LA Congressman Starts Democratic Rule With Impeachment Articles

SHERMAN OAKS, CA — Los Angeles County Democratic Congressman Brad Sherman kicked off Democratic control of the House of Representatives Thursday by reintroducing Articles of Impeachment Thursday against President Donald Trump, accusing him of obstruction of justice.

It's the second time the Sherman Oaks legislator has tried to impeach the president, but unlike last time, the Democrats are in power.

“There is no reason it shouldn’t be before the Congress,” Sherman told the Los Angeles Times. “Every day, Donald Trump shows that leaving the White House would be good for our country.”

Sherman said he hopes the resolution gets a hearing in the Judiciary Committee early this year. However, the parties leaders have said they want to wait and see what the Special Counsel Robert Mueller's findings are.

"I understand that a majority of our Democratic Caucus will want to wait until Special Counsel Robert Mueller completes his report, which I would hope will be issued in the next two to three months," Sherman said.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said she would want conclusive evidence of wrongdoing before she would consider impeachment proceedings.

The resolution accuses Trump of abusing his power by attempting to halt the ongoing investigation into his campaign's alleged collusion with Russian government officials. The resolution cites Trump's alleged attempt to stop an investigation into Michael Flynn, the president's former national security adviser, and Trump's firing of FBI Director James Comey.

There was no immediate response from the White House. Trump has previously denied allegations of obstruction of justice and has insisted there was no collusion between his campaign and Russia. He has repeatedly deemed Mueller's investigation a "witch hunt" fueled by Democrats.

When Sherman originally introduced the impeachment resolution in 2017, then-deputy White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders called the move "utterly and completely ridiculous and a political game at its worst."

The resolution was again co-sponsored by Democratic Rep. Al Green of Texas.

City News Service and Patch Staffer Paige Austin contributed to this report. Photo: AUGUST 21: California Congressman Brad Sherman attends the Black and White Gala for Barack Obama at a private residence on August 21, 2008 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images)