President Donald Trump on Monday railed against Democrats calling for his impeachment following the publication of special counsel Robert Mueller’s partially redacted report last week, writing in a post on Twitter that “Only high crimes and misdemeanors can lead to impeachment.”
“There were no crimes by me (No Collusion, No Obstruction), so you can’t impeach.”
Mueller’s report was released to the public on Thursday following the former FBI director’s 22-month investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election, potential collusion with the Russians by the Trump campaign and Trump’s attempts after becoming president to end Mueller’s inquiry.
The investigation found insufficient evidence to bring an obstruction of justice charge against the president, Mueller wrote, but uncovered several instances in which the president sought to end the probe. Mueller found that those attempts were unsuccessful largely because Trump’s subordinates failed to carry out his orders.
Though Mueller did not reach a conclusion on obstruction, the report cited longstanding Justice Department rule that bans bringing charges against a sitting president, leading some legal experts to conclude the special counsel left the determination to Congress.
Prior to the report’s release, Trump appointee Attorney General William Barr cleared the president of obstruction charges. And the president’s attorneys have said the report shows the president is innocent.
But after viewing the 448-page report, some Democrats revived impeachment talk, including Rep. Jerry Nadler of New York, who chairs the House committee in which impeachment proceedings would begin.
“Some of this would be impeachable,” Nadler said Sunday on “Meet the Press.” Nadler said it would be necessary to have both Barr and Mueller come before the Judiciary Committee.
“Obstruction of justice, if proven, would be impeachable,” Nadler said.
The Constitution provides for impeachment in cases of “treason, bribery, and other high crimes and misdemeanors.” In order to impeach the president, a majority of the House of Representatives would be required to vote in favor. Removal of the president then requires the votes of two-thirds of the Senate, which has a Republican majority.
Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., who is mounting a bid for president, on Friday called on “elected officials in both parties” to support the removal of the president following the release of Mueller report.
“The severity of this misconduct demands that elected officials in both parties set aside political considerations and do their constitutional duty,” Warren wrote in a post on Twitter. “That means the House should initiate impeachment proceedings against the President of the United States.”
But Trump, whose presidency was dogged in its first two years by Mueller’s investigation, fired back on Monday that it “was the Democrats that committed the crimes, not your Republican President!”
“Tables are finally turning on the Witch Hunt,” Trump wrote.
