A poll released on today by Reuters show the following:
The number of Americans who said President Donald Trump should be impeached rose 5 percentage points to 45 percent since mid-April, while more than half said multiple congressional probes of Trump interfered with important government business, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll released on Thursday.
Anti-Trump Republican Jennfier Rubin writes in today’s Washington Post:
Americans may be persuadable on impeachment
She notes that Trump’s recent “behavior will impress the public, making the case that he not only has something (or some things) to hide but also is willing to shred the Constitution to stay in power,” and concludes with:
Perhaps this behavior will impress the public, making the case that he not only has something (or some things) to hide but also is willing to shred the Constitution to stay in power.
In taking Trump to court, pressing methodically ahead, calling key witnesses (e.g., McGahn, Mueller) and obtaining the entire special counsel report Congress is following precisely the same process as it did in Watergate. Just as in Watergate when Sen. Sam Ervin (D-N.C.) led the Watergate committee from May 17, 1973, until its report was issued on June 27, 1974, hearings in the House Judiciary and other House committees can gather facts to determine if the House should proceed to consider impeachment. (The House Judiciary Committee under Rep. Peter Rodino commenced on May 9, 1974, and voted to pass three of five articles of impeachment in late July 1974.)
Pelosi’s determination to take this step by step preserves the House’s option to later institute impeachment hearings, gives the American people a tutorial in Trump’s misconduct and, as it turns out, is pushing Trump to undertake even more outlandish (and more impeachable) actions. Pelosi told reporters, “I think that what we want to do is get the facts. We want to do it in a way that is the least divisive to our country and the most productive. We’re asking in the constitutional way for the administration to comply.” She added, “We still have more opportunities. We’ll see if Mueller will testify, and that will make a big difference in terms of where we go from here.”
After all of that, we’ll see where public opinion settles. For now, Trump continues to be his own worst enemy.
My sense is that once polls show that 50% of Americans, and this is merely a 5 % increase, are in favor of impeachment with about 40% against, leaving 10% undecided , Pelosi will decided to have the Judiciary Committee being formal impeachment proceedings.
What do you think?