House Majority Whip Clyburn says Trump impeachment would be ‘waste of time’

To Clyburn, the future deserves attention more than the past. But he doesn't want any Trump misdeeds ignored.

Jan 5, 2021

House Majority Whip James Clyburn made it clear this morning on CNN’s New Day that he feels America needs to put President Donald Trump in its rearview mirror.

“I do believe that with only 14 or 15 days left in this presidency,” Clyburn said, “that it would be a waste of our time here to pursue impeachment.”

House Majority Whip Rep. James Clyburn whispers to Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi during the first session of the 117th Congress after she was re-elected Sunday in Washington, D.C. (Photo by Joshua Roberts – Pool/Getty Images)

That doesn’t mean, though, the longtime South Carolina congressman wants — or expects — Trump’s alleged misdeeds ignored.

“I suspect if all that I heard on this tape is to be investigated,” he said, “there could be criminal charges brought by state and local governments down there in Georgia. Both the state and in Atlanta, and I would hope that would be pursued. That is something that can occur even after January 20.”

Clyburn’s comments come on the day Congress’ balance of power rests on a Senate runoff election in Georgia and days after a recorded phone call capturing Trump telling Georgia’s Republican secretary of state, Brad Raffensperger, to “find” the votes that’d swing the state his way in November’s election.

In Clyburn’s opinion, the future deserves attention more than the past.

“I would hope that the House of Representatives would spend its time concentrating on getting ready for this new administration and getting our House in order to deliver for the American people so that we can get beyond this pandemic,” he said. “We have got to do something within the first 90 to 100 days to get people vaccinated, to get people comfortable with the vaccinations, and that’s where I think our energy ought to be.”

More progressive lawmakers want Trump impeached again for what’s heard in Saturday’s conversation.

“I absolutely think it’s an impeachable offense, and if it was up to me, there would be articles on the floor quite quickly, but he, I mean, he is trying to — he is attacking our very election. He’s attacking our very election,” said Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez at the start of the new congress.

Fellow “Squad” member Rep. Ilhan Omar also said in a statement that “the President and his collaborators become more emboldened when they are not held accountable for their crimes.”

“The constitutional remedy for a high crime and misdemeanor committed by the President is clear,” her statement reads. “Impeachment.”

Despite the outrage in Congress and elsewhere, it is unlikely that the House will move to draw up articles of impeachment against the president, who was already impeached in the House in 2020 and acquitted by the Republican Senate.

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