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WASHINGTON — As
the House prepares to hold
its first vote related to the
impeachment inquiry of
President Trump, senior
House Democrats appear to
have all but given up on get-
ting much Republican sup-
port for their effort, and are
resigned to the reality that
the process will probably
continue along largely parti-
san lines.
House Speaker Nancy
Pelosi (D-San Francisco)
had previously argued that
trying to remove the presi-
dent from office would only
succeed with bipartisan
support. Backing from law-
makers in both parties will
mean the difference between
an impeachment effort seen
as a credible, constitutional
check on presidential power,
and one dismissed as a polit-
ical, vindictive exercise.
But in their first test —
Thursday’s procedural vote
on establishing impeach-
ment rules — Democrats are
unlikely to receive more than
a few, if any, GOP votes.
Only a handful of Repub-
licans have publicly signaled
openness to the Democrats’
impeachment inquiry, in-
cluding Sen. Mitt Romney of
Utah, Reps. Francis Rooney
of Florida and Will Hurd of
Texas, and Republican-
turned-independent Rep.
Justin Amash of Michigan,
who have each expressed
alarm about Trump’s at-
tempts to pressure the
Ukrainian government to
open investigations into
baseless allegations against
his political enemies, even as
he withheld security aid
from the country.
No Republican so far has
announced support for ac-
tually impeaching Trump, a
vote that is still weeks away.
Democrats say hopes are
fading that Republicans will
join the effort. Much will de-
pend on a small number of
moderate Republicans,
whose views and statements
will be closely watched. But
Democrats insist there is lit-
tle they can do to sway votes
or opinions beyond collect-
ing the evidence.
“We hope that everyone
will make decisions that put
country over party, and will
make judgments based on
the evidence and the law,”
said Rep. David Cicilline (D-
R.I.), a member of House
Democratic leadership. “To
the extent colleagues don’t
do that, I mean all we can do
is continue to hope that they
will, but I don’t think that
will change the course of ac-
tion by the House.”Democratic leaders
point to some unelected Re-
publicans who have voiced
support for the inquiry, in-
cluding a group of former na-
tional security officials and
columnists such as George
Will.
Elected Republicans,
they say, are another story.
“What happens here in the
Capitol as it relates to the
Republican caucus is an en-
tirely different thing,” said
Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-
N.Y.), chairman of the House
Democratic Caucus. “What
we’re seeing across the
country is a growing biparti-
san sense there was serious
wrongdoing engaged in by
the president and an abuse
of power that is at a min-
imum worthy of an impeach-
ment investigation.”
Several Democrats said
there are no phone calls,
texts or cross-aisle chats to
feel out Republicans on po-tentially supporting im-
peachment — for now.
Rooney, the Republican
furthest out front on poten-
tially supporting impeach-
ment, said he hasn’t even
been approached by Pelosi,
even though he and his wife
know Pelosi and her hus-
band through their joint
support of Georgetown Uni-
versity. He doesn’t expect
Pelosi, whom he called a
“very good friend,” to try to
win his vote — and it seems
unlikely that would matter,
he said.
“I’m just going to do
whatever I think is right,”
said Rooney, who an-
nounced recently he would
not seek reelection. “I don’t
really pay much attention to
that stuff,” he said of the po-
litical pressure he is all but
certain to face from Republi-
cans or Democrats.
The inquiry quickened
pace Wednesday as the com-mittees heard from two ca-
reer State Department offi-
cials. They also called for-
mer national security advis-
or John Bolton to testify on
Nov. 7, but it is unclear
whether he will appear.
Bolton, who would be the
most senior former adminis-
tration official to testify, had
encouraged other adminis-
tration officials to voice their
concerns about Trump’s ac-
tion, another witness told
the committees earlier this
month.
Even if some Republi-
cans were considering sup-
porting impeachment, there
may be little reason to shine
a spotlight on themselves
now. Many remain fearful
that Trump and other con-
servative groups might at-
tack them for supporting
the inquiry.
Trump has sent several
disparaging tweets at Rom-
ney’s expense when the
Utah senator said he had
concerns about Trump’s ac-
tions. Republican lawmak-
ers privately acknowledge
the power of the president’s
online bully pulpit, espe-
cially if there are only a few
GOP lawmakers breaking
ranks.
Trump’s House Republi-
can supporters are eager to
apply pressure tactics — to
both Republicans and
Democrats.
Rep. Brian Babin (R-
Texas) said he is demanding
that each member’s name
be called when casting
Thursday’s vote on the im-
peachment inquiry. It would
force members to stand on
the House floor and verbally
cast their vote, live on C-
SPAN, instead of submitting
it through a small card as
most votes are tabulated.
Pelosi is unlikely to agree.
For their part, Republi-
can leaders said they were
confident they’d be able to
keep their members in line
on Thursday’s vote. They,
too, realize what’s at stake ifone of their members
crosses the aisle to join
Democrats during the proc-
ess expected to come to a
head in December.
“I wouldn’t be surprised if
not only not a single Repub-
lican voted for it, but there
will probably be some
Democrats who vote against
it as well,” said GOP whip
Rep. Steve Scalise (R-La.),
“which will call into question
the legitimacy of what Pelosi
and [House Intelligence
Committee Chairman Sen.
Adam B.] Schiff are doing.”
Democrats say Thurs-
day’s vote will not serve as
the ceiling for potential bi-
partisan support. They ex-
pect that once the story of
Trump’s actions is told in a
coherent way — so far, only
pieces of witness testimony
have become public — polls
that are already trending
slightly in Democrats’ favor
will continue to move, ac-
cording to a senior leader-
ship aide. That story will be-
gin to unfold next month as
Democrats release a major-
ity report outlining their
case and public testimony is
expected to begin.
Republicans say they feel
no pressure from voters or
anyone else to join the im-
peachment effort and are
happy to lob insults at the
Democrats’ process, which
they argue is flawed because
much of it so far has taken
place in closed-door deposi-
tions.
Whatever happens in the
House vote on articles for
impeachment will have
repercussions for the GOP-
controlled Senate, which
would have to determine
whether to remove Trump
from office.
“I think it’s really pretty
hard to get it back on the
rails,” said Sen. John Thune
(R-S.D.), the GOP whip, of
the Democrats’ process so
far. “The way that it’s been
handled in the House has
really tainted it.”HOUSE SPEAKERNancy Pelosi previously argued that trying to remove
President Trump from office would only succeed with bipartisan support.Jose Luis MaganaAssociated PressHouse Democrats
seem to have lost
hope of getting much
Republican support.
By Jennifer Haberkorn
GOP is unswayed on impeachment
THE NATION