Democrats jostle for prized impeachment manager gig

As the House barrels toward a vote next week to impeach President Donald Trump, behind-the-scenes jockeying has intensified to secure a coveted, high-profile job: impeachment manager.

These Democratic lawmakers, handpicked by Speaker Nancy Pelosi, will effectively serve as prosecutors making the case to the Senate that Trump deserves to be removed from office over his alleged misconduct centering on the Ukraine scandal.

The topic has come up during recent Democratic leadership meetings, according to lawmakers and aides. And several members have been seeking out Pelosi — even making a beeline for her on the House floor during votes — to deliver their in-person pitch.

Pelosi has divulged little about her plans to allies, even as the House Judiciary Committee begins marking up two impeachment articles on Wednesday. But Pelosi has conveyed privately that she is prioritizing geographic and regional diversity among the managers — a potentially difficult task as many of the top impeachment investigators hail from California or New York.

And no one is second-guessing the speaker.

“If you look at the way it has been handled to date, the fact that this was productive and efficient and fair is a function of some of the decisions she made to put people like [House Intelligence Chairman] Adam Schiff and others in important positions,” said Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney (D-N.Y.), an Intelligence Committee member likely under consideration to be a manager.

“She’s making all the right decisions. She doesn’t need any help from me.”

Schiff (D-Calif.) and House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerry Nadler (D-N.Y.), the two Democrats leading the impeachment inquiry, are both almost certain to be chosen as managers.

And because Schiff and Nadler are expected to take the lead in the Senate trial, the job may be more of a formality for most of the other lawmakers selected.

Still, the prestige of being picked by Pelosi has plenty of advantages. Those who are chosen will be the face of the prosecution of Trump, a president they have fought bitterly for nearly three years. The role will give them a spot in history and could help rising stars within the party raise their national profile.

“I’ll never forget. You know this is something different and everybody’s watching,” said Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), a former House member who served as an impeachment manager during the Bill Clinton trial. “When I was an impeachment manager, it kind of launched my career.”

During the Clinton impeachment in 1998, 13 House Republicans were tapped as managers, all of whom served on the Judiciary Committee. This time, the managers are likely to be selected from both the Judiciary and Intelligence committees — and the campaigning has clearly begun.

Several Democratic lawmakers have approached Pelosi and key committee chairs expressing interest in the role, according to lawmakers and aides familiar with the conversations. Others have circulated letters to their colleagues outlining their credentials.

But most members brush off the idea publicly, not wanting to appear too eager and be subsequently passed over for the job. And even Pelosi’s closest allies say they are in the dark about who she is going to pick and when she will announce her decisions — noting that like everything else with the impeachment inquiry, she is keeping her cards close to the vest until the last minute.

“I haven’t given it any thought,” Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.), the No. 5 House Democrat and a senior Judiciary Committee member, said Wednesday. “I don’t want to prejudge a decision that will ultimately be made by our speaker and the two chairs of the two relevant committees, Intel and Judiciary.”

Aside from Schiff and Nadler, several other names are floating around the caucus as likely candidates.

According to people familiar with the deliberations, Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif.), a senior member of the Judiciary Committee and close Pelosi ally, is also likely to be selected. Lofgren served on the panel during the Clinton impeachment and was a staffer for the committee during the impeachment inquiry into Richard Nixon.

Reps. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.), David Cicilline (D-R.I.), Terri Sewell (D-Ala.), Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-Ill.), Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.), Jim Himes (D-Conn.) and Jackie Speier (D-Calif.) are also under consideration or have expressed interest in the role either publicly or privately. Rep. Val Demings (D-Fla.) is also a likely choice, in part because she serves on both the Intelligence and Judiciary panels. Jeffries is also expected to have a prominent role.

Other lawmakers under consideration are Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Texas), a Judiciary Committee veteran, and Rep. Joe Neguse (D-Colo.), a freshman member of the panel who also serves in leadership.

Lawmakers have also privately discussed the possibility of committee lawyers serving as impeachment managers. But Democratic aides have quashed that idea.

Democrats have routinely stressed the importance of geographic, racial and gender diversity — not just for the group of impeachment managers, but for news conferences, legislation and other initiatives, too.

On Wednesday, Republican National Committee Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel chided the Democratic committee chairs who stood behind Pelosi as they announced articles of impeachment, pointing out that they hail from the liberal bastions of California, New York and Massachusetts.

“The Democrats pushing impeachment couldn’t be more out of touch with most Americans if they tried!” McDaniel wrote.

Schiff and Nadler declined to comment Wednesday as they left an afternoon meeting in Pelosi’s office. But aides say Pelosi is closely consulting with both of them, and Judiciary Committee staffers are working on a recommendation list for the speaker’s office — though committee aides dispute this.

The full House must approve a separate resolution containing the names of the impeachment managers. The House is likely to vote on that measure alongside the impeachment articles next week.

Managers will play a central role during the Senate’s impeachment trial. Only the managers, the president’s lawyers, and Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts — who will preside over the trial — will be permitted to speak.

It’s a difficult job, said Rep. Steve Chabot (R-Ohio), a Judiciary Committee member who served as a House manager for the Clinton impeachment — especially in front of a skeptical Senate.

“I remember Henry Hyde say we were not necessarily welcome over there. The Senate didn’t necessarily want to hear this case,” Chabot said, referring to the then-Judiciary Committee chairman. “You certainly appreciate the gravitas of the situation and the significance of it. The country is watching. In many ways, the world is watching. So you try not to screw it up.”

On the GOP side, lawmakers and aides are considering mounting their own defense of Trump during the Senate trial — in place of or in addition to Trump’s White House lawyers. There has been speculation that the president could even tap one of his conservative allies in the House to join his defense team, like Reps. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), John Ratcliffe (R-Texas) or Doug Collins (R-Ga.).

House Republicans have already taken steps to short-circuit the traditional process and shore up Trump’s defense, including by adding Jordan to the Intelligence Committee ahead of its public impeachment hearings.

“There are a number of us who would like to do it, if they put a team together,” said Rep. Andy Biggs (R-Ariz.), a member of the Judiciary Committee and head of the hard-line Freedom Caucus.

For now though, Biggs added, those conversations have amounted to simply “talk” and “chit-chat” among members.

Melanie Zanona and Burgess Everett contributed to this report.