Mueller report won't sway public opinion enough for Democrats to attempt impeaching Trump: journalist
Democrats should think 'really hard' about priorities for 2020 election: Vicky Ward
Democrats will have to think carefully about moving to impeach U.S. President Donald Trump based on the Mueller report, an investigative journalist says.
"With an election looming in 2020, Democrats are going to have to think really hard [about] what it is they want to focus their attention and energy [on] — and the attention and energy of the voters," said Vicky Ward, author of Kushner Inc.
Ward warned that the 448-page report, released Thursday, was unlikely to change the minds of those already entrenched in the issue.
A poll this week found that 54 per cent of Americans want Congress to move on to other matters after the report's release.
Facing possible voter fatigue on the issue, Ward said that Democrats may want to focus their energies on other business, even if some people found the report "difficult to stomach."
After a two-year investigation that divided public opinion, Robert Mueller found no evidence of active co-ordination or conspiracy between Trump's presidential campaign and Russian officials, but was inconclusive regarding obstruction of justice. The report outlined 10 instances of possible obstruction from Trump's associates, including efforts to remove Mueller and impede his investigation.
If Democrats did decide to pursue impeachment, Ward warned that the attempt might pass the Democrat-controlled House, but it likely wouldn't pass the second stage of being approved by the Republican-controlled Senate.
To discuss the report's findings and the fallout from its release, The Current's guest host Piya Chattopadhyay spoke to:
- Philip Bump, a national correspondent for The Washington Post.
- Vicky Ward, investigative journalist and author of Kushner, Inc.
- John Fund, columnist for the National Review.
Click 'listen' near the top of this page to hear the full conversation.
Produced by Howard Goldenthal, Idella Sturino, Alison Masemann and Danielle Carr.