Conor Lamd (left) and Mike Doyle (right)
U.S. Rep Mike Doyle (D-Forest Hills) tweeted today about Congressional efforts to subpoena information regarding Trump's personal finances and the administration's work to block those subpoenas. Doyle wrote that if those roadblocks continue, "We may have little choice but to initiate impeachment proceedings."
Congress has authority to subpoena any information necessary to carry out its Constitutional oversight responsibilities. If the Administration continues to ignore legitimate subpoenas and files endless appeals, we may have little choice but to initiate impeachment proceedings.
— Mike Doyle (@USRepMikeDoyle) May 23, 2019
The multiple qualifiers of Doyle's statement stand in contrast to other statements from Pennsylvania Democratic lawmakers. U.S. Rep. Mary Gay Scanlon (D-Swarthmore) tweeted on May 21, "No one is above law. It's time to start an impeachment inquiry." U.S. Reps. Dwight Evans (D-Philadelphia) and Madeline Dean (D-Montgomery) also support opening impeachment proceedings.
The report submitted by special counsel Robert Mueller found no collusion committed by Trump, but laid out several instances where Trump potentially obstructed justice. One of the reasons impeachment proceedings were initiated against President Richard Nixon was obstruction of justice.
Local U.S. Rep. Conor Lamb (D-Mount Lebanon) also issued a statement today related to the ongoing congressional investigations of the president's finances. The word "impeachment" doesn't appear anywhere in the statement.
"Our job in Congress is to follow the facts of any investigation wherever they lead," wrote Lamb on his congressional website. "I don't believe anyone is above the law. I support the ongoing efforts of several House committees to get the full truth for the American people. I believe the current disputes between the committees and the White House will be resolved in court, and we will get the truth."
Stronger statements have come from other lawmakers, and not just ones in very liberal districts. So far, at least 36 U.S. House representatives have called to start impeachment proceedings. However, there are 235 Democratic members of the U.S. House.
Lamb is one of the few Democrats who occupy a district that Trump carried the vote in 2016, but, according to the Cook Political Report, Doyle's district has a score of Democratic +13. U.S. Rep. Seth Moulton (D-Massachusetts), who is also running for president, occupies a D+6 district, and he supports impeachment proceedings telling reporters in New Hampshire last month they "should move forward."
Even Republican representative Justin Amash from Michigan supports starting impeachment proceedings, which he reiterated today on Twitter.
Some of the president’s actions were inherently corrupt. Other actions were corrupt—and therefore impeachable—because the president took them to serve his own interests.
— Justin Amash (@justinamash) May 23, 2019
Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-California) has said Trump's acts uncovered by the Mueller report "could be impeachable," but has yet to support starting impeachment proceedings.
If a vote on starting impeachment proceeding were to pass the House, they would then have to pass the Republican-controlled Senate to take effect.
