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T
CONGRESS “When he has something on his mind that he wants to
get done, he’ll never leave you alone,” Weprin said.
The point person
On his way up, Nadler got to know and dislike Trump.
on impeachment The pair’s feud over Upper West Side real estate deals
dates back decades, and Nadler makes no bones about
By Alana Abramson his animosity toward Trump. “We’ve never had a liar like
this in the White House,” he told TIME in December.
he hardesT job in WashingTon righT noW This isn’t Nadler’s first brush with the question of
belongs to a straight-talking New Yorker in his impeachment either. Ironically, his national profile rose
70s. And it’s not President Donald Trump. during his opposition to President Bill Clinton’s im-
As Trump ramps up his defiance of House peachment two decades ago. But it’s only recently that
Democratic investigations, Judiciary Committee chair- Nadler assumed a starring role in such a drama. He be-
man Jerrold Nadler, 71, is a key player in the fight. came Judiciary chairman by surprise, after his predeces-
Nadler’s committee issued the first subpoena for special sor, then ranking member John Conyers, resigned from
counsel Robert Mueller’s full, unredacted report into Congress amid sexual-harassment allegations in 2017.
Russian interference in the 2016 election, then voted to Few think Nadler’s personal history with the Presi-
hold Attorney General William Barr in contempt when dent or his experience under Clinton would be enough to
he didn’t deliver it. The committee will likely do the make him buck Pelosi if she continues to resist calls for
same with former White House counsel Don McGahn, an impeachment inquiry. But the Speaker, who said on
who failed to appear for testimony on May 21. Nadler’s May 22 that Trump is engaging in a “cover-up,” is feeling
committee may even subpoena Mueller himself. the pressure too. Frustration among liberal House mem-
But Nadler faces a dilemma. Liberals in the House bers over her deliberative approach has been growing
Democratic caucus want an impeachment inquiry into for several weeks and is especially acute on the Judiciary
Trump. Taking that first step, they argue, could help Con- Committee itself, half a dozen lawmakers and aides tell
gress in its looming court battle against the White House TIME. An increasing number of members now believe
over the Legislative Branch’s investigative pow- that kick-starting the impeachment process with
ers and would please the party’s base. At the same an inquiry is necessary.
time, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who is ef- Nadler maybe That frustration erupted during closed-door
fectively Nadler’s boss, has been clear about the ‘agrees with meetings on May 20, when several committee
political risks of rushing to judgment amid polls us—but he’s in members made the case to Pelosi that the party
showing that centrists and independents are a tough spot had to hold Trump accountable, to no avail. An
cooling to the idea of impeachment. Nadler, who because of his impeachment inquiry “would get more and more
chairs the committee that would ultimately over- position with people to understand [Trump] should be im-
see the proceedings, is caught in the middle. peached,” says Representative Steve Cohen of
The challenge is all the greater because of the the leadership.’ Tennessee, who challenged Pelosi.
stakes. The confrontation is a test of congressio- A Democrat on the Nadler met with Pelosi and other top leader-
nal power, and Nadler has been incensed by the House Judiciary ship in a separate meeting later that night, where
“constitutional crisis” he says Trump’s blanket Committee he relayed the members’ case about the need for
defiance represents. “Our fight is not just about more action, but she still would not budge. “There
the Mueller report,” he said on May 8. “Our fight is a suspicion that Nadler, based on some of his
is about defending the rights of Congress, as an in- statements, agrees with us—but he’s in a tough spot PREVIOUS PAGE: AP; NADLER: TOM WILLIAMS — CONGRESSIONAL QUARTERLY/NEWSCOM/ZUMA PRESS; EBOL A: HUGH KINSELL A CUNNINGHAM — EPA - EFE/SHUT TERSTOCK
dependent branch, to hold the President account- just because of his position with the leadership,” says
able.” He’s cognizant of Pelosi’s concerns that putting one committee member who requested anonym-
impeachment ahead of investigations could ity to discuss internal dynamics.
hurt Democrats’ 2020 electoral prospects on Some committee members say Nadler is
the Hill and at the White House. Balancing managing the competing pressures well. “The
those pressures has become the biggest test committee definitely takes into consider-
of the New Yorker’s tenure in Congress. ation members like myself,” says Representa-
tive Lucy McBath, who flipped a historically
Being in the spotlight is something conservative district in Georgia in November.
of a novelty for Nadler. The son of a Representative Pramila Jayapal, a progressive
chicken farmer, Nadler came up through who supports an impeachment inquiry, says
the state assembly before running for she understands Nadler’s political calculus.
Congress in a special election in 1992. “He’s got to make sure the whole committee
Speaking to the New York Times after is comfortable,” she says.
his victory, then New York assembly Ultimately, the Democrats will need to find
speaker Saul Weprin categorized him a unified position on impeachment. But until
as a “nudnik,” the Yiddish word for nag. then, Nadler is in the hot seat. •
8 Time June 3–10, 2019
