Former Democratic Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle on Wednesday cast doubt on whether an impeachment trial would bring a conviction against President Trump.
Daschle told Hill.TV that while House Democrats have a responsibility to conduct oversight over the White House, he thinks there is “absolutely no way a trial on impeachment would bring about a conviction.”
Daschle, who currently sits on the board of directors at the Center for American Progress, urged lawmakers to “hold off” on launching impeachment proceedings.
“I think it’s really important to play the role of oversight — to do everything responsible around that role,” he said. “But we’ve got to hold off on impeachment.”
Daschle praised Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and her leadership as she faces growing pressure from progressive Democrats to launch an impeachment inquiry against Trump.
“Nancy Pelosi has got it about right,” he told Hill.TV. “She says it ought to be out on the table but she’s opposed to taking any steps towards impeachment at this point.”
The former South Dakota senator played a key role during former President Bill Clinton’s impeachment, serving as Senate manager during the trial. Clinton was impeached by the House in wake of his affair with a 22-year old White House intern, but was acquitted by the Senate two months later.
“We are still experience to this day the divisiveness and the dysfunction that came out of that experience,” Daschle told Hill.TV. “It was an incredibly difficult and polarizing moment for the country.”
Daschle’s comments come after the House granted new legal powers to a key committee investigating the Trump administration.
The House approved a resolution allowing House Judiciary Committee chairman Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.) to enforce congressional subpoenas for Attorney General William Barr and former White House counsel Don McGahn. This comes just a day after Nadler reached a deal with the Department of Justice that allows lawmakers to review key underlying evidence from special counsel Robert Mueller’s report, staving off a legal court battle for the time being.
—Tess Bonn
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