Yesterday changed the game on the impeachment question. Dems should make sure they're not answering on autopilot.
Now, punting raises the bar above *directing someone to commit a crime.*
Saying this doesn't merit impeachment now makes it hard to come back later & say it does.
Now, punting raises the bar above *directing someone to commit a crime.*
Saying this doesn't merit impeachment now makes it hard to come back later & say it does.
On substance, Dems should simply ask themselves whether they think a POTUS directing someone to commit a crime merits impeachment - keeping in mind the precedent that will be set if the legislative branch passes.
If they think this merits impeachment, they should say so.
If they think this merits impeachment, they should say so.
Many assume the decision point on impeachment is months away but it's possible it arrived yesterday on *substance.* What if the endgame is what we already know: a story of traitorous collusion plus non-collusion Cohen crimes for which Trump would be indicted if he wasn't POTUS?
Maybe Mueller's report is so damning that it moots all this. But there's risk in raising the bar to a height that's both impossible to meet & bad for us as a country: setting the precedent that POTUS directing an aide to commit crimes to manipulate an election is not impeachable.
This is a smart POV & I respect it. But we should think very carefully about what we expect when we say the Mueller report will be a "bombshell." Will it include more than slam-dunk evidence of Trump personally directing an aide to commit a federal crime?
Maybe it will. But there's big risk in letting expectations get raised very very high, and betting that the Mueller report will make the case for us. Especially when we already have evidence that Trump personally directed Cohen to commit a crime.
