Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D., N.Y.) said that Democrats "didn't run on impeachment," in response to questions about whether House Democrats will continue to investigate President Donald Trump after special counsel Robert Mueller's report is released.
Jeffries' comment came after CBS host Margret Brennan asked him if Rep. Jerrold Nadler's (D., N.Y.) statement that Trump "obstructed justice," which he said before the Mueller report was concluded, means that Democrats are effectively making the case for impeachment, "regardless of what is presented to you by the attorney general."
"We have been very clear: Democrats didn't run on impeachment," Jeffries said. "We didn't win the House of Representatives back on impeachment. We are not focused on impeachment."
Jeffries then outlined what House Democrats hope to accomplish as long as they hold a majority, which he said was focused on bringing "our democracy to life."
"We're focused on executing our for-the-people agenda," he said. "We want lower health care costs for everyday Americans. That's what we promised. That's what we're working on. We want to enact a real infrastructure plan. have a $1 trillion plan that would invest and create at least $16 million good-paying jobs. We want to fix our crumbling bridge, roads, and tunnels and airports and mass transportation systems."
House Democrats have been divided over the issue of impeachment since taking the majority in January. During a reception hosted by left-wing activist group MoveOn after her swearing-in, freshman Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D., Mich) told the crowd, "We're going to go in there, and we're going to impeach the motherfucker," in reference to Trump, and drawing big cheers from her audience.
After repeated calls from House Democrats to move forward with impeachment, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D., Calif) said she does not believe it would be politically advantageous for Democrats.
"Impeachment is so divisive to the country that unless there’s something so compelling and overwhelming and bipartisan, I don’t think we should go down that path, because it divides the country," she told reporters. "And he’s just not worth it."