The delay strategy House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) has initiated is so preposterous, one of the constitutional experts called by Democrats ripped Pelosi.
Noah Feldman, the Harvard Law School professor who gushed at the opportunity to be a part of Trump’s impeachment, was very critical of Pelosi in a recent op-ed.
You Got It All Wrong, Nancy
The Constitution clearly outlines the process and what needs to take place for an impeachment to be finalized.
The House vote is merely one part of the process.
Feldman, in his op-ed, warned Pelosi that this process is far from complete.
He stated impeachment “means the House sending its approved articles of impeachment to the Senate, with House managers standing up in the Senate and saying the president is impeached.”
He then stated, “if the House does not communicate its impeachment to the Senate, it hasn’t actually impeached the president.
“If the articles are not transmitted, Trump could legitimately say that he wasn’t truly impeached at all.”
Why the Delay?
There are probably two possible reasons for Pelosi to delay the transmission of the articles over to the Senate.
First, Pelosi is hoping to get some type of leverage to rig the Senate trial in favor of Democrats.
That, however, is not going to happen.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (D-KY) stated, “Some House Democrats imply they are withholding the [impeachment] articles for some kind of leverage.
“I admit, I’m not sure what leverage there is in refraining from sending us something we do not want. Alas, if they can figure that out, they can explain.”
In fact, the delay tactic is working more in favor of Republicans, a point McConnell was more than happy to make.
He stated, “Following weeks of pronouncements about the urgency of the situation, urgent situation, the prosecutors appear to have developed cold feet.
“Democrat prosecution seems to gotten cold feet, and to be unsure about whether they want to proceed to the trial, like I said, a very unusual spectacle.
“And in my view, certainly not one that reflects well on the House.”
The second reason is a longshot but nothing we would put past Pelosi.
There is a small chance Pelosi will hold the impeachment in the hope of turning the Senate blue in the next election.
An impeachment can take place in a new Congress, but the new House would have to re-appoint impeachment managers (who have not yet been appointed) after the new House had been elected.
This is a longshot in that there is no guarantee the Dems can hold the House.
Remember, there are currently 31 seats in districts won by Trump, so this impeachment may not sit well with those voters.
No matter how you try to spin this, though, it is a bad look for Pelosi and only helping the re-election campaign of Donald J. Trump.