After special counsel Robert Mueller spoke publicly for the first time since he was appointed to lead the investigation into the Trump campaign’s alleged ties to the Russian government, the calls to impeach President Trump once again reverberated through the halls of Congress.
Before Mueller spoke, only six of the Democrats running for president in 2020 had demanded that Congress begin impeachment proceedings. After Mueller spoke, that number increased to 10 with Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey, South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg, Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand of New York, and former Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper joining a Democratic chorus led by Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts.
For most Democrats, however, caution is the preferred route.
Speaking to the Washington Examiner, Antjuan Seawright, a Democratic strategist, said House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of California is doing a tremendous job in balancing out her caucus, particularly the most liberal wing of the party that’s so eager to impeach.
“The president wants to force this conversation of impeachment,” Seawright said. “That’s what Republicans, who lost the Congress, want because they want to drown out the fact that Democrats have passed over 200-and-some-odd bills in the Congress.”
Seawright went on to say that the 2020 Democrats calling for impeachment are only doing so to serve their agenda of taking on Trump, but House Democrats have to continue their investigations.
“We still have some more to do in terms of investigating,” Seawright noted. “Once we get to the point of investigating everything we need to and so we have a strong case to show for impeachment … then that could be the logical next step.”
