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Asked if he was worried about a political backlash if Democrats go too far, particularly over pursuing Barr's impeachment, Democratic Rep. Hank Johnson of Georgia said: "Yes, I am. I'm cognizant of that possibility, so politics does come into play."

Pelosi has shown caution this year, despite calls to move ahead with more aggressive investigations. After establishing a select panel with the broad power to investigate the US response to the coronavirus pandemic, the committee has instead focused on how federal dollars have been spent, rather than Trump's initial response to the crisis, which a number of Democrats want to probe.

Despite calls by House Intelligence Chairman Adam Schiff and others to establish a select committee, like the 9/11 Commission, to investigate the US coronavirus response, Pelosi has yet to put such legislation on the floor. And while some House Democrats want to hold White House officials and others in contempt for defying subpoenas during the impeachment probe last year, Pelosi has not gone down that road.

Yet Democrats say more and more issues that require investigation continue to fall in their lap. The bombshells from former national security adviser John Bolton's book have sparked a renewed round of calls for his testimony before Congress.

"We haven't made any decisions on it, but I think we should hear any evidence he has of the President's wrongdoing. And we need to take care to protect the country," Schiff told CNN on Thursday referring to Bolton's testimony.

And the Supreme Court is soon set to rule on the case it heard last month where House Democrats are seeking a trove of Trump's financial documents, which if successful, could provide Democrats with a whole new set of investigative lines to pursue.

"I don't think we have enough time, and that's probably a futile distraction given the abject surrender of constitutional duty in the Senate," Rep. Jamie Raskin, a Maryland Democrat told CNN, adding that he hoped the House would instead censure Barr.

'Solve our problems by going to the polls'

"Barr is a mess who's disgraced the Department of Justice," Pelosi said. "He is contemptible, there's no question about that. But at this point, let's solve our problems by going to the polls and voting on Election Day."

Still, the issue has sparked a debate within the party. Rep. Steve Cohen, an outspoken Tennessee Democrat on the Judiciary Committee, called for Barr to be impeached at Wednesday's hearing, accusing him of "reigning terror on the rule of law."

House Democrats charge that Barr has committed a litany of offenses: distorting the Mueller report, intervening in the cases of Trump associates Stone and Michael Flynn, meddling in antitrust investigations, firing the US attorney for the Southern District of New York and participating in the forceful removal of peaceful protestors outside the White House.

But unlike last year's months-long fight within House Democratic Caucus that ultimately led to the impeachment of Trump, the current debate over pursuing Barr's removal from office doesn't fall along ideological lines.

"As much as I personally would love to begin impeachment proceedings, we also know that the Senate just doesn't have the political will to do what's necessary despite the facts that are looking at them squarely in the face," said Rep. Veronica Escobar, a Texas Democrat. "But that doesn't mean we don't investigate thoroughly, which is what we're doing now."

Still, some freshman Democrats who were slow to come around to impeachment of Trump in 2019 told CNN they are open to impeachment of Barr.

Trump's impeachment looms over oversight debate

In 2019, Democrats debated for months over how to handle the calls for Trump's impeachment. Liberal Democrats on the Judiciary Committee pressed Pelosi to open an impeachment inquiry over allegations in the Mueller report, but she resisted those calls, siding with the freshmen in her caucus from districts Trump won in 2016.

Democrats acknowledged this week that trying to remove Barr from office could have political ramifications, even as some said it might be necessary.

"Impeachment is a political remedy, but it's also one that is necessary from time to time to save our republic from grave damage," said Johnson, the Georgia Democrat who sits on the Judiciary Committee.

Nadler's comments over the past week on impeachment Barr were reflective of Democrats' internal struggle. On Sunday, Nadler said on CNN's "State of the Union" that impeaching the attorney general would be a "waste of time."

But after a hearing Wednesday where two DOJ prosecutors accused Barr of politicizing investigations and Stone's sentencing, Nadler said he was now open to the possibility.

"We're looking into that, we may very well," Nadler said. Asked why his view had changed, Nadler added: "I think the weight of the evidence and of what's happened leads to that conclusion."

As Wednesday's hearing got underway, the Justice Department announced that Barr would testify before the House Judiciary Committee at the end of July, giving Democrats angry with Barr the chance to confront him. Barr has yet to testify before the panel since his confirmation in February 2019.

"Certainly, more fact finding might generate that kind of response. But we want to give General Barr his opportunity to testify and frankly respond to these charges," Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, a Texas Democrat, said when asked if Barr should be impeached.

Republicans have dismissed the calls for Barr's impeachment, accusing Democrats of trying to score political points. "I think the Democrats have a big problem -- it's the judges agree with Bill Barr," said Ohio Rep. Jim Jordan, the top Republican on the Judiciary Committee, a reference to an appeals court ordering Flynn's charges dismissed Wednesday and the court giving Stone a sentence below what the prosecutors on the case had recommended.

Barr spokeswoman Kerri Kupec dismissed the calls for Barr's impeachment as "a political thing" in a "Fox and Friends" interview Thursday.

Before Pelosi's comments Thursday, Democratic leaders expressed skepticism about going forward with impeachment of Barr.

"I can't imagine that we're going to move forward on impeachment," Rep. Karen Bass, the leader of the Congressional Black Caucus and a Judiciary Committee member, said Wednesday. "If we impeach him, we want to impeach him because we want him to be gone, and that's clearly not going to happen."

But Democrats are still angry that Bolton spurned them during the impeachment inquiry, only to turn around and accuse them of "impeachment malpractice" by focusing just on Ukraine. Plus, there's still concern that Bolton will defy a subpoena and force Democrats to go to court should they seek his testimony.

Democrats have a host of other oversight issues they're pursuing, from accusations of political favoritism in the response to the coronavirus pandemic to the deployment of the National Guard and federal law enforcement in reaction to the protests over the past month.

And Democrats say even if they don't impeach Barr, they still can hold additional hearings to hold him accountable.

"I'm not sure it's a useful exercise of time," Rep. David Cicilline, a Rhode Island Democrat in House leadership, said of impeachment. "But we absolutely have to continue these hearings to bring to light the conduct of the attorney general. We have an election right around the corner and the American people have a right to know it."

Read more from the original source:
House Democrats caution about going too far with Trump probes as 2020 prospects brighten - CNN