Congressional Democrats have unified around calls for an independent investigation into Russian involvement in the 2016 presidential election, but they’re split over whether to talk publicly about the possibility that President Trump will face impeachment.
Party leaders have warned against getting ahead of the facts. But Trump’s abrupt decision to fire FBI Director James Comey, and allegations that Trump pressured Comey to drop a federal investigation into former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn have pushed some Democratic lawmakers to go further. A small but vocal group of lawmakers are now either explicitly calling for Trump to be impeached, or suggesting that impeachment may loom in the not-so-distant future.
On Wednesday morning, Democratic Representative Al Green of Texas took the dramatic step of publicly urging Trump’s impeachment in a speech on the House floor. “The president must be impeached,” he said, alleging “obstruction of justice” as his reason.
Last week, Trump fired Comey, who was then the official charged with overseeing the bureau’s investigation into potential links between Trump associates and the Russian government. The White House initially claimed Comey was dismissed over conduct during the 2016 election related to the FBI’s investigation into former Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton. But two days later, the president told NBC News that he thought to himself “this Russia thing with Trump and Russia is a made up story,” when he made the decision.