Trump impeachment attempt in jeopardy as Dem co-sponsors pull out

A Democratic attempt to impeach President Donald Trump has fizzled out before it ever really got traction, all due to "confusion" among congressional staffers, according to Politico.

Rep. Shri Thanedar (D-MI) filed seven articles of impeachment on Monday claiming that Trump was "unfit to serve," and spelling out the charges in a social media post:

"The president is attacking me because I filed Articles of Impeachment, asking 'What the hell did I do?'" Thanedar wrote, continuing:

"It's all in my seven articles of impeachment: 1. Defying a 9-0 Supreme Court ruling. 2. Dismantling federal agencies. 3. Imposing damaging tariffs. 4. Violating First Amendment rights. 5. Creating an unlawful office. 6. Dismissing criminal cases of donors. 7. Denying due process and other constitutional violations. This is not normal. Impeachment is how we fight back. I will always defend the Constitution!"

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The bill listed four co-sponsors: Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-NY), Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-IL), Rep. Robin Kelly (D-IL), and Rep. Kweisi Mfume (D-MD).

But by Thursday, all four lawmakers had removed their names, implying that they had been "mistakenly added."

Politico obtained an email sent Thursday to all Democratic legislative directors that explained the situation.

Andrew Heineman, a top aid to Rep. Nadler, wrote, “Members can walk away with different impressions of a conversation, and a quick check-in with staff can go a long way in avoiding confusion. I don’t think any of us want to learn that their boss was added to a bill that’s been introduced from a Google Alert.”

Two lawmakers commented about the snafu.

Politico quoted Rep. Kelly's spokesperson saying, “The Congresswoman was under the impression that the resolution was drafted and reviewed by experts from the House Judiciary Committee," while a spokesperson for Mfume said he removed his name “because he was made aware it was not cleared by Democratic leadership and not fully vetted legally — and he preferred to err on the side of caution.”

Thanedar hasn't commented on the situation or what's next for his bill.

Read the Politico article here.