Democratic mega-donor Tom Steyer appears to have softened his stance on those in the party who do not support impeachment of President Donald Trump, even as the billionaire launched a $10 million campaign to force the president from office.
When asked by MSNBC host Kasie Hunt if donors should withhold sending funds to Democratic congressmen and candidates who are not willing to publicly call for Trump's impeachment immediately, Steyer dodged the question. Instead, he talked about his organization, Nextgen America, and how it tries to put together grassroots discussions nationwide about the issues of the day.
"We believe anytime those conversations are held, people will move to a more progressive approach, so the fact of the matter is that isn't really a question we ask ourselves," Steyer said. "The question we ask ourselves is, how do we get a broader, more just society? How do we get a more broad, more complete democracy? And that is something we'll never give up on. And we don't see that that is in anyway in conflict with the kind of call we're making now to impeach this president."
Steyer's avoidance of the question comes in stark contrast to a letter he sent just two weeks ago to Democratic congressional offices demanding that they promise to push for Trump's impeachment, as The New York Times reported.
Steyer spent more than $91 million on Democratic candidates in the 2016 elections.
Some Democrats, such as House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, question the wisdom of pushing so strongly for impeachment when there is no chance that the GOP-controlled House will vote for it, fearing that such attempts could backfire and energize GOP voters heading into the midterm elections.
Steyer's YouTube appeal, in which he explains the national necessity of fighting for impeachment of the president, has already been viewed well over 700,000 times since he launched the campaign a few days ago.
In addition, according to Money, commercials have also been running on stations in New York and California, as well as on cable stations nationally.
Money also described how Steyer became politically involved, saying it was some 15 years ago when students at his two alma maters began criticizing his fund's investments in companies that were considered anti-labor and environmentally unfriendly.
He said that he and his wife were embarrassed by that, because they were personally committed to both social justice and protecting the environment, spurring them to get more involved.