Democratic presidential candidates divided over impeaching Trump

[webfact]

Democratic presidential candidates divided over impeaching Trump

By Tim Reid

 

U.S. President Donald Trump prepares to board Marine One en route to his Mar-a-Lago estate in West Palm Beach, Florida at the White House in Washington, U.S., April 18, 2019. REUTERS/Carlos Barria/File Photo

 

(Reuters) - A group of Democratic presidential candidates were divided on Monday over whether Republican President Donald Trump should be impeached, reflecting a broader split in the Democratic Party over how to react to Special Counsel Robert Mueller's report into Russian election meddling.

 

Answering audience questions at a televised CNN event in the early voting state of New Hampshire, three Democratic 2020 candidates shied away from calling for Trump's impeachment.

 

Another, California U.S. Senator Kamala Harris, said Congress should "take the steps towards impeachment" but believed such an effort would likely fail.

 

Only one candidate at the event, Massachusetts U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren, issued a full-throated call for Congress to try and remove Trump from office.

 

"If any other human being in this country had done what’s documented in the Mueller report, they would be arrested and put in jail," Warren said. Julian Castro, the former mayor of San Antonio and another 2020 hopeful - who was not at the CNN event - has also called for Trump's impeachment.

 

In the report released on Thursday, Mueller portrayed a president bent on stopping the probe into Russian meddling. But Mueller stopped short of concluding that a crime was committed, leaving it to Congress to make its own determination as to whether Trump obstructed justice.

 

Nancy Pelosi, the Democratic Speaker of the House, and some other Democratic Party leaders have been wary of impeaching Trump before the November 2020 presidential election.

 

They believe there are not enough votes in the Republican-controlled Senate to remove Trump from office, and that such a move could play into his hands. They also remember Republican efforts to impeach former Democratic President Bill Clinton in the 1990s, which backfired politically.

 

But prominent liberals have demanded the start of proceedings to remove Trump from office since the release of a redacted version of Mueller’s report last week.

 

In a letter to fellow Democratic lawmakers on Monday, Pelosi did not rule out impeaching Trump, but said it is “important to know that the facts regarding holding the president accountable can be gained outside of impeachment hearings.” She added that Trump engaged in highly unethical and unscrupulous behavior “whether currently indictable or not”.

 

Reflecting the divide in the party over how to proceed over Mueller's findings, the five 2020 candidates, who appeared at back-to-back events before an audience of young voters, were also split.

 

Vermont U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders said: "If for the next year and a half all the Congress is talking about is 'Trump, Trump, Trump,' and 'Mueller, Mueller, Mueller' and we’re not talking about the issues that concern ordinary Americans, I worry that works to Trump’s advantage."

 

Minnesota U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar said she did not want to "predispose things" over the question of whether to impeach Trump and left that question up to the U.S. House of Representatives, where impeachment proceedings are initiated.

 

South Bend, Indiana Mayor Pete Buttigieg said Trump "deserves" to be impeached, but he would leave it to the House and Senate. He said politicians have to stop talking about Trump so much, and the best thing for Democrats would be to deliver "an absolute thumping" to Trump at the ballot box next November.

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2019-04-23

[Basil B]

If a Democrat wins the election surely impeachment of Trump is immaterial, just have him, Trump Corp and his cronies investigated and prosecuted.

 

One thing for sure, the Trump Corporation will be the next DotComm bubble to burst.

[roobaa01]

yes at least sanders got one thing correct it is nonsense to speak about impeachment for us citizens talk at the dinner table about illegal immigration, health care, money in their pockets.

 

wbr

roobaa01

[Baerboxer]

2 hours ago, Basil B said:

If a Democrat wins the election surely impeachment of Trump is immaterial, just have him, Trump Corp and his cronies investigated and prosecuted.

 

One thing for sure, the Trump Corporation will be the next DotComm bubble to burst.

 

That would be the spiteful thing to do. Just like spiteful Hilary wants Assange extradited and prosecuted for revealing a tiny fraction of her misgivings.

 

If Trump is investigated and prosecuted, and it will be politically motivated for sure, then a) the international community should treat the democrats with contempt; and b) a precedent is set for investigating all and every POTUS as soon as they're out of office.

 

How is the Clinton Foundation doing these days? Did they spend the 10 million Euros the German government donated wisely?

[bristolboy]

2 minutes ago, Baerboxer said:

 

That would be the spiteful thing to do. Just like spiteful Hilary wants Assange extradited and prosecuted for revealing a tiny fraction of her misgivings.

 

If Trump is investigated and prosecuted, and it will be politically motivated for sure, then a) the international community should treat the democrats with contempt; and b) a precedent is set for investigating all and every POTUS as soon as they're out of office.

 

How is the Clinton Foundation doing these days? Did they spend the 10 million Euros the German government donated wisely?

Evil, evil Clintion Foundation. So evil that it has successfully hidden its corruption from independent watchdogs who give it top ratings as a charitable institution.

[UnkleGoooose]

Impeach Trump for what exactly? There was no "collusion" which is not even an offence in American law. If there was something to charge Mr Trump with, you can guarantee that the Democrats pitbull Mueller would have found it, twisted it, contorted and exaggerated it, and it would have been on the front page of his report. This is why the Democrats are shying away from impeaching him because they have nothing.

[bristolboy]

24 minutes ago, UnkleGoooose said:

Impeach Trump for what exactly? There was no "collusion" which is not even an offence in American law. If there was something to charge Mr Trump with, you can guarantee that the Democrats pitbull Mueller would have found it, twisted it, contorted and exaggerated it, and it would have been on the front page of his report. This is why the Democrats are shying away from impeaching him because they have nothing.

Not for collusion but for obstruction of justice.

[Thingamabob]

Come on Dems. Don't fall for this. You are being sucked in to a no-win situation. Give us some policies we can vote for.

[Jingthing]

Come on Dems. Don't fall for this. You are being sucked in to a no-win situation. Give us some policies we can vote for.

They can do both and they should do both.

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[Pique Dard]

impeaching trump would backfire! it's a trap, hope pelosi is smart enough not fall into it

[Jingthing]

42 minutes ago, Pique Dard said:

impeaching trump would backfire! it's a trap, hope pelosi is smart enough not fall into it

That's very debatable.

In my opinion, it's coming and it should come.

It may indeed backfire politically but just as easily NOT going forward could backfire as well.

As "trump" clearly deserves this more than any other president in history, it's going to become clear proceeding with impeachment is a moral necessity for the future of the U.S. democracy and presidency.

 

I also think the vast majority of the democratic party base already favors impeachment. As the democrats control the house, Pelosi will end up having no choice.

 

 

[Cryingdick]

Pelosi isn't going for impeachment. They had their little conference call hopefully she put them in their places. I don't think impeachment proceedings would be successful even in the house at this point. 

 

Looks like it's over now. On the bright side the market is loving it. All time highs being made today. I just know how much you guys love the markets and people making money so thought I would throw that in there. 

 

Anybody watch the town hall the other day? A few minutes of watching would highlight why the dems need to keep the attention on anything other than the crap they are spouting. Warren speaks like a woman on multiple medications that is seemingly going to go into an episode or panic attack any given moment.

 

It was 5 hours of the dems describing plan after plan of how they would destroy the economy basically. Although I must admit the part about allowing serial killers and the Unabomber and the likes the right to vote even from death row presumably a compelling reason to vote for Sanders. I guess at least he is limiting you to being a US citizen at the moment. Do people actually not see how absolutely insane some of these ideas are?

 

As they say it's all over but the crying.

[Tug]

The dems won’t be so foolish to impeach without some hope of success in the senate but with the republicans so terrified of Donald it won’t happen but they will continue to investigat Donald and his family exposing more and more of his sketchy business dealings and don’t worry there are plenty of issues to discuss around the dinner table Donald has provided a rich smorgasbord of failed policy’s

[Jingthing]

The dems won’t be so foolish to impeach without some hope of success in the senate but with the republicans so terrified of Donald it won’t happen but they will continue to investigat Donald and his family exposing more and more of his sketchy business dealings and don’t worry there are plenty of issues to discuss around the dinner table Donald has provided a rich smorgasbord of failed policy’s

I don't agree.There are good reasons to go ahead even realizing what the senate Quislings will do.Sometimes what seems the safe thing to do is actually the stupidest.

 

 

Also consider this. Have you noticed that 45 fans are trying very hard to suggest attempting impeachment will backfire and put on an act hoping the democrats will act?

 

That should be a strong clue that the backfire theory ain't necessarily so.

 

"The Mueller Report Was My Tipping Point

 

I was a Trump transition staffer, and I’ve seen enough. It’s time for impeachment."

 

 

 

 

https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2019/04/gop-staffer-advocates-trumps-impeachment/587785/

 

 

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[Cryingdick]

3 hours ago, Jingthing said:

I don't agree.There are good reasons to go ahead even realizing what the senate Quislings will do.Sometimes what seems the safe thing to do is actually the stupidest.

 

 

Also consider this. Have you noticed that 45 fans are trying very hard to suggest attempting impeachment will backfire and put on an act hoping the democrats will act?

 

That should be a strong clue that the backfire theory ain't necessarily so.

 

"The Mueller Report Was My Tipping Point

 

I was a Trump transition staffer, and I’ve seen enough. It’s time for impeachment."

 

https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2019/04/gop-staffer-advocates-trumps-impeachment/587785/

 

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LOl it isn't happening. Your buddy Nancy has said so.  Time to turn the page my friend.

[Jingthing]

3 hours ago, Cryingdick said:

  LOl it isn't happening. Your buddy Nancy has said so.  Time to turn the page my friend.

 

You're exaggerating. We're entering a process now. It may or may not point to impeachment but if it leads to impeachment there will little Pelosi can do to stop it.  

I am not your friend.

 

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2019/04/23/no-time-impeach-trump-history-disagrees/

 

 No time to impeach Trump? History disagrees.

 

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[Cryingdick]

18 minutes ago, Jingthing said:

You're exaggerating. We're entering a process now. It may or may not point to impeachment but if it leads to impeachment there will little Pelosi can do to stop it.


https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2019/04/23/no-time-impeach-trump-history-disagrees/




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Nice to see they are so unified. Be fun to watch them tear each other apart over this during the primary debates. I have programmed my popcorn machine for the entertainment coming.

[Tug]

Is it just me or do the trump supporters sound more desperate by the day?