Judiciary Democrat: House Impeaching Trump Isn’t a ‘Foregone Conclusion’

Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-CA) speaks during a joint hearing before House Judiciary Committee Immigration and Citizenship Subcommittee and House Foreign Affairs Committee Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee on Capitol Hill in Washington Sept. 24, 2019. The two subcommittees held a joint hearing on "Oversight of the Trump Administration's Muslim Ban." (Alex Wong/Getty Images)

Longtime Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif.) suggested that House Democrats may not have enough votes in favor of articles of impeachment against President Donald Trump.

“I think the evidence that is being presented to us by the Intelligence Committee really focuses on the Ukraine matter, so, as well as the obstruction,” she told CNN on Sunday morning. “If we do articles—and that’s not a foregone conclusion—that would be the central thrust, I would assume.”

CNN host Dana Bash asked Lofgren, who was first elected in 1995, if she really thinks impeachment is not a “foregone conclusion.”

Lofgren responded by stating that the pending week’s hearings in the Judiciary Committee are trying to determine what the U.S. Constitution means when it says a president can be impeached by treason, bribery, or other “high crimes and misdemeanors.”

“I mean, there’s plenty of misconduct in the history of the United States among presidents, but it’s not all impeachable,” she told CNN.

Amid the impeachment inquiry, Trump has denied any wrongdoing, describing it as a Democrat-led witch hunt. On Saturday, the president repeated the sentiment.

“I will be representing our Country in London at NATO, while the Democrats are holding the most ridiculous Impeachment hearings in history. Read the Transcripts, NOTHING was done or said wrong! The Radical Left is undercutting our Country. Hearings scheduled on same dates as NATO!” he wrote.

The Judiciary Committee is slated to hold its first impeachment hearing on Dec. 4. Chairman Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.) invited the president and his counsel to participate, though the White House hasn’t responded yet.

The new set of hearings follows the House Intelligence Committee’s public hearings in November.

“The Committee intends this hearing to serve as an opportunity to discuss the historical and constitutional basis of impeachment, as well as the Framers intent and understanding of terms like ‘high crimes and misdemeanors,’” Nadler wrote to Trump. “We expect to discuss the constitutional framework through which the House may analyze the evidence gathered in the present inquiry. We will also discuss whether your alleged actions warrant the House’s exercising its authority to adopt articles of impeachment.”

And on Saturday, the Politico website reported that members of the House Intelligence Committee chaired by Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) will have 24 hours to review a draft report on the Democrat-led impeachment probe before the House votes.