Clyburn says he thinks House will eventually impeach Trump

House Majority Whip James Clyburn (D-S.C.) said Sunday he believes President Trump will be impeached “at some point” but that Democrats must first build a case for impeachment.

Clyburn, the third-ranking Democrat in House leadership, offered the remarks in an interview with Jake Tapper on CNN’s “State of the Union.”

When Tapper asked Clyburn if he thought Democrats would launch impeachment proceedings against Trump, he said, “Yes, that’s exactly what I feel.”

“What [Speaker] Nancy Pelosi [D-Calif.] is trying to do, and the rest of us in the House of Representatives, is to develop a process by which we can efficiently move on this issue so that when we get to a vote, it would be something that she calls ironclad, I call effective. And that is why we are trying to take our time and do this right,” Clyburn added.

Clyburn said House Democrats are not “particularly interested in the Senate” but rather are waiting to “bring the public along.” 

{mosads}Polls show a majority of voters oppose impeachment, and Pelosi has consistently set a high bar for moving forward, largely because she sees a political risk to it. 

But Pelosi and other Democrats have suggested that if there is more public support for impeachment, it could happen. Clyburn echoed that view on Sunday.

“We do believe that if we sufficiently, effectively educate the public, then we will have done our job, and we can move on an impeachment vote,” he said.

Clyburn added that special counsel Robert Mueller “has developed the grounds for impeachment.”

“The House has to determine the timing for impeachment. There’s a big difference,” he said. 

Pelosi and other Democratic leaders are coming under rising pressure from members of their caucus to move forward with impeachment.