The No. 2 Democrat in House of Representatives said he will not commit to Democrats voting this week to formalize the impeachment inquiry into President Donald Trump.
“Were going to have to consider whether or not its ready to go on Thursday. I hope thats the case,” House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) told reporters on Tuesday when he was asked about the planned vote.
His remarks came after Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said the House will vote to establish impeachment inquiry procedures against Trump.
House Rules Committee Chairman Jim McGovern (D-Mass.) said in a statement that the measure will “provide a clear path forward” in the inquiry. “This is the right thing to do for the institution and the American people,” said McGovern.
After the announcement, Pelosi and Hoyer signaled they are walking back on the planned vote.
“This is not an impeachment resolution,” Hoyer also told reporters on Tuesday, according to the Washington Examiner. “I dont know what an impeachment resolution is.”
Hours after her initial statement, Pelosi said the planned vote is “not an impeachment resolution.”
The resolution that is expected on Thursday would “address the process,” of ending the secret depositions “into a phase when we have public hearings,” Hoyer added.
“That is what this is: No more, no less,” he added.
The resolution will be drafted on Wednesday by the House Rules Committee, according to a notice on its website.
Pelosi on Monday said in a letter that the resolution was not legally necessary. The House is taking the vote “to eliminate any doubt as to whether the Trump administration may withhold documents, prevent witness testimony, disregard duly authorized subpoenas, or continue obstructing the House of Representatives,” she said.
“For weeks the president, his counsel in the White House and his allies in Congress have made the baseless claim that the House of Representatives impeachment inquiry lacks the necessary authorization for a valid impeachment proceeding. They argue that, because the House has not taken a vote, they may simply pretend the impeachment inquiry does not exist,” the House speaker also wrote.
