By Danny R. Johnson – Washington, DC Correspondent
WASHINGTON, DC – The release this past Thursday of a redacted version of the original Robert Mueller Special Counsel Report by Attorney General William Barr has concluded he can neither charge nor clear President Donald Trump. Only Congress can now resolve the allegations against him, which sets up a political tug-of-war within the Democratic Party.
The 448 pages report is being interpreted by Republicans and Democrats in different ways depending on how you feel about Trump. Some summarized the findings to conclude that there is sufficient evidence that Trump obstructed justice to merit impeachment hearings; and you have the president’s supporters who say otherwise.
The defenders of the president argued some commentators have read certain passages of the report by Mueller, who was prohibited by Justice Department policy from indicting the president, essentially calling on Congress to exercise its impeachment power. But although the report may provide ample evidence to justify impeachment, particular remarks by Mueller is being misinterpreted they say.
No matter whose side you are on – one thing is clear: Democrats have a serious dilemma to consider in going forward with impeachment or not. Why it is obvious the Republicans in the U.S. Senate will not convict the president as instructed in the U.S. Constitution, so why would Democrats want to proceed with impeachment when they know it will fail in the Senate?
Well, all you have to do is listen to the 20 or more Democrats vying to become the party’s nominee and you’ll understand the dilemma. Democrats with an eye on the presidency in 2020 are mostly stopping short of calling for President Trump’s impeachment after the release of Mueller’s report on Russian interference in the last election. Numerous Democratic lawmakers criticized the president and called for further lines of inquiry after Muller’s report was released. But while some in the party say they favor impeaching the president, Massachusetts U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren is currently the only Democratic presidential candidate to sign on to the idea since the release of Mueller’s report.
“The severity of this misconduct demands that elected officials in both parties set aside political considerations and do their constitutional duty,” Warren tweeted late Friday afternoon. “That means the House should initiate impeachment proceedings against the President of the United States.”
U.S. House of Representatives Majority Leader Steny Hoyer appeared to set the tone for many in the party’s leadership Thursday when he said that impeachment is not yet on the table. “Based on what we have seen to date, going forward on impeachment is not worthwhile at this point,” Hoyer told CNN after the release of Mueller’ report. “Very frankly, there is an election in 18 months and the American people will make a judgment.”
Mueller’s report found that Russia engaged in a sweeping attempt to influence the 2016 presidential campaign and favored then-candidate Donald Trump. It also concluded that Trump campaign aides had links to but did not conspire with Russia, and that Trump attempted multiple times to interfere with the special counsel’s investigation.
Many Democrats who have announced or are expected to announce bids for the White House called on Mueller to testify before Congress, and for the release of the full, un-redacted report. They also called on Congress to continue investigating. But this stance does not satisfy the Progressive Wing of the Democratic Party.
U.S. Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez went to Twitter after the report was released and stated: “While I understand the political reality of the Senate + election considerations, upon reading this DoJ report, which explicitly names Congress in determining obstruction, I cannot see a reason for us to abdicate from our constitutionally mandated responsibility to investigate. Many know I take no pleasure in discussions of impeachment. I didn’t campaign on it, & rarely discuss it unprompted. We all prefer working on our priorities: pushing Medicare for All, tackling student loans, & a Green New Deal. But the report squarely puts this on our doorstep.”
Outside of Congress, billionaire Tom Steyer has financed a multi-million dollar advertising campaign to encourage people to sign his petition calling on Congress to work toward impeachment.
Looks like Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi might soon have a full-blown impeachment mutiny on her hands. Of course, the fact that the Republican majority in the Senate would likely never vote to remove a sitting president from their own party means Trump’s odds of being removed before the end of his first term are very, very low.
Stay tuned…more fireworks are in the pipes.
