Administration

NAACP calls for Trump impeachment

Members of the NAACP are calling for President Trump’s impeachment, the latest effort to push members of Congress to pursue impeachment against the president.

NAACP delegates representing local branches of the civil rights organization voted unanimously on Tuesday to call for Trump’s impeachment, the group announced on Twitter.

The group is holding its annual convention in Detroit. The Hill has reached out to the NAACP for a statement on its decision. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the vote.

“Trump’s misconduct is unmistakable and has proven time and time again, that he is unfit to serve as the president of this country,” NAACP President Derrick Johnson tweeted.

The NAACP joins a growing chorus of voices calling for Congress to initiate impeachment proceedings against Trump.{mosads}

A total of 87 House members have expressed support for an impeachment inquiry, but Democratic leadership has been hesitant, instead asking the caucus to focus on investigations against the president.

The NAACP’s vote comes a day before former special counsel Robert Mueller is set to testify before Congress, which some Democrats hope will help crystalize the case for impeachment or at least help hold Trump more accountable.

Mueller’s investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election did not find sufficient evidence to bring charges against Trump or his campaign over allegations they conspired with Moscow.

Mueller also declined to clear the president of obstruction of justice, outlining 10 “episodes” of possibly obstructive behavior, but he said existing Department of Justice guidelines against indicting a sitting president prevented him from bringing charges.

Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.), one of the most outspoken critics of Trump who has called for his impeachment, said at the NAACP convention on Monday that she is “not going nowhere, not until I impeach this president.” 

Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), who has so far resisted calls for pursuing impeachment, also spoke at the convention on Monday but did not mention Trump during her speech.

A recent Economist/YouGov poll found that 11 percent of Republicans and 64 percent of Democrats support impeachment. In the survey of 1,500 adults who are U.S. citizens, 36 percent supported impeachment overall, while 45 percent opposed it.