of investigations and other initiatives targeting Trump.
“I’m not looking at this as revenge,” the Lowell Democrat said. “I think that would be a mistake.”
U.S. Rep. Jim McGovern also echoed Trahan’s comments, saying he intends to pursue a legislative agenda now that Democrats are in control. McGovern is in line to become chairman of the powerful Rules Committee.
But U.S. Rep. Richard Neal, a Democrat from Springfield slated to be the next chairman of the influential Ways and Means Committee, signaled yesterday that he intends to target Trump by formally requesting his tax returns.
“Yes, I think we will,” Neal said at a press conference. He said he hopes Trump will voluntarily release the tax documents, but that appears unlikely, setting the stage for a major battle ahead.
“I think it is a reminder that it has to be done so that legally it meets the law,” Neal said. “I think that there are some precedents for this.”
Neal is just one of a number of House Democrats in leadership positions who could deliver subpoenas or start investigations of Trump’s finances, business dealings and ties to Russia.
The firing of Attorney General Jeff Sessions could also prompt a more combative stance from House Democrats in their attempt to protect the Russia investigation by Special Prosecutor Robert Mueller.
Many Democrats fear that Trump’s move to get rid of Sessions is an attempt to end the Mueller investigation or fire him. That interference could be used as evidence of obstruction of justice, a possibly impeachable offense.
“I believe I’ve seen evidence of obstruction of justice,” U.S. Rep. Joaquin Castro, a member of the House Intelligence Committee, told CNN. “And if it becomes clear that this is another move to shut down the Mueller investigation, then that is something that we’ll have to seriously consider.”
But Democrats have to be careful not to overplay their hand, and risk incurring backlash from voters who don’t want Congress to trigger a constitutional crisis.