Democratic Tennessee Rep. Steve Cohen told CNN on Monday that he believes President Trump should wear a scarlet “I” because he is marked for impeachment and that his oath of office requires him to support it.
“I think my district is for impeachment. I took an oath. I believe my oath requires me to be for impeachment because this president has committed impeachable offenses, and I think it’s the duty of the House to bring those,” Cohen said.
Cohen said there needs to be more hearings on Robert Mueller’s reports, such as Monday’s hearing with former Nixon White House Counsel John Dean, to help make the case for impeaching Trump.
“But if it went to the Senate and they had a little trial, even though Mitch McConnell has already said ‘case closed,’ I think the senators who did not vote to convict after evidence was adduced would be vulnerable in their own elections come the fall, even in red states, because I think the opinion is going to — the tide is going to turn on the opinion, just like it did in Watergate,” he said.
“But the main reason I’m interested is not so much to win the Senate, which is a byproduct. It’s because I think he’s committed impeachable offenses and needs a scarlet ‘I’ on his chest, and that’s what I think we should do,” Cohen said.
At the opening of Dean’s testimony to the House Judiciary Committee, he said: “The last time I appeared before your committee was July 11, 1974, during the impeachment inquiry of Richard Nixon. Clearly, I am not here today as a fact witness. I accepted the invitation to come here today because I hope I can give a little historical perspective on the Mueller report.”
Dean was convicted for his role in helping cover up the break-in into the Democratic National Committee headquarters at Watergate hotel.
