Harvard Law’s Laurence Tribe reveals the ‘theme’ for impeachment — that he’s going to help write

Constitutional law expert Laurence Tribe suggested he may be personally helping Democrats craft articles of impeachment against President Donald Trump.

Tribe, who has taught at Harvard Law for a half-century and argued three-dozen cases before the United States Supreme Court, was interviewed on Thursday by MSNBC chief legal correspondent Ari Melber.

Tribe said it was important for Democrats "to zero--in on one common theme."

"That theme is that when someone uses the power and majesty of the presidency, its financial power, its military power -- not to benefit the United States -- but to benefit him or herself and his or her own re-election," he explained. "That is a betrayal of a fiduciary duty to the nation."

"And that is what is involved in the pattern -- the continuing pattern -- of abuses that is typified Ukraine and China, but extends beyond them," he continued.

"The key point isn't just that it’s a federal felony to solicit foreign help in an American election. That sounds technical. The point is that it wasn’t just soliciting foreign help, it was leveraging the powers that go with the office to intervene in our policy, whether it’s with tariffs and trade with China or helping the little Ukrainian defense against the powerful Russian bear," Tribe explained.

"It is that matter, of taking the power of the presidency and using it for selfish purposes, that is the core impeachable offense. And that could be a central article of impeachment, not an article that gets lost in technical detail. And we have virtually all the evidence we need to start writing that article, and I look forward to helping to write it," he said.

"You look forward to helping write it? Have you been contacted?" Melber asked.

"Well, I don’t talk about my direct contacts, but I’ve had friends and former students who are on the Hill and advise them all the time," Tribe replied.

"And if asked though, in a more formal way you would go in and help, right, for the house?" Melber asked. "Long before we got to meet on television, I was reading you in law school. You are one of the foremost constitutional experts and you’ve advised the Congress in the past, so it’s a reasonable question."

"Well, I would certainly be very happy to advise Congress now. That’s something that Congress, I think, is interested in doing because its interested in getting the law right," Tribe replied.

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