Nadler Says It’s ‘Very Clear’: ‘Not Necessarily’ Called an Impeachment Inquiry But It’s Essentially What We’re Doing

House Judiciary Chairman Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.)continued a pattern among Democratic Congressional leaders of offering muddy and seemingly conflicting accounts of whether or not they are conducting a formal impeachment inquiry of President Donald Trump.

Speaking with CNN’s Chris Cuomo, Nadler discussed the role of his committee, which has taken the lead in investigating the possible obstruction of justice charges raised in Part Two of the Mueller report. But Nadler’s comments followed a very noncommittal statement that Democrats are “not even close” to impeaching Trump by Speaker Nancy Pelosi earlier in the day. The ongoing narrative, as this Politico report notes, is a muddled and scattershot message from top Democrats.

Specifically referring to the term “impeachment inquiry,” Cuomo pressed Nadler on how he defined his committee’s work. “Is that what you are doing right now?”

“It is not necessarily called an impeachment inquiry. That’s a made-up term without legal significance. It is, however, what we are doing,” Nadler said, appearing to both deny and confirm Cuomo’s question.

“We have been very clear the last several months,” Nadler then claimed, in contrast to months of confusion from both supporters and opponents of Trump’s impeachment about the House Democrats’ intentions. “We are conducting an investigation with the purpose, among other things, of determining whether to report Articles of Impeachment to the entire House. That’s exactly what we are doing. Whether you want to call it an impeachment investigation, impeachment inquiry, I am not interested in the nomenclature.”

Cuomo, however, called out Nadler and his party for trying to have it both ways.

“I’m with you on that. I don’t care what you call it either as long as you call it one thing,” Cuomo noted. “It seems that different people say different things within your own party and leadership.”

Watch the video above, via CNN.