Representative Eric Swalwell said in an interview on Tuesday that congressional Democrats are one step closer to impeaching Donald Trump now that special counsel Robert Mueller’s report has been released. The California Democrat was speaking on CNN’s New Day, according to The Hill , when he revealed that lawmakers are “on that road” to impeaching the president and predicted that “we’re near the end of Donald Trump.”
When asked if he supports impeaching the president, a topic that has been on the minds of lawmakers in the wake of the Mueller report, Swalwell said that the process is a step closer and he is staying prepared.
“And we certainly got closer after the Mueller report,” he said. “I’m one of the persons that will have to prosecute that case and when I was a prosecutor for seven years, I always had my pencils sharpened, my subpoenas ready, my witnesses exhibits ready to be displayed right before I went in. Because I knew I’d get one shot. And here, we only get one shot.”
Swalwell added that he didn’t want to make a final determination until he was able to see the full, unredacted version of the Mueller report, and he wanted to give Mueller himself the opportunity to testify before Congress about his findings. Regardless of what lawmakers find, though, Swalwell says that he believes Trump won’t survive politically through the next election.
“I’m confident that he’s going to be removed, whether it’s by the voters in November 2020 or by Congress. We’re near the end of Donald Trump,” he said.
NEW on “The Investigation” podcast: Presidential candidate Eric Swalwell says Trump impeachment ‘not off the table,’ calls on Mueller to testify before Congress. https://t.co/8YJiNWTwu2
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— ABC News (@ABC) April 23, 2019
Talk of impeachment has increased after the Mueller report became public, but House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has been urging lawmakers to be cautious about the topic. Pelosi has repeatedly criticized the president, calling his behavior unethical and unscrupulous, and saying that he has dishonored the office of the president, but called on Democrats to support continued investigations into his dealings, rather than impeaching him right now.
Pelosi is arguing that Democrats should use other tools available to them to hold the president in check for his possible obstruction of justice, abuses of power, and corruption. Other Democratic leaders have called on Congress to censure the president instead of impeaching him.
Even still, some Democratic lawmakers, particularly some of the younger, newer voices in the party, are pushing for impeachment proceedings. Representative Val B. Demings of Florida stated that she believes there is enough evidence right now to proceed with the impeachment process.
