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After Mueller Statement, More 2020 Democrats Call for Impeachment After Mueller Statement, More 2020 Democrats Call for Impeachment
(about 1 hour later)
Robert S. Mueller III’s statement on Wednesday, in which he reiterated the conclusions of his investigation and declined to clear President Trump, seemed to open a dam in the Democratic presidential field.Robert S. Mueller III’s statement on Wednesday, in which he reiterated the conclusions of his investigation and declined to clear President Trump, seemed to open a dam in the Democratic presidential field.
Within two hours of Mr. Mueller’s remarks, explicit calls for impeachment proceedings against Mr. Trump came from eight of the 23 candidates: Senator Cory Booker of New Jersey; Julián Castro, the former housing secretary; Senator Kamala Harris of California; Mayor Wayne Messam of Miramar, Fla.; Representative Seth Moulton of Massachusetts; former Representative Beto O’Rourke of Texas; Representative Eric Swalwell of California; and Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts. Before Mr. Mueller spoke, seven of the 23 candidates had endorsed impeachment proceedings against Mr. Trump. By midafternoon, 10 had done so, with others edging closer.
Two of them, Mr. Booker and Mr. Castro, had not previously called for impeachment. As candidates like Ms. Warren came out in favor of impeachment last month, Mr. Booker said he would reserve judgment until Congress received an unredacted version of Mr. Mueller’s report, telling voters in Nevada, “There’s a lot more investigation that should go on before Congress comes to any conclusions like that.” Senator Cory Booker of New Jersey, Mayor Pete Buttigieg of South Bend, Ind., and Senator Kirsten Gillibrand of New York came out explicitly in favor of impeachment proceedings for the first time on Wednesday.
On Wednesday, however, he said on Twitter that legislators had “a legal and moral obligation” to pursue impeachment. They joined Senators Kamala Harris of California and Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, Representatives Seth Moulton of Massachusetts and Eric Swalwell of California, the former housing secretary Julián Castro, former Representative Beto O’Rourke of Texas and Mayor Wayne Messam of Miramar, Fla., who had previously voiced their support for impeachment proceedings.
Mr. Castro had already expressed openness to impeachment, telling CNN last month that it “would be perfectly reasonable for Congress to open up those proceedings.” But he had not said whether he believed it should do so. Representative Tim Ryan of Ohio called on Congress to “get to the bottom of this and unpack it with full transparency,” implying impeachment proceedings but not saying the word. Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont, too, avoided an outright endorsement but tweeted, “If the House Judiciary Committee deems it necessary, I will support their decision.” Senator Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota said Congress had a mandate to investigate the administration and hold it accountable, and that “impeachment proceedings are one way” to do that.
In his statement Wednesday morning, Mr. Mueller — who spent nearly two years investigating Russian interference in the 2016 election, and the Trump campaign’s and administration’s actions in relation to it — reiterated what he had written in the report he completed last month. A representative for former Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. said in a statement that Mr. Biden “agrees with Speaker Pelosi that no one would relish what would certainly be a divisive impeachment process, but that it may be unavoidable if this administration continues on its path.”
“If we had had confidence that the president clearly did not commit a crime, we would have said so,” he said. “We did not, however, make a determination as to whether the president did commit a crime.” And former Representative John Delaney of Maryland, retweeting a noncommittal statement from Speaker Nancy Pelosi, wrote that he trusted her to find “the best path forward to hold the President accountable.”
In a line Democrats seized on, Mr. Mueller said that under Justice Department policy, filing criminal charges against Mr. Trump was never an option — but that the Constitution provided another mechanism. It was a clear reference to impeachment, and Ms. Harris and Ms. Warren both described it as an “impeachment referral.” Other candidates stopped shorter. Mayor Bill de Blasio of New York tweeted only that Congress “must continue to investigate” Mr. Trump, and that he was “focused on beating @realDonaldTrump in 2020.” Gov. Steve Bullock of Montana wrote that “Congress should fulfill its constitutionally empowered oversight of this Administration.” Gov. Jay Inslee of Washington tweeted, “Robert Mueller made it clear: No exoneration,” but said nothing about what Congress should or should not do.
The ground has shifted since the Justice Department released its redacted version of Mr. Mueller’s report. While a few candidates, including Ms. Warren, called for impeachment then, they were in the minority. Now, a majority of the Democratic field has expressed support, explicitly or implicitly, for impeachment.
Last month, Mr. Booker said he would reserve judgment until Congress received a full version of the report, telling voters in Nevada, “There’s a lot more investigation that should go on before Congress comes to any conclusions like that.” On Wednesday, however, he said on Twitter that legislators had “a legal and moral obligation” to pursue impeachment.
Mr. Buttigieg tweeted that Mr. Mueller “could not clear the president, nor could he charge him — so he has handed the matter to Congress, which alone can act to deliver due process and accountability.” Ms. Gillibrand wrote similarly that after listening to Mr. Mueller’s statement, she believed he “clearly expects Congress to exercise its constitutional authority and take steps that he could not.”
Several candidates seized on one line in Mr. Mueller’s statement, in which he said that under Justice Department policy, filing criminal charges against Mr. Trump was never an option — but that the Constitution provided another mechanism. It was a clear reference to impeachment, and Mr. Buttigieg, Ms. Harris, Ms. Klobuchar and Ms. Warren all characterized it as, essentially, an impeachment referral.
In a lengthy email sent to supporters, Mr. Moulton, who this month had already called for impeachment, wrote: “The Mueller investigation has provided the evidence. It’s up to Congress to examine that evidence and pursue justice to its conclusion, whatever that may be, regardless of the political consequences.”In a lengthy email sent to supporters, Mr. Moulton, who this month had already called for impeachment, wrote: “The Mueller investigation has provided the evidence. It’s up to Congress to examine that evidence and pursue justice to its conclusion, whatever that may be, regardless of the political consequences.”
As sitting members of the House, Mr. Moulton and Mr. Swalwell — who said this month that impeachment might be “the only road to save our country” and tweeted pointedly on Wednesday, “Our founders gave us a checks & balances system” — are the only pro-impeachment candidates so far who actually have the power to affect the decision. As sitting members of the House, Mr. Moulton and Mr. Swalwell — who tweeted pointedly on Wednesday, “Our founders gave us a checks & balances system” — are the only pro-impeachment candidates so far who actually have the power to affect the decision.
The other sitting representatives in the race are Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii, who has said she opposes impeachment, and Tim Ryan of Ohio, who did not call for it explicitly on Wednesday but edged about as close to the line as he could without stepping across. The other sitting representatives in the race are Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii, who has said she opposes impeachment, and Mr. Ryan, who did not call for it explicitly on Wednesday but edged about as close to the line as he could without stepping across.
“Congress has to get to the bottom of this and unpack it with full transparency,” Mr. Ryan said on Twitter. “The President, no President, is above the law. And it’s Congress’ job to make sure we are true to our founding principle that the President is not a King and must answer to the American people.” “The President, no President, is above the law,” Mr. Ryan wrote. “And it’s Congress’ job to make sure we are true to our founding principle that the President is not a King and must answer to the American people.”