Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) said in an interview that aired Monday on “Rising” that House Democrats will move to impeach President Trump, saying they won’t “be able to help themselves” while citing pressure from the press, progressives and Democratic voters.
“The Democrats aren’t going to be able to help themselves,” Gaetz, a member of the House Judiciary Committee, told Hill.TV’s Buck Sexton on Friday. “They’re going to impeach Donald Trump.”
“[Rep.] Jerry Nadler [D-N.Y.] might not think that now, but like, when you see already the liberal media drumbeat for impeachment, and you see that already Nadler, and [Rep. Elijah] Cummings [D-Md.] are talking about impeachable offenses, these guys haven’t even gotten into power yet, and they’re already talking about impeachable offenses,” he continued.
“Over time the pressure will mount. There will be a push from the [Rep.-elect Alexandria] Ocasio-Cortez [D-N.Y.] wing of the party to have impeachment,” he said.
“Seventy percent of Democratic primary voters support impeachment. I think that impeachment is more popular with Democratic primary voters than the wall is with Republican primary voters,” he added.
An NPR/Marist/PBS News Hour survey released in April found that 70 percent of Democratic respondents said they would definitely vote for a candidate who supported the idea of impeachment.
While House Democrats have vowed to probe Trump and his administration, they have been cautious on the issue of impeachment.
Nadler, likely the next chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, said earlier this month that it would “certainly” be an impeachable offense if it’s proven that Trump directed his attorney to make hush money payments during his campaign, but added that it was important to question whether the payments were enough “to justify an impeachment.”
Incoming Congressional Black Caucus Chairwoman Karen Bass (D-Calif.) told Hill.TV last week that while Democrats could look into impeachment, the issue was not at the top of their priority list.
“Realistically speaking, you know, you know we can impeach in this House, but it can’t be followed through because there’s not a supermajority over in the Senate,” Bass said. “So I think impeachment might come up, but I guarantee you it is not the first item on anybody’s agenda that would be chairing these committees.”
— Julia Manchester
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