Democratic Rep. Shri Thanedar (MI) dropped his effort to impeach President Donald Trump.
“In the fifteen days since I filed seven articles of impeachment against President Trump, he has committed more impeachable offenses, most dangerously, accepting a $400 million private jet from Qatar, which even Republican Members of Congress have called wrong,” Thanedar wrote on social media.
“So, after talking with many colleagues, I have decided not to force a vote on impeachment today,” he continued. “Instead, I will add to my articles of impeachment and continue to rally the support of both Democrats and Republicans to defend the Constitution with me.”
“This is not about any one person or party; it is about defending America, our Constitution, and Rule of Law,” Thanedar wrote, saying he will “continue to pursue all avenues to put this President on notice” for what he claimed were “many impeachable crimes.”
Thanedar’s statement comes after several Democrats criticized the impeachment effort.
“It’s going to cause Democrats in [competitive] seats to make tough decisions,” one Democrat told Axios, while another called the move “utterly selfish behavior.”
“We need to focus on reconciliation,” Rep. Brad Schneider (D-IL) told the outlet. “100% of our energy is on dealing with this.”
“I have said before from this podium, this is not the right approach we should be taking,” House Democratic Caucus Chair Pete Aguilar (D-CA) said of the effort. “I’ll join members of the leadership team in voting to table that motion.”
“Right now, our focus is on health care being stripped away from the American people. That is the most urgent and dire thing that we could be talking about this week,” he added. “Everything else is a distraction.”
