Bad news for Trump: Majority of House now backs starting impeachment process

And then there was a majority.

As of Wednesday evening, 220 members of the House now favor some sort of impeachment effort against Donald Trump. That list includes 219 of the 235 Democrats in the chamber and Rep. Justin Amash (I-MI). No Republicans have signed on, in spite of Trump’s blatant quid pro quo discussions with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

After House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s announcement on Tuesday that she would pursue an impeachment inquiry, a staggering 60 House Democrats signed on to the impeachment effort that same day.

Then came Wednesday, which was a whirlwind of news. Some of it was surreal, such as Trump asserting Pelosi was no longer speaker and that it was really President Obama who solicited help from a foreign government. Much of it was deadly serious, though, such as Trump releasing a memorandum of his call with Zelensky that he thought would clear him but instead showed exactly what everyone thought: that Trump asked Zelensky to dig up dirt on a political rival.

Meanwhile, Democratic backing for some form of impeachment effort continued to grow, and early Wednesday evening, Rep. Sharice Davids (D-KS) announced her support, making her the 218th House member to do so.

To be fair, while this tally includes all House members who’ve expressed support, the level of that support varies. Some back an impeachment inquiry, a House-wide effort to look into wrongdoing. Some are in favor of a House Judiciary Committee investigation. Some go as far as demanding articles of impeachment be drafted.

However, the fact the Democratic caucus is already nearly unanimous in its support for some level of impeachment action does not bode well for Trump. No formal investigation into Trump’s dealings with Ukraine has yet begun. The information in the press thus far is constant and damning, but a full investigation, complete with subpoena power, is going to be much, much worse.

And Trump shouldn’t count on hoping that the thin red line of the GOP will last forever. A few Senate Republicans already sound wobbly, and this process is going to be a long and grueling one. There’s a lot of time for more people to fold.

Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation.