Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., said that if Democrats regain control of the House, they intend to end what he called Donald Trump’s “reign of corruption and lawlessness,” but he told MS NOW that impeachment won’t necessarily be part of the plan.
During an interview on “The Weekend” on Sunday morning, Raskin argued that while Democrats were hardly reluctant to use the power against Trump in the past, doing so twice, another impeachment should only be considered if it helps advance Democrats’ goals, rather than becoming an end in itself.
“We’ve impeached Donald Trump twice — he’s already the only doubly impeached president in American history,” he said, adding: “Nobody is afraid of that, but we understand that impeachment is not a panacea. It’s certainly not a taboo for us. We’ve already proven we’re willing to do that. But the thing is that we’ve got to be making progress for the country. And so if impeachment advances that process, we would do it; and if not, we won’t.”
The Maryland Democrat, who serves as the ranking member on the House Judiciary Committee, which plays a central role in the impeachment process, said he believed the president would actually welcome another impeachment, believing it could galvanize his supporters and distract from his failing policies.
“We know Donald Trump is very eager for us to impeach him because he’s got nothing else going on in his administration,” Raskin said, adding: “He thinks that that would be a way to get people to gather behind him and to assemble his troops. And we’re not going to play into the game.”
Raskin said Democrats intend to focus their efforts instead on investigating what they view as the brazen corruption being carried out by Trump and his allies. He said his party plans on “holding them accountable for every grift and rip-off, from the crypto rip-offs to the pay for presidential pardons to the $1.8 billion slush fund for his foot soldiers.”
“If and when we get the gavels back, we will be able to pursue those investigations with the power of the subpoena,” he said.
You can watch Raskin’s full interview in the clip at the top of the page.
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