Pelosi Punts On Official Impeachment Vote, Robbing GOP Of Subpoena Power

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced on Tuesday that there would be no vote to launch formal impeachment proceedings against President Trump for the time being. 

“There’s no requirement that we have a vote, and so at this time we will not be having a vote,” Pelosi said.

“We’re not here to call bluffs — we’re here to find the truth, to uphold the Constitution of the United States. This is not a game for us. This is deadly serious,” said Pelosi after discussing with the House Democratic caucus. 

A formal vote would allow Republicans to subpoena their own documents and witnesses, something the minority party was allowed in both the Nixon and Clinton impeachment inquiry resolutions – which is why the Trump administration won’t cooperate until a vote is held. 

Pelosi has called pressure to do so a “Republican talking point.” 

“There is no requirement under the Constitution, House Rules or House precedent that the House has to take a vote before proceeding with an impeachment inquiry,” Pelosi spokeswoman Ashley Etienne told RealClearPolitics in a statement two weeks ago. “The Committees of the House now have robust authority under the House’s existing rules to conduct investigations for all matters within their jurisdiction, including impeachment investigations. For several decades, impeachment investigations have frequently been conducted without a full vote,” she added.