Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez accuses Nancy Pelosi and other Democrats of 'sitting on their hands' on impeaching Trump
- Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez accused her fellow Democrats on Tuesday of "sitting on their hands" on the question of whether to begin an impeachment inquiry into the president.
- The 29-year-old lawmaker, who's repeatedly pushed Democrats to begin impeachment proceedings, said she isn't satisfied with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's approach to the issue.
- "If now isn't the time ... what is the bar, what is the line that we're waiting to be crossed for an impeachment inquiry, and so far it doesn't seem like there is one," she said.
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Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez accused her fellow Democrats of "sitting on their hands" on the question of whether to begin an impeachment inquiry into the president. And she said she isn't satisfied with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's approach to the issue.
"I think that an impeachment inquiry is right on our doorstep," the freshman lawmaker told CNN on Tuesday. "If now isn't the time ... what is the bar, what is the line that we're waiting to be crossed for an impeachment inquiry, and so far it doesn't seem like there is one."
The congresswoman argued that "without a clear boundary" delineating what presidential behavior would warrant impeachment in the eyes of Democratic leadership, "it seems as though we're kind of sitting on our hands."
"If now isn't the time, then I think a lot of folks would like to know, when is the time?" she added.
Nearly 60 House Democrats so far have called for Congress to initiate an impeachment inquiry into President Donald Trump.
However, three-quarters of the House Democratic caucus - and all but one Republican member - have not yet issued public support for impeachment.
Pelosi insists that pursuing impeachment without substantial Republican support would be politically devastating for Democrats in 2020. But she's escalated her attacks on Trump in recent weeks, accusing him of "engaging in a cover-up" and saying she wants to see Trump "in prison."
Ocasio-Cortez has repeatedly called on congressional Democrats to move forward with an impeachment inquiry into the president.
"It is just as politicized a maneuver to not impeach in the face of overwhelming evidence as it is to impeach w/o cause," she tweeted in May. "Congress swore an oath to uphold the Constitution. That includes impeachment. We have a duty to preserve our institutions + uphold the rule of law."