Thread by @kurteichenwald

1. While the evidence exists that Trump has committed crimes (particularly his public witness tampering), I am not yet persuaded that we have risen to the point of impeachment. Don't react until I explain.

The standard of impeachment dropped through the floor in the GOP....

2...pursuit of Bill Clinton. Lying about an affair through an answer that was *technically* truthful (based on the lawyers' pre-testimony agreed upon meanings of the terminology, another example of how the law can be nuts) yet deceptive is an exceedingly minor item. Even if he...

3...had flat out perjured himself in testimony where the definitions of things like "sex" were not stupid, seriously, does it rise to the level of an impeachable offense that a president lied to hide an affair from his wife? This establishes what should be evident: ....

4...impeachment is serious business. For a lot of legal reasons, Clinton's lie was an unindictable offense. The idea that an act that could not be criminally indicted is cause for impeachment demeans our constitutional republic. It is politics as warfare. And it cannot be....

5...ignored that during that time period of a weakened president, Osama bin Laden attacked in Africa and Saddam threw out weapons inspectors. Clinton was hamstrung. Although he denied being impeded, the Republicans wailed when Clinton responded to ObL and Saddam, saying....

6...he was engaged in a "wag the dog" effort to distract the country from Lewinsky. Without that opposition, would ObL and Saddam continued to grow empowered, leading to the wars of 2001? We will never know. But THAT shows why impeachment should be serious & not taken lightly...

7...now, I have little doubt that Trump authorized payments to porn stars pre-election. I have no doubt that he intimidated witnesses, because he did it publicly. But I do not yet believe that, while crimes, these rise to the level of impeachable offenses. (I am on the fence....

8...about the intimidation. Sometimes I think, needs impeachment, sometimes i think not.) I have also zero doubt that, under the GOP Clinton standards, Trump would have to be impeached. As I documented pre-election, Trump has perjured himself in civil cases repeatedly. But....

9...again, none of those perjuries would rise to the level of criminal indictment. The GOP standard CANNOT be used for indictment. I won't change my principles or meanings laid out by the founders on impeachable offenses based on circumstance.

So, should Trump be impeached?....

10...technically, we already know that he has engaged in technically impeachable offenses. But I do not believe (except for my back-and-forth on intimidation) that these yet rise to the level of worthy of impeachment.

However, I know Trump. This is a guy who arranged for his....

11...dad to launder money through his casino in order to unlawfully deceive his lenders. This is a guy who destroyed records under subpoena during the investigation of housing discrimination at his properties. And innumerable other acts. Everyone who covered Trump back in the...

12...80s and 90s knew several things: He was a pathological liar and a crook. Thats why so many of us were stunned that he was willing to take the risk to become president.

I have little doubt that his business acts are going to be exposed, and we know this already. A lawyer...

13...long ago told me that Trump had asked "how do you want me to remember this?" just before he testified. Those are the words of a criminal and serial perjurer. I have no doubt that he has handled the presidency in the same manner he handled his business - dishonestly....

14...what this means is that, if people rush to impeachment on the basis of small beer, they will not have the support of many people. I am, as anyone who follows this feed knows, a strong Trump critic. I know the man too well. To know the man is to be a critic of the man....

15...i believe he is a destructive force to this country. BUT, based on what now exists, I would not support impeachment. I take the concept very very seriously.

So, do I think Trump will be impeached? Yes. There are too many investigators sifting through the sludge of what is..

16...Trump's life. I have no doubt that he has serious crimes accumulated, and I have no doubt that his attitudes and behaviors would have been the same during his campaign.

That means: Take impeachment seriously. Allow Mueller to finish. Allow SDNY to finish. When one of....

17...them exposes what I fully believe is there, then will come the time to discuss impeachment. And if they don't find anything, then the issue should be dropped.

However, I will be intrigued to also see what AG of NY will find. And House democrats. Meanwhile, the lesson....

18...for Republicans that they will not learn: Congressional oversight it a serious thing. It should not slide this way and that based on party. To STILL be going after Clinton's emails is laughably ridiculous, while ignoring true oversight of this presidency is an obscene....

19...abdication of responsibility. As a result, two years of stalled investigations will come flowing in all at once. It will be far worse than if the GOP had simply done its job.

So, bottom line: Institutions matter. Congress should do its job, regardless of party. And....

20...impeachment should be reserved for crimes that would, for anyone else, result in indictment.

And I believe, in the end, that standard will be met in investigations of Trump. They just haven't yet. When they do, impeachment will not be seen as politics, but necessity.

done