Appearing on CNN's "New Day" early Sunday morning, contributor Lynn Sweet explained that Donald Trump's Saturday night threat to launch attacks on Iranian cultural sites and institutions is the very definition of a war crime and may push some reluctant GOP lawmakers to consider taking the president's impeachment more seriously.
Speaking with host Victor Blackwell, Sweet said Trump's threatening tweets and saber-rattling on Twitter likely will give some Republican senators pause.
"What's the overlap here of the Iran discussion and the impeachment trial and does this weaken the Democrats' hand?" host Blackwell asked.
"It doesn't weaken it," Sweet replied. "I'm not sure if it strengthens it and here's a few reasons why. I've heard your past few segments talk about that these 52 targets Trump is talking about striking include cultural sites in Iran. that is, and I want to emphasize what your previous guests have said, that's a war crime."
"Here's how this works with impeachment," she continued. "The next step is for the Senate to decide if they're going to hear witnesses. They only need four Republican senators to say yes on that one to get witnesses. So even though Trump is not charged with anything having to do with this attack that he led that is now so much of a controversy with Democrats, it could give pause to his judgment. It certainly could do that. It is a way to have Republicans react and say maybe we do need to at least have witnesses to try and be thorough in dealing with this president because once he goes down the path of even threatening to bomb significant religious cultural targets, whatever that really means, we'll see if he spells it out, then you're going down the path that will certainly bring whatever allies we have left in the world that could give pause to the president through impeachment."
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