Donald Trump Says ‘Impeach’ Is A ‘Dirty, Filthy, Disgusting Word’
While leaving the White House on Thursday, President Donald Trump talked to reporters about the prospect of impeachment, Politico reports.
Trump “expressed bewilderment,” as the publication put it, stating that “impeach” is a “dirty, filthy, disgusting word.”
“I never thought that would even be possible to be using that word. To me it’s a dirty word, the word impeach. It’s a dirty, filthy, disgusting word.”
“I can’t imagine the courts allowing it. I’ve never gone into it,” the president added.
Trump also dismissed the possibility of Congress beginning impeachment proceedings.
“There was no high crime and there was no misdemeanor. So how do you impeach based on that?” he said.
This is not the first time for President Trump to allege that he cannot be impeached due to a lack of both high crimes and misdemeanors, but some Constitutional scholars disagree. As Politico notes, the phrase “high crimes and misdemeanors” is not even defined in the Constitution, which is why some legal experts consider the president’s argument deeply flawed.
Trump’s argument that the Supreme Court would not allow impeachment does not hold water either, according to Vox, which reported that the commander-in-chief is “profoundly confused about the Constitution.” The courts have nothing to do with impeachment, which is an entirely congressional process.
According to Lawfare‘s Quinta Jurecic, lawyer and Trump ally Alan Dershowitz — who frequently appears on Fox News to defend the White House — appears to have misinformed the president about the courts having a say when it comes to impeachment. Furthermore, the Constitution explicitly states that “the House… shall have the sole Power of Impeachment” and that “the Senate shall have the sole Power to try all Impeachments.”
While Trump may be disgusted by the very notion of impeachment, many House Democrats are not. As The Inquisitr reported, dozens of lawmakers have publicly called for impeachment proceedings to begin, as have virtually all Democratic presidential candidates.
Robert Mueller made clear that the primary obstacle to charging Trump with obstruction wasn’t the evidence itself, but the Justice Department’s guidelines for its prosecutors. In other words, he’s already done his job. Now it’s the House’s turn. https://t.co/Qv8ceumDTZ
— The New Republic (@newrepublic) May 30, 2019
Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s Wednesday press conference added fuel to the fire since Mueller implicitly suggested that the Congress should move in that direction. But those looking to impeach President Trump will have to convince House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to support the initiative. Judging by her previous statements, that will not happen.
The top Democrat has consistently argued against impeachment, while nevertheless accusing Attorney General William Barr and other members of the Trump administration of covering up the president’s crimes. Robert Mueller denied this during his press conference, however, stating that Barr had — unlike him — insisted that the public sees the full Russia investigation report.
Hours after Mueller’s impromptu press conference, Pelosi once again argued against impeachment, stating that she is “optimistic” about striking a bipartisan infrastructure deal with President Trump, according to The Hill.
