221 Members of the House of Representatives Support an Impeachment Inquiry Into President Donald Trump
At least 221 of the 435 members of the House of Representatives have said they support an impeachment inquiry of President Donald Trump, according to a tally compiled by TIME.
All are Democrats except independent Rep. Justin Amash of Michigan, formerly a Republican.
By TIME’s count, 15 Democrats have not explicitly said whether they support the inquiry, and at least two have said they oppose it. No members of the Republican caucus have said they support the impeachment investigation.
The numbers mark a crucial turning point for the impeachment inquiry. In order to pass articles of impeachment—thus impeaching the President and moving the process to the Senate—Pelosi needs a majority: 218 votes. They also exemplify the rapid growth in support for the impeachment inquiry even among moderate Democratic representatives; the number of House Democrats supporting the inquiry grew by more than 80 members since Monday, according to the New York Times.
While some House Democrats have called for the President’s impeachment since 2017, the topic gained more attention at the end of July following special counsel Robert Mueller’s testimony about his investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election. By early August, 118 House Democrats said they supported impeachment proceedings, according to Politico.
But this increase in support doesn’t necessarily mean the President will be removed from office. A smaller number of representatives—at least 44 by TIME’s count—have said they support impeachment, the approval of formal charges, rather than just the inquiry itself. Even if the House passes articles of impeachment, a two-thirds vote of the Senate would still be required. It appears unlikely at this time that the Senate—which includes 53 Republicans—would vote to convict him.
On Thursday, the House Intelligence Committee released an unclassified version of a complaint filed by a whistleblower that alleged President Trump used “the power of his office to solicit interference from a foreign country in the 2020 U.S. election.” The complaint alleges the President “pressured” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to investigate former Vice President Joe Biden, one of the frontrunners of the 2020 presidential election, and his son, Hunter Biden. Trump has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing and said there was “no quid pro quo” on the call.
The complaint was made public a day after the White House released a summary of the July phone call between Trump and Zelensky. Per the White House summary, Zelensky expressed interest in purchasing U.S.-made missiles before Trump asked for a “favor.” He also asked Zelensky to open investigations into Biden and his son. Zelensky has publicly denied that Trump pressure him on the call, saying “Nobody pushed me.”
The Constitution says the President may be impeached and removed for charges of “treason, bribery, or other high crimes and misdemeanors.” The process begins with the majority of the House of Representatives voting to impeach the president, followed by a two-thirds majority of the Senate voting to convict and remove him or her.
Only three other presidents in American history have faced impeachment: President Andrew Johnson and Bill Clinton were impeached but acquitted by the Senate, and President Richard Nixon resigned amid impeachment proceedings.
With reporting by Nadia Suleman, Kathy Ehrich Dowd, Alana Abramson and Tara Law