"This is a self-own": House Democrat's rogue Trump impeachment push sets off internal furor

Rep. Shri Thanedar (D-Mich.) has set off an internal furor among House Democrats with his unsanctioned efforts to impeach President Trump, Axios has learned.Why it matters: In addition to many House Democrats seeing the push as both premature and counterproductive, some are also chafing at Thanedar's tactics in drumming up support for his impeachment articles.Four House Democrats who were briefly listed as co-sponsors have all since withdrawn, with some saying they wrongly believed leadership was supporting the measure.Sources told Axios that Thanedar also signed at least one colleague on as a co-sponsor based on a vague one-on-one conversation without notifying their staff.State of play: Thanedar announced Monday that he is introducing seven articles of impeachment against Trump.The charges against Trump include obstruction of justice, abuse of power, bribery and corruption and "tyranny," mostly based on the president's iron-fisted consolidation of power in his second term.His announcement came just hours after Thanedar drew a primary challenge from state Rep. Donavan McKinney as part of persistent efforts by Democrats in his district to oust him. What they're saying: House Intelligence Committee ranking member Jim Himes (D-Conn.), asked whether Thanedar's efforts are being taken seriously by leadership, told Axios, "I don't think so.""There is a long, long, long way to go before the concept of impeachment is on the table," he added.Said House Judiciary Committee ranking member Jamie Raskin (D-Md.): "The fact that people have withdrawn ... suggests people wanted to think through, collectively, the timing of it."Rep. Steve Cohen (D-Tenn.), who introduced rogue impeachment articles against Trump in 2017, told Axios there is "no question he has committed impeachable offenses, and a fair jury might convict him, but not a jury in the Senate. It's a big messaging piece."Zoom in: Privately, House Democrats are being far less conciliatory. "This is a self-own that ... fundamentally undermines our capacity to continue to have a conversation with people we need to win over," one told Axios on the condition of anonymity. Said another House Democrat: "Why would we do something that has failed twice as a strategy and yielded no electoral win? The guy got impeached twice, how did it work out for us?"A third told Axios: "It seems self-serving and not a genuine effort to rein in the president."Many lawmakers speculated that there is a clear connection between the McKinney's run and the impeachment push.Others grumbled about Thanedar's use of official congressional funds to pay for billboards in his district promoting his efforts, with one senior House Democrat saying that aspect "has everyone upset."Zoom in: It was Thanedar himself who intimated to colleagues that he had leadership backing, the senior House Democrat and another Democratic aide familiar with the matter told Axios.Rep. Robin Kelly (D-Ill.) "was under the impression that the resolution was drafted and reviewed by experts from the House Judiciary Committee when she originally signed on," a spokesperson told Axios.Rep. Kweisi Mfume (D-Md.) "removed himself ... because he was made aware it was not cleared by Democratic leadership and not fully vetted legally — and he preferred to err on the side of caution," his spokesperson said.Leadership has "made clear that they don't support it," the senior lawmaker told Axios. A Democratic leadership aide echoed that sentiment, noting that the party is focused on other issues.The intrigue: Thanedar signed at least one colleague onto the measure after they merely indicated openness to supporting it down the road if it picked up more backers, a senior aide for that lawmaker and another House Democrat told Axios.Thanedar's aides did not give the lawmaker's staff notice until after they had already been signed on, sources said.A staffer for Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-N.Y.) emailed other offices Thursday asking that they notify staff before adding lawmakers as bill co-sponsors because "members can walk away with different impressions of a conversation," as Politico first reported. "I don't think any of us want to learn that their boss was added to a bill that's been introduced from a Google Alert," the aide wrote.The other side: "I respect my colleagues' decisions. This is not a decision I came to lightly and can appreciate anyone that wants to think deeply about this," Thanedar said in a statement to Axios."My constituents elected me to do what I think is right and I felt I had to introduce articles of impeachment in response to the President's many crimes and unconstitutional activity," he added."These were articles that I drafted, without any other members. As more offices analyze the articles, I hope more will come on board, and I'm grateful for my colleague Rep. Al Green's support and co-sponsorship."

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