Meeks says Democrats floating Trump impeachment don't 'have the votes'

Representative Gregory Meeks, a Democratic congressman from New York and ranking member on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, stated on Thursday that House Democrats currently lack the necessary votes to impeach President Donald Trump, acknowledging the political reality of their minority status in the chamber. He made these remarks during a CNN interview with host John Berman, where he also sharply criticized the President's foreign policy decisions. During the interview, Meeks specifically targeted President Trump's management of escalating tensions with Iran, labeling him as "incompetent" in his handling of the volatile situation. The congressman's critique comes amid a backdrop of heightened geopolitical risk following the U.S. airstrike that killed Iranian General Qasem Soleimani earlier in January. Meeks argued that the administration's actions and rhetoric have unnecessarily increased the danger of a broader military conflict, demonstrating a failure in strategic leadership. The public acknowledgment from a senior Democrat like Meeks underscores the significant procedural and political hurdles facing any new impeachment effort. With Democrats holding a minority of seats in the House of Representatives, they cannot unilaterally initiate impeachment proceedings without support from Republican members, which has thus far been absent. This reality has led to a strategic divergence within the Democratic caucus, with some members continuing to advocate for impeachment based on what they view as ongoing abuses of power, while others, reflecting Meeks's assessment, focus on legislative oversight and the upcoming presidential election as the primary avenues for accountability.