After only thirty days into the presidency of Donald Trump, some Democrats are already talking about impeachment as each day there are more indications the president may be violating the Constitution's emoluments clause. However, other Democrats are warning to go slow as investigations into Russian involvement in the president's campaign proceed.
Speaking with Politico, those Democrats are urging caution, saying throwing around words like "impeachment" at this early date may only harden support for Trump whose administration is reeling at the moment and could use a boost.
“We need to assemble all of the facts, and right now there are a lot of questions about the president’s personal, financial, and political ties with the Russian government before the election, but also whether there were any assurances made,” explained California Rep. Eric Swalwell, a member of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence. “Before you can use the ‘I’ word, you really need to collect all the facts."
According to Rep. Brendan Boyl (D-PA), “The ‘I’ word we should be focused on is 'investigations.'"
Democrats appearing at town halls are being peppered with questions from constituents over what can be done about Trump as he prepares to dismantle the Affordable Care Act and pushes forward with plans to round up undocumented immigrants, with many calling for impeachment proceedings now.
Among Democrats throwing around the idea of impeachment is Maryland Rep. Jamie Raskin whose office was recently presented with a petition calling for impeachment signed by over 850,000.
California Rep. Ted Lieu also notes polls showing a large number of respondents calling for impeachment, noting that it might be possible in a Democratic-majority House.
“You see immense energy from people who want to resist the president," Lieu explained. "A recent poll came out saying that 46 percent of Americans want the president impeached, and certainly members of Congress take notice."
After attending local town halls and listening to voters, Ohio Democratic Party Chairman David Pepper urges caution
“The energy right now is really on Congress and trying to get some Republicans to find some backbone," he remarked. "As we see the Flynn stuff and the question of who asked him to make the call, that could change as it develops.”
“Both Democrats and Republicans are going home for the next 10 days for our district work period, and I suspect Republicans are going to hear a lot from home, from their constituents,” Swalwell told Politico. “Before Flynn resigned, as this was boiling up over the weekend, Republicans I would run into in town would start to say, ‘What is going on?’ Even those who were willing to give him the benefit of the doubt."
