Democratic presidential candidate Beto O’Rourke said that Trump is still obstructing justice, and the only way to get the evidence is to impeach him.
O’Rourke said on MSNBC’s AM Joy, “I think the only way to compel the testimony, to get the evidence, to have the facts, so there is ultimately accountability and justice for what is done, and we prevent future attacks on our democracy, and our country is to move forward with impeachment. It should be the option of last resort, and we’re clearly there with this administration. A candidate who invited the involvement of a foreign power in our democracy and then did everything in his power to obstruct justice and he is still doing that today. So, if we are going to affirm that we’re a nation of laws, and that no person no matter what position he holds is above the law, and impeachment is the only way we’re going to get the facts, the evidence, the truth necessary to make sure we save this democracy.”
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Beto O’Rourke’s answer had some similarities to Speaker Pelosi for using impeachment as a tool to gather evidence.
Pelosi said during her weekly press conference, “One of the purposes that the Constitution spells out for investigation is impeachment, and so you can say, and the courts would respect if you said, we need this information to carry out our oversight responsibilities, and among them is impeachment. It doesn’t mean you’re going on an impeachment path, but it means if you had the information, you might. So, it isn’t about impeachment. It’s about impeachment as a purpose, a constitutional purpose for and justifying constitutionally and court wise a path.â€
O’Rourke wants to go a step beyond and use impeachment to hold Trump accountable, but there are doubts as to how much accountability impeachment could bring because Trump will not be convicted in the Senate.
Democrats need to be careful, because if impeachment is tried and it fails, the message to Trump will be that he really can get away with anything, and there is no one who can stop him.
Beto O’Rourke raised a solid point, but impeachment to send a message is not a great idea.
Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association
