Progressive Caucus chair backs calls for Trump impeachment inquiry

A co-chair of the influential Congressional Progressive Caucus on Tuesday threw his support behind pursuing impeachment of President Trump, giving the movement another bump.

Rep. Mark Pocan, Wisconsin Democrat, said he was swayed by Mr. Trump’s obstruction of Congress’s efforts to conduct investigations into the president and his team.

“Regrettably, the president’s most recent actions and continued disrespect for the Constitution are forcing us down the road to impeachment,” Mr. Pocan said in a statement.

Mr. Pocan’s comments come as the impeachment debate among Democrats is heating up, with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi facing increasing calls from within her own leadership team to begin to take the step.

Mrs. Pelosi has been resistant, saying there’s no chance of the Senate convicting the president even if the House does impeach him, and saying she’s worried about the distraction.

Politico reported on a leadership meeting Monday night that saw three Democratic lawmakers say it was time to pull the trigger. They met resistance from Mrs. Pelosi and House Democratic Caucus Chair Hakeem Jeffries.

While special counsel Robert Mueller’s probe is still irking many Democrats, the new heat behind impeachment comes from Mr. Trump’s moves to claim privilege or immunity to defy subpoenas for his team.

The latest involved Mr. Trump directing former White House Counsel Don McGahn to not comply with a House Judiciary Committee subpoena for his testimony.

Most of the Democrats stressed that they’re not yet calling for impeachment, but rather for an impeachment inquiry, which is the first step.