>House Speaker Nancy Pelosi plans to announce a formal impeachment inquiry into President Trump, a dramatic turnaround by the Democratic leader that sets up a constitutional and political clash pitting the Congress against the nation’s chief executive.
>Pelosi (D-Calif.) is slated to make her announcement later on Tuesday after a closed-door meeting with her Democrat caucus, according to Democratic officials who spoke on the condition of anonymity to freely describe private deliberations.
>“As soon as we have the facts, we’re ready. Now that we have the facts, we’re ready,” Pelosi said at a forum hosted by The Atlantic. “For later today.”
>Pelosi and top Democrats have been privately discussing the creation of a select committee to conduct the possible impeachment of Trump, according to multiple lawmakers and congressional aides, underscoring the momentum among Democrats to try to oust the president.
>The California Democrat has spoken to key allies in recent days about establishing a special panel rather than leaving the task with the House Judiciary Committee, said several Democratic officials. Nothing has been decided, the individuals cautioned, but some members are expected to publicly endorse the move soon.
>The creation of a special committee is expected to come up at a series of Democratic meetings planned for Tuesday afternoon, when Pelosi will address her caucus on impeachment for the first time since the news about Trump’s conversations with Ukraine broke.
>Over the past 48 hours, a tranche of Democrats who opposed impeachment have come out in favor of an inquiry, a total that now exceeds 150 out of 235, according to a Washington Post analysis.
>The notion of a select committee is already causing consternation in the Democratic caucus and has the potential to spark a turf war about who will take the lead in the process. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) tweeted that Democrats “don’t have the luxury of time w/ another committee,” backing the House Judiciary Committee’s claim to oversee the proceedings.
>“Judiciary has been investigating& putting the pieces together for months,” Ocasio-Cortez wrote. “Impeachment belongs there. We must honor jurisdiction, historical precedent,& work done + allow Judiciary to move forward.”
>The creation of a select committee would be a blow to the Judiciary panel, which has taken the lead on the Democratic investigations and has already discussed possible articles, even hiring outside counsel to lead a possible impeachment. But some senior Democrats have been unhappy with how the panel has handled its investigative work and hearings, blaming the committee for the House’s failure to move public sentiment in favor of impeachment in recent months.
>A select committee would give Pelosi more power over the process. Pelosi would be able to name the lawmakers on the committee, for example. Many say she’s already eyeing a way to give House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam B. Schiff (D-Calif.), one of her closest allies, a greater role in any investigation.
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