Top Democrats are trying to reign in calls for impeachment following the release of Robert Mueller’s report.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and others held a conference call Monday to discuss how best to discourage such talk, warning that a push to oust Trump without first pinpointing criminal wrongdoing could harm the Party’s performance in the elections next year.
“As we proceed to uncover the truth and present additional needed reforms to protect our democracy, we must show the American people we are proceeding free from passion or prejudice,” wrote Pelosi. “It is also important to know that the facts regarding holding the President accountable can be gained outside of impeachment hearings.”
Pelosi is all too aware of the potential ramifications here, having had a front row seat to the impeachment of Bill Clinton in 1998 and the damage it caused the Republican Party.
While the Mueller Report did not find evidence of collusion or of criminal wrongdoing, it did outline 10 examples of Trump potentially obstructing justice.
Some Democrats have described the document as a “roadmap” for impeachment.
“The bottom line message is: proceed with caution, but proceed,” said Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-VA), one of several Democrats who started to think about impeachment after reading the Mueller Report. “I have to admit that the Mueller report has shifted my views, and has forced me to reexamine an issue I thought I had pretty much come to grips with.”
Others in favor of impeachment include: Al Green (D-TX), Maxine Waters (D-CA), Jared Huffman (D-CA), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Rashida Tlaib (D-MI), Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), Ilhan Omar (D-MN), Ayanna Pressley (D-MA), and Val Demings (D-FL).
“I think we have great evidence that the president has blatantly violated so many laws. It’s just ridiculous,” said Demings. “Mueller didn’t do us any favors,” she added, “he left us bread crumbs to follow.”
When asked if he was worried about impeachment, President Trump responded: “Not even a little bit.”
As he tweeted Monday: “Only high crimes and misdemeanors can lead to impeachment. There were no crimes by me, so you can’t impeach. It was the Democrats that committed the crimes, not your Republican President! Tables are finally turning on the Witch Hunt!”
Author’s Note: The Dems have been trying to impeach Trump since before he took office (we have the text messages to prove it), but it’s never going to happen.
I’m not a huge fan of Nancy Pelosi, but she knows what she’s talking about. It would be a HUGE mistake for the Democratic Party to focus its time and energy on impeachment proceedings this close to an election; the effort would almost certainly cost the Party seats and potentially ensure a Republican president.