As Democrats work towards winning a majority in the House in the 2018 midterm elections, an internal party debate is already brewing over whether that potential victory should be used to seek President Donald Trump's impeachment, Politico reported on Tuesday.
Those backing the push for impeachment point to the demand of an energized Democratic base for such a move and say the president's handling of race issues and business conflicts of interest already present grounds for pursuing it.
But those Democrats who oppose the tactic cite the 1998 impeachment of President Bill Clinton and the political backlash it sparked for appearing too eager to remove a president without some sort of agreement from independents and even the opposing party.
Rep. Cheri Bustos, who represents an Illinois district Trump won in 2016, and other moderate lawmakers argue that without clear evidence linking Trump to Russian collusion or obstruction of justice, Democrats would risk their House majority almost as soon as they take control.
"People in a swing district, I'm literally a 50-50 district, they just want us to get something done," Bustos told Politico. "If we win back the majority and we don't stay focused on what people want us to stay focused on, that majority will be short lived."
Democrats already have decided to lay the groundwork for pursuing impeachment, as shown in their choice last week to fill the top minority spot on the House Judiciary Committee with New York Rep. Jerrold Nadler, who is a constitutional law expert, according to The Washington Post.
However, Nadler has said that "impeachment, it's not something you ought to welcome . . . it's not something you want" and warned that it is not clear such a tactic would be the correct way politically or constitutionally, according to Politico.
Some Democrats have said it makes little sense to seek impeachment without some GOP buy-in, because the Senate would surely stop the process. The House needs only a simple majority vote to impeach a president, but removal from office requires a two-thirds vote after a trial in the Senate.