Hillary Clinton Waffles on Impeachment

Former 2016 Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton took to the pages of the Washington Post on Wednesday to lay out her thoughts on impeaching President Trump in light of the report by special counsel Robert Mueller released last week.

Clinton, in her characteristic fashion, lays out a moderate approach to the idea of impeachment, encouraging lawmakers to consider this a patriotic issue rather than a political one.

From the Post:

First, like in any time our nation is threatened, we have to remember that this is bigger than politics. What our country needs now is clear-eyed patriotism, not reflexive partisanship. Whether they like it or not, Republicans in Congress share the constitutional responsibility to protect the country. Mueller’s report leaves many unanswered questions — in part because of Attorney General William P. Barr’s redactions and obfuscations. But it is a road map. It’s up to members of both parties to see where that road map leads — to the eventual filing of articles of impeachment, or not. Either way, the nation’s interests will be best served by putting party and political considerations aside and being deliberate, fair and fearless.

Good luck with that!

Clinton ultimately recommends holding hearings in Congress, as was done during the Watergate scandal, before an impeachment vote. She references the impeachment trial of her husband Bill Clinton as an example of why we may not want to rush to judgement.

“Congress should hold substantive hearings that build on the Mueller report and fill in its gaps, not jump straight to an up-or-down vote on impeachment,” Clinton writes. “In 1998, the Republican-led House rushed to judgment. That was a mistake then and would be a mistake now.”

It’s hard to imagine the politically motivated and absurd impeachment of President Clinton as an analogue to impeaching our current criminal mound of Big Macs. But sure, why not.

Clinton goes on to remind us that Congress can still work on other things while they continue to pursue an investigation of the Trump campaign and administration. She also focuses in on the national security aspect of the scandal, and warns that if action isn’t taken, this could happen again.

“We have to get this right. The Mueller report isn’t just a reckoning about our recent history; it’s also a warning about the future,” Clinton writes. “Unless checked, the Russians will interfere again in 2020, and possibly other adversaries, such as China or North Korea, will as well.”

Probably true!

“And, unless he’s held accountable, the president may show even more disregard for the laws of the land and the obligations of his office,” Clinton adds.

Also likely!

Some on Twitter pointed out that the idea of holding hearings is complicated by Trump’s refusal to make aides available for questioning, and his administration’s tendency to ignore subpoenas.

It’s unclear how much of an issue all of this is, considering that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has repeatedly made it clear that she’s not interested in pursuing impeachment.

“I don’t think we should go down that path, because it divides the country. And he’s just not worth it,” Pelosi told the Post in March.