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Saturday 14 december 2019
Icy silence, frayed connections: Impeachment takes a toll

Continued from Front colleagues who spend
too much time together.
But it also told much of But they are operating un-
the story about impeach- der the glare of a global
ment’s toll on Congress, spotlight and the weight
Washington and beyond. of history. Trust, or what
Ever since Trump’s July 25 remained of it after years
phone call with Ukraine’s of obstruction and smash-
president sparked official mouth Trump-era politics,
proceedings against the appeared to be a casualty
president, impeachment in the short-term.
has been a force that’s Thursday’s grueling 14-hour
bent congressional busi- Judiciary Committee mark-
ness around it, with severe up of the abuse and ob-
strain. struction charges against
No one feels sorry for Con- Trump ignited the smol-
gress, and its members gen- dering tension. There was
erally don’t feel sorry for no expectation that the
themselves. But the wear- articles would be substan-
and-tear of impeachment tially changed, but Trump’s
is becoming clear in the allies pushed for amend-
emotional exchanges and ments, each of which took
frayed relationships left in hours to consider. Demo-
its wake. crats, meanwhile, did not Rep. Sylvia Garcia, D-Texas, center, flanked by Rep. Hank Johnson, D-Ga., left, and Rep. Steve
“I have a problem with this want to take final votes too Cohen, D-Tenn., right, prepares for the House Judiciary Committee vote on two articles of
impeachment against President Donald Trump, Friday, Dec. 13, 2019, on Capitol Hill in Washington.
whole damn place. If you late for Americans to see. At rear are Rep. Debbie Mucarsel-Powell, D-Fla., left, and Rep. Madeleine Dean, D-Pa.
can figure out an exit strat- Just before midnight, Chair- Associated Press
egy for me I’d appreciate man Jerrold Nadler an-
that,” said Rep. Ken Buck, nounced that the commit- “kangaroo court.” Nadler before knowing which par- talked about the responsi-
R-Colo., a member of the tee would not be voting on walked out. “Chairman ty benefits and which pays bility of weighing the presi-
Judiciary panel, on Friday. the impeachment articles Nadler’s integrity is zero. His for impeachment in the dent’s fate.
“This is crazy. The whole until Friday morning — and staff is zero,” fumed ranking 2020 elections, let alone “I’ve been thinking about
thing is crazy,” he added of after he banged his gav- Republican Rep. Doug Col- which fares better in the the broader horizon,” she
impeachment. “It will take el, the microphones were lins of Georgia. “This chair- eyes of history. But trust — said. The same week of
some time to get over.” switched off. Livid, Repub- man has made himself by Americans toward Con- Trump’s July phone call,
Tempers are short. Mem- licans leapt to their feet, irrelevant.” The personal gress — seems to be suffer- she happened to talk on
bers show signs of being yelling “unbelievable” and stab at the powerful New ing. And it’s not clear the the floor of the House with
sick of each other, like any “sneaky” and talking of a
York House veteran was proceedings are chang- Rep. Elijah Cummings of
unusual, as even the most ing minds. Recent polling Maryland, the Oversight
mismatched pairs atop shows that about half the Committee Chairman who
committees typically re- country supports impeach- died in October.
frain from attacking each ing and removing Trump Cummings, she said, re-
other in personal terms. It from office, fitting the pat- minded her that people
turns out that impeach- tern of a deeply polarized will know she was here for
ment is not the Democratic nation. what’s expected to be the
morale-booster that some But the proceedings could third presidential impeach-
might have thought in be costly for both parties. ment in American history.
the heady first days of the A plurality of Americans — “It will matter,” she said.
party’s House takeover this 44 percent — said they had But it will not have come
year, when Michigan Rep. no trust at all in the House for free. By the time Nadler
Rashida Tlaib vowed to impeachment proceed- gaveled the committee
“impeach the motherf—- ings, according to a Mon- back into session Friday
er” on her first day in office. mouth University poll con- morning, the silences and
One Democrat involved in ducted in December. swift proceedings suggest-
the impeachment investi- The poll also found that ed there was nothing left to
gation was so dispirited by about 6 in 10 Americans say, let alone fight about.
it all that he decided this said Democrats in Con- Nadler sat down, pulled out
term will be his last. gress are more interested in his cellphone and turned it
“The countless hours I have bringing down Trump than off. He gaveled in the meet-
spent in the investigation pursuing the facts. Likewise, ing and launched votes on
of Russian election interfer- about 6 in 10 said Republi- both articles. During the roll
ence and the impeach- cans in Congress are more call, Rep. Pramila Jayapal,
ment inquiry have ren- interested in defending D-Wash., voted aye while
dered my soul weary,” said Trump than pursuing the holding up a pocket-sized
Rep. Denny Heck, D-Wash., facts. copy of the Constitution.
in his retirement announce- With the stakes so high, Collins delivered a scripted
ment Dec. 4. “At times, it emotions are, too. notice that he reserves the
is as though there are no Dean, whose family has right to file dissenting views.
rules or boundaries. ... Civili- grown by two grandchil- Nadler dropped the gavel.
ty is out. Compromise is out. dren since impeachment There was no celebrating
All or nothing is in.” began in September, grew or showboating from the
There’s a long way to go emotional Friday when she Democrats. q