Democrats admit they expect more defections from vulnerable House members who will vote AGAINST impeaching Donald Trump

By Nikki Schwab, Senior U.s. Political Reporter For Dailymail.com17:53 12 Dec 2019, updated 21:04 12 Dec 2019
  • As many as a half dozen Democrats could break rank and vote alongside Republicans during next weeks expected full House impeachment vote 
  • Earlier this week a group of moderate Democrats floated censuring President Trump instead of impeaching him 
  • A number of moderate Democrats have yet to reveal how they plan to vote, with Democratic leadership vowing not to whip votes beforehand  
Democrats anticipate several more moderate members may break rank and vote against President Trump's impeachment.  
One source told DailyMail.com that as many as six Democrats could vote no during the expected full House impeachment vote next week. The Hill aide would be 'shocked' if more than 10 voted alongside Republicans. 
On Halloween, when Speaker Nancy Pelosi first had the House vote on impeachment Reps. Jeff Van Drew of New Jersey and Collin Peterson of Minnesota voted against the resolution. 


House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is likely to see several more Democrats break rank and vote against impeachment. She's said she doesn't plan to whip the caucus for votes prior to the expected full House floor vote next week
The Democrats who have the most to lose are ones who won seats in districts that voted for President Trump, pictured at his Pennsylvania rally Tuesday night, in 2016, and could face tough re-election bids if they vote to impeach the president
Rep. Collin Peterson, a Democrat from Minnesota was one of only two no votes on the first impeachment vote
He was joined by New Jersey Democrat Jeff Van Drew

All the Republicans voted together - against it - while former Republican-turned-independent Rep. Justin Amash voted alongside Democrats to proceed.    
Now with impeachment proceedings nearing a conclusion in the House there have been some tells that moderates have the jitters. 
For one, Politico reported that a number of moderate Democrats gathered Monday night to talk about censuring the president as opposed to impeachment. 
That effort didn't get off the ground. 
'It never had life to begin with,' quipped the Hill aide. 'I can't tell how sincere the push for censure is,' remarked another who works for a moderate Democratic member. 
Politico named just four members in the story - Reps. Josh Gottheimer, Kurt Schrader, Anthony Brindisi and Ben McAdams - but said as many as 10 participated in the gathering.  
A lot of moderates simply aren't showing their hand yet.          
Peterson's spokesperson told the Star Tribune that he's undecided - despite being one of those two Democratic no votes. 
Another moderate Democrat from Minnesota, Rep. Angie Craig, told the paper she also hasn't made a decision. 
'This has really been a somber time to me,' Craig told reporters, according to the Star Tribune. 'No one runs for Congress wanting to ever have to face the question of whether to vote on articles of impeachment. But at the same time, you know, I have to weigh the evidence and the facts and fulfill my Constitutional duty and I will certainly be very thoughtful and deliberate as I make that decision.' 
A spokesman for Rep. Max Rose, a Democrat from New York, who was formerly a hold-out said 'he hasn't made an announcement either way yet.' 
Brindisi, another New York Democrat and an attendee of the censure meeting, hasn't responded to requests for comment about his position.   
They've had the benefit of not being a member of the House Judiciary Committee, where members announced their positions publicly Wednesday night. 
Moderate member Rep. Lucy McBath, a Democrat who represents a previously red Georgia district, split the difference in her speech.   
'I promised I would work with the president when his policies were right for Georgia, and stand up to him when they are not. And I am proud of our progress ... I am proud to have written a bill that was signed into law by President Trump,' she said. 
'But I am not proud of the president's actions that bring us here tonight,' she added, telling the crowd she backed impeachment.  
The Hill aide told DailyMail.com that it helped that Pelosi kept the impeachment narrowly focused. Moderate Democrats wanted impeachment to be about Ukraine and Ukraine only. 
Other members of the caucus, including even House Judiciary Committee Jerry Nadler, had advocated widening the scope to include articles related to Special Counsel Robert Mueller's report on Russian interference. 
Liberals, such as Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, had even suggested that the articles stretch as wide as Trump violating the Emoluments Clause. 
And Democratic leadership has vowed not to whip the vote prior to next week's big decision.   
'This is one of those issues where members have to come to their own conclusions, it's just too consequential,' Rep. Dan Kildee, a Democrat from Michigan, told the Washington Post. Kildee is a deputy whip. 'I think this is one of those votes where people are going to be remembered for a long time to come. 

Some moderate House Democrats are undecided on whether to impeach President Donald Trump, according to the Washington Examiner.
And Rep. Collin Peterson, D-Minn., predicted "four or five" Democrats will likely vote against the two articles of impeachment.
The news outlet said Peterson is among the 31 swing-district Democrats who must answer to constituents who voted for Trump. Peterson acknowledges he will likely vote against impeachment.
"I'm leaning no," he said. "I want to look at everything."
The Examiner noted that Rep. Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich., is in a toss-up re-election race. Slotkin is still not certain whether to support impeachment.
"I have not read them," Slotkin said of the impeachment articles. "I need to read them."
Rep. Jeff Van Drew, D-N.J., has said he would oppose impeachment. He and Peterson were the only Democrats to vote against the House resolution to formalize the impeachment investigation. 
House Majority Whip James Clyburn, D-S.C., said he realizes some House Democrats might not vote for impeachment.
"We do expect to lose some, and that's why I say it is a conscience vote," Clyburn said.
- Justin Thyme-Two cents worth of opinion.  The Hill aide should brace themselves to be shocked. As the number of defections could  break that 10 mark and even the 18 mark needed to defeat an impeachment. That is why they are not saying anything at this time. But their emails and voice mailboxes and faxes from their constituents keep pouring in against it.
31 DemocRats sitting in Red distric8ts that Donald Trump won in 2016. 18 are needed to halt impeachment if as Rep. Amash, now an independent from Michigan does side with DemocRats. Without Amashes vote the number drops to needing only 17 DemocRat defections. 
Then here is another thought, how many will only vote 'present' to evade blame? It counts neither way. I doubt any Republicans to break to DemocRats on impeachment. 
By the known numbers from Friday: 
Support articles of impeachment:
DemocRat
165 yes 
1 no 
19 undicided or unclear 
48 no response yet 

Independent
1 yes 
0 in all other columns 

Republican
0 yes 
158 no 
19 undecided or unclear 39 no response yet 

Totals
166 yes
159 no
38 undecided or unclear
87 no response yet