Pelosi, in a letter to colleagues sent on Saturday night, made it clear what steps would be taken.
“When we take our oath, we promise the American people our seriousness in protecting our democracy,” wrote Pelosi. “Therefore, it is absolutely essential that those who perpetrated the assault on our democracy be held responsible. There must be an acknowledgment that this desecration was instigated by the President ”.
Pelosi also made it clear that members must be prepared to return to Washington next week to act on something.
But Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell made it clear in a memo released last week that even if the House moved in the next few days to impeach Trump, the Senate would not return to the session before January 19. This would mark the beginning of the trial on January 20 – the date of Biden’s inauguration.
Thereafter, the Senate is virtually unable to take any action beyond the trial until its conclusion, as was clear during Trump’s first impeachment trial.
Democratic House leaders have begun to consider what this could mean for Biden’s opening days as president – from confirming his nominees to the cabinet to the aggressive stimulus proposal he plans to push from his earliest days in office. Democrats in the leadership call on Saturday night raised these issues specifically, while trying to navigate the complicated dynamics.
Pelosi, in his letter to colleagues, made it clear that the way forward is still a work in progress.
“We will continue with meetings with members and constitutional experts and others,” she wrote. “I continue to receive your comments.”