The behavior of Donald Trump chronicled in Robert Mueller’s report into alleged Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. presidential election has led to calls for his impeachment. Despite the pressure, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi remains opposed to impeaching the president and claims that it would alienate swing voters, which has fueled frustration among congressional Democrats in both the House and Senate.
Newsweek reports that Richard Painter, who acted as chief ethics lawyer for former president George W. Bush from 2005 to 2007, believes that Trump is going to be impeached.
“It’s happening, @realDonaldTrump is getting impeached. Anyone who doesn’t support @JerryNadler and the work of his committee has no respect for the Constitution,” he tweeted, referencing a video of Nadler, chair of the House Judiciary Committee.
Painter also addressed his fear that Democrats could hand Trump re-election if Pelosi prevents congressional Democrats from moving forward with impeachment. Per Newsweek , at least 137 of the current 235 House Democrats have expressed support for the process.
“2020 will be a disaster for Democrats if ?@SpeakerPelosi doesn’t get out of the way. ?@RepJerryNadler? is just trying to do his job. House Judiciary Chair @JerryNadler is trying to do his job to uphold the Constitution, and @SpeakerPelosi won’t let him. She needs to resign NOW.”
Although Nadler previously believed there wasn’t enough public support to begin impeachment proceedings, he said Monday that he now believes Trump should be impeached. According to Nadler, Trump’s purported disregard for the norms of the Constitution and move toward being a “tyrant” rather than a president “cannot be tolerated” or “normalized.”
? @HouseJudiciary Committee will vote on (and pass!) this Thursday on Chair @RepJerryNadler ’s “Resolution for Investigative Procedures” of @realDonaldTrump .
Nadler’s Resolution is ALL about #impeachment .? #ImpeachTrump @tedlieu h/t @justinhendrix https://t.co/QPOunBPE9X pic.twitter.com/chsUzjF1m2
— Dena Grayson, MD, PhD (@DrDenaGrayson) September 9, 2019
Nalder led the House Judiciary Committee through its first day of an impeachment inquiry Tuesday and grilled Trump’s former campaign manager, Corey Lewandowski, about the investigation. Lewandowski reportedly confirmed that Trump asked him to pressure then-Attorney General Jeff Sessions to restrict Mueller’s investigation. Some, like Independent Sen. Justin Amash, believe that this confirms the impeachable conduct outlined in Mueller’s report.
“At today’s Judiciary hearing, Corey Lewandowski confirmed this impeachable conduct from Mueller’s report. Thank you, Corey.”
Amash was the first Republican to call for Trump’s impeachment and subsequently left the party. According to Amash, the current Republican Party is not acting to uphold conservative principles. He has urged conservatives to leave the Grand Old Party (GOP) and also criticized Pelosi for her hesitancy to support impeachment — which he believes is out of a desire to hold on to power. The 39-year-old congressman believes that impeachment proceedings should proceed regardless of the chances that they will pass the Senate — primarily to ensure the Constitution’s checks and balances are upheld.
