Rep. Cohen: '80-90 percent' of Dems on House Judiciary Committee ready to push for Trump impeachment

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Nancy Pelosi faces growing impeachment pressure

House Democrats split on impeachment push; reaction and analysis on 'The Five.'

House Judiciary Committee member Rep. Steve Cohen, D-Tenn, claimed on Tuesday evening that "80-90 percent" of the fellow Democrats who sit on committee are ready to impeach President Trump.

Cohen, who made headlines recently for bringing Kentucky Fried Chicken to a hearing in an attempt to mock the absence of Attorney General William Barr, began by saying the Democrats who sit on the House Judiciary Committee "care most about justice" and "the rule of law."

"The Judiciary Committee, as a whole, is for at least an inquiry of impeachment," Cohen told MSNBC's Ari Melber. "There might have been two members who are particularly close to Speaker Pelosi that were not on-board, but I'd say most, I'd say 80-90 percent of the committee is on-board to go forward."

CALL FOR TRUMP IMPEACHMENT DRAWS EQUAL PARTS PRAISE AND DISDAIN

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The congressman acknowledged that he couldn't speak on behalf of the House Judiciary Committee Chairman Rep. Jerrold Nadler, D-N.Y., but said of the Dems backing the push that "most of us are lawyers" and "we have the Constitution in our heart." He also admitted that the majority of his colleagues in the House of Representatives have not read the Mueller Report.

Cohen went on to express in anticipation to tomorrow's caucus meeting that it's "difficult" to question the positions of Speaker Pelosi, but added that it's also his duty to "speak truth to power."

There has been a revitalized movement among House Democrats to push impeachment after former White House Counselor Don McGahn defied a subpoena and did not appear before Congress.

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., has called on House Democrats to “move forward” with impeaching President Trump, adding that if they fail to do so it could be viewed as a “politically motivated” decision.

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The freshman New Yorker issued the call to arms to members of her party shortly after White House Counsel Don McGahn defied a subpoena and skipped a committee hearing at Trump's direction.

The development comes one day after a senior House Democrat -- speaking on the condition of anonymity -- told Fox News that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi could soon be left with no choice but to embrace calls from some within her party to impeach Trump.

The official said, despite Pelosi’s repeated attempt to quell talk of impeaching the president, she “isn’t going to be able to hold off on impeachment much longer.”

“It is coming to a head,” the Democrat told Fox News, before predicting the mounting pressure from inside her own ranks could force Pelosi to change her position “within the next two weeks.”

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The Democrat argued that “the vast majority of us are for impeachment.”

Pelosi denied any reports that a division was growing within the Democratic Party over impeachment.