Pelosi faces mounting Trump impeachment pressure from Democratic ranks after Mueller report

WASHINGTON, DC – APRIL 12: House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) answers questions during her weekly press conference at the U.S. Capitol April 12, 2018 in Washington, DC. Pelosi answered a range of questions related primarily to Robert Mueller’s investigation of Russian meddling in the 2016 U.S. presidential election. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has unequivocally stated her opposition to launching impeachment proceedings against President Trump, calling it “divisive” and “just not worth it.”

But the top House Democrat is now facing mounting pressure from those inside her party who say Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s newly released report lays the groundwork in Congress for impeachment proceedings. Things could come to a head late Monday afternoon, when Pelosi is set to hold a conference call with House Democrats to discuss Mueller’s findings.

The sprawling and detailed Mueller report released Thursday, while effectively clearing the president and his associates on the Russia collusion charge central to the probe, outlined a series of Trump actions that were investigated as part of the obstruction-of-justice inquiry.

Mueller did not reach a determination on that issue, but provided a cornucopia of dramatic anecdotes showing the president trying to curtail the special counsel investigation. Among other things, the report said Trump told then-White House Counsel Don McGahn in June 2017 to tell the acting attorney general that Mueller “must be removed.” McGahn refused.