Democratic support for impeachment swells

Hours after a majority of her House Democrats came out in support of opening an impeachment inquiry into President Donald Trump, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Friday that “no one is above the law.” [View in browser]( [Image]( August 3, 2019 Hours after [a majority of her House Democrats]( came out in support of opening an impeachment inquiry into President Donald Trump, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Friday that “no one is above the law” and that Trump “will be held accountable.” [From NBC News' Adam Edelman](: In a statement, Pelosi, D-Calif., stuck to her existing position on impeachment: that her caucus should focus their attention on ongoing congressional investigations and legal battles. But the speaker also referred to the 10 examples of Trump possibly having obstructed justice that were outlined in former special counsel Robert Mueller's report and said the president's “more recent attempts to prevent us from finding the facts” represented “further evidence” of obstruction... “To protect our democracy and our Constitution, Democrats in the Congress continue to legislate, investigate and litigate,” Pelosi said, before laying out in detail the status of the House’s investigations into Trump and his administration. “In America, no one is above the law," she continued. "The President will be held accountable." [Image] Susan Walsh / AP file [On The Last Word Friday,]( Rep. Salud Carbajal (D-CA) talked about becoming the 118th congressperson to call for an impeachment inquiry of President Trump, and tipping the scales to the majority of Democrats calling for the inquiry. "To see time and time again, that this president and this administration have ignored all the subpoenas put for the by Congress.... Ultimately, that's what did it, along with conversations I've had with many constituents in my district," said Rep. Carbajal about his decision. "It's important that we get all the facts... so the American people see what really went on." President Donald Trump announced Friday that his pick for the nation's top intelligence post was withdrawing from consideration and would remain in Congress. “Our great Republican Congressman John Ratcliffe is being treated very unfairly by the LameStream Media. Rather than going through months of slander and libel, I explained to John how miserable it would be for him and his family to deal with these people,” Trump tweeted. “John has therefore decided to stay in Congress where he has done such an outstanding job representing the people of Texas, and our Country,” he added. [More from NBC News:]( The unraveling of Ratcliffe's nomination to become director of national intelligence happened slowly at first, and then all at once. Multiple sources familiar with the discussions point to a combination of building Republican pressure and escalating anxiety on Ratcliffe’s part. The situation hit a boiling point Friday morning, when it became clear Ratcliffe, 53, had little desire to stomach what would have been a bruising confirmation battle in the fall — becoming alarmed at what he viewed as a concerning media narrative... Ratcliffe had[little experience in national security or national intelligence.]( In Case You Missed It: Videos from MSNBC Today [Image](ttps://www.msnbc.com/the-last-word/watch/dems-cross-a-line-majority-now-backs-impeachment-65220677795) [Number of Democrats backing impeachment nears major threshold]( Rep. Salud Carbajal (D-CA) became the 118th democrat to call for an impeachment inquiry of President Trump. Rep. Carbajal tells Ali Velshi why the house must proceed with an impeachment inquiry now that a majority of House Democrats are in favor of the inquiry. (Last Word) [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [Image]( [Democratic pushback on Trump-pleasing stunt puts Graham in a snit]( Joy Reid reports on Lindsey Graham discarding the rules of the Senate Judiciary Committee in order to force through an asylum bill that has little chance of passing the House but will ingratiate him with Donald Trump, and chastising his outraged Democratic colleagues. (Rachel Maddow Show) [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [Image]( [This is what billions of tons of melting Arctic ice looks like]( Over the month of July, so much ice melted off Greenland's ice sheet that the resulting water raised worldwide sea levels by half a millimeter. Chris Hayes explains how this is part of a disturbing feedback loop. 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Rosselló resigns, Pierluisi steps up as governor. Thousands of Puerto Ricans cheered, held signs and popped champagne in front of the Governor’s mansion to witness the moment when Gov. Ricardo Rosselló’s resignation became official late Friday. by [Nicole Acevedo.]( This newsletter was prepped for you by Cameron Taylor Oakes and Sam Go. Tell us what you think of the news and [drop us an e-mail.](mailto:msnbc.digital.editors@nbcuni.com?subject=MSNBC Daily) Check out [our new YouTube feature](, "The Day That Was," a review of MSNBC's primetime coverage. Videos will be posted mornings at 7:30a.m. ET. Were you forwarded this email from a friend? [Subscribe here](. [Image]( Follow MSNBC [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [Instagram]( [YouTube]( [LinkedIn]( Check out the MSNBC channel on Apple News Download the NBC News Mobile App and watch MSNBC [Image] [Image] [Privacy]( [Unsubscribe](listvar=sub_daily)