Democrats should begin impeachment inquiry immediately. Why?

[kentuck]

Otherwise, Trump and the Republicans are going to spin this as over. Trump did not collude, did not obstruct investigation, and did nothing illegal. In other words, totally exonerated.

That cannot stand. The facts say otherwise.

Democrats should begin impeachment inquiry and let it run thru the next election. There is no reason to send it to the US Senate.

But, it would authorize the Democrats the power to continue subpoenaing witnesses and uncovering possible crimes against the United States.

It would be wrong and dangerous if the Democrats surrendered their power to investigate. As has been stated earlier, this hearing today is not the beginning nor the end, it is somewhere in the middle of the investigation.

This hearing should not be about Hillary Clinton, Robert Mueller, Donald Trump, or any other individual. It should be about whether crimes have been committed and whether or not a legal investigation has been obstructed by anyone? It is about the rule of law, not any one individual. The role of personalities, who seek to divide, cannot overshadow the need for the rule of law.

Democrats should begin an impeachment inquiry immediately. Even if it goes all the way thru the next election and never makes its way to the US Senate. Democrats cannot surrender their responsibilities in this matter.

Also, an impeachment inquiry does not need the full vote of the House. It can be started by the House Judiciary Committee alone.

[spanone]

1. Inquiry. Yes.

[Joe941]

2. I agree the inquiry would allow us to continue to look for crimes that may have been committed.

[guillaumeb]

3. Recommended. Well stated.

And the hearings would present a continuous exposure of Trump's obstruction not limited to Trump ordering every witness to refuse to cooperate.

The hard core of racists who love Trump will not change, but Independents and sane, non-racist Republicans might be persuaded that Trump is a criminal.

[dalton99a]

4. Yes, there should be impeachment hearings.

If Donald Trump is not eligible for an impeachment vote in the House, then who is?

[dweller]

5. Mueller keeps referring to other investigations

ongoing ...

and an impeachment inquiry can just be one more

[blueinredohio]

6. Agreed 1000 percent!!!

[klook]

7. If the U.S. Constitution is worth defending,

the answer can’t be anything other than Yes: Begin impeachment hearings ASAP. Thanks for your OP.

[Nevermypresident]

8. +1000

[zackymilly]

9. What would Nancy do? nt

[ChubbyStar]

11. Call her office and find out

I don't think the OP is a mind reader.

[mtnsnake]

10. Yes. Great point.

If perception means anything at all, Democrats should begin the impeachment process now for the very reason you are stating.

[Hortensis]

12. Broken record, surely? Congress recesses in a couple days.

Experts have been saying for weeks now that the time to begin impeachment hearings would be in the fall.

Meanwhile, the Republicans and courts have been doing a great deal to build the case against Trump for impeachment. And that will continue in the courts over the summer.

[larwdem]

13. agree

100%

[Poiuyt]

14. Dems have a narrow window to begin an impeachment inquiry before their long recess

If they don't act now, they might as well forget it. History would then show that the Democrats agree with Barr's version of the report.

By the way, they should include ALL of trumps' crimes, not just what Mueller investigated: campaign finance violations, emoluments violations, abuse of power, crimes against humanity, failure to protect the U.S. against attacks from unfriendly countries, as well as collusion and obstruction. It's a long list of crimes and misdemeanors.

[kentuck]

17. I agree.

Today was just a part of the entire investigation. There is a long list of high crimes and misdemeanors.

[silentEcho]

15. I think Pelosi is probably letting it get to the point and time where it will still be going

as we hit election. So yes, I think it is soon, too. Extend it out. Fight and get taxes.

[beachbum bob]

16. Democrats know nothing more now than when mueller report

Was issued. Pelosi did not let the gloves come off then when it was clear impeachable offenses did happen. The excuse has always been, it's dead in the Senate. So why would she change course now? She is intent on leading us to oblivion in Nov of 2020.

We didn't give her power so she wouldn't use it.

[kentuck]

19. The House Judiciary Committee can act without Nancy's approval...

They need to do some serious thinking...

[beachbum bob]

20. You are kidding me. No committee will go forward unless Pelosi approves.

Otherwise why didn't they start an inquiry on Barr?....nope.
Pelosi holds the power and she can release the Kraken on trump and GOP.

[kentuck]

21. I read somewhere that the majority of the Judiciary Committee support impeachment...

...so I would not be surprised to see them vote over Nancy's disapproval.

[beachbum bob]

22. Again, you are kidding me...

Unless she releases the Kraken, it will not happen without her OK

[kentuck]

23. An impeachment "inquiry" should not be confused with an impeachment proceeding.

An inquiry is done to ascertain if impeachable offenses were committed. I do not think Nancy would oppose that.

[uponit7771]

18. K&R, IF NOT IMPEACHMENT then show a shift of gears !! Leaving this to 2020 when there is no election

... next year is acting like Mueller didn't say the Russians were interfering right now.

Damn, he said that in OPEN testimony

[malaise]

24. Swalwell said so

a short while ago

[kentuck]

25. I have been over-ruled.

There will be no impeachment inquiry anytime soon.

I hope it is the right decision.

[GulfCoast66]

26. I understand the frustration but believe it is...

We know he will never be removed from office. Even if a majority of the American people start favoring it, which they currently don’t, the republicans in the senate will never convict because they don’t answer to all the American people.

And I know lots of people here say impeachment would get us more information because the courts would order it. But if Trump still refuses to turn over information or allow people to testify, what are the courts going to do? The Justice Department is normally responsible for backing up a court order and we know Barr will ignore it. So in the end we give trump a win. I don’t like it and honorable people can disagree, but I do not see how impeachment helps.

Keep up the high profile hearings, keep the bad news coming right up until the 2020 election.

Because it has always been first about 2018, which slowed the bleeding by keeping all actions in the executive branch. Had we lost the house in 2018 the senate would have already scrapped the Filibuster and one repressive law after the other would be being passed.

And finally about 2020. This day is going to hurt him bad. It will take a few weeks, but by the time the recess is over the damage will be done. It will make him look even weaker. But a failed impeachment or an impeachment with no conviction will give him a win heading into 2020.

My opinion anyway. May be off totally off base but the way I see things.

I certainly respect your opinion, and hell, you might be correct.

Have a nice evening.

[Gothmog]

27. Pelosi is not ready to impeach- 'We still have some outstanding matters in the courts'

Link to tweet

[Dirty Socialist]

28. I have been for an inquiry all along

And I still am. Do it!

[Gothmog]

29. Nancy Pelosi Doesn't Have The Votes To Impeach Trump

Link to tweet

Pelosi’s majority includes 31 members who represent districts Trump carried in 2016 and could face electoral danger. Impeachment might accomplish little more than energizing Trump 2020 voters.

Close Pelosi allies insist she couldn’t gain majority support for impeachment even if she tried, not to mention the two-thirds of a Republican-run Senate needed for conviction and removal from office. “There will never be 218 in the House,” a leadership aide told me.....

The votes aren’t there. The 31 Democrats who represent districts that Donald Trump won in 2016 can see that impeachment is not popular with voters in general. If these nearly three dozen Democrats want to win second terms and keep the House in Democratic hands, they feel the need to stay far away from impeachment.

Blaming Pelosi is both easy, and it displays a fundamental ignorance of the dynamics of this Democratic House majority.

Robert Mueller’s testimony was an important step, but unless public opinion changes and a whole bunch of House Democrats change their minds, impeachment won’t happen in the House before the 2020 election.

[kentuck]

30. Why did they vote for those 31 members in 2018??

Why were they so pissed off at the Republicans?

Many believe the Democrats took the House because people wanted a Congress to hold Trump accountable.

[Gothmog]

32. All politics are local-I would hate to lose these seats for a vain and useless stunt

Without 20 GOP senate voters, impeachment is nothing but a stunt

[TwilightZone]

33. They voted for them because they ran on the issues.

Healthcare and economic issues, in particular. Exit polls showed that more than 60% of voters noted one of those two subjects as the most important issue.

We won in 2018 because we ran on the issues. We need to do the same in 2020. If it's all-Trump, all-the-time, we will lose.

[lagomorph777]

31. Yes. Keep this in the news as much and as long as possible.

Reveal every ugly thing the Russiapublicans have been up to.

Find out how implicated McConnell is, while you're at it. What's he hiding? What's he up to in secret?

[MySideOfTown]

34. Lucy Van Pelt Tactic

House Judiciary begins impeachment inquiry and articles of impeachment are decided upon very near the election. Pelosi doesn't schedule the house vote, thus not allowing the senate to conduct a trial and GOP to render a verdict. Instead she says let the people be the jury and decide. And the country votes on it.

[Laura PourMeADrink]

35. Sadly, all signs point to it not happening. No matter

how right it seems to millions and millions of Democrats.

Interesting to think about what this means in the future. Whoever supported it will have to say "I wanted it but x didn't &quot fill in leaders, fellow congressmen, or the public) for why it didnt happen. All our candidates fit that category. They can't blame Republicans, I suppose, since we are on record for saying they didn't factor into the decision..

I suppose those who didn't support Impeachment will have to explain why the felon in the White House didn't do anything bad enough to support Impeachment.

So, ironically, it strikes me that if you are just thinking about your own skin, you might be better off quickly supporting Impeachment that likely won't happen???

Talk about twisted irony.