While Democratic leadership continues to resist starting an impeachment inquiry against President Donald Trump, American University professor Allan Lichtman explained on Morning Joe Wednesday why that’s a mistake heading into the 2020 Election.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) has already accused Trump of being “engaged in a cover-up,” but has refused to start impeachment proceedings, preferring a scattershot investigation that plays out among various committees.
Democratic leaders seem to believe that impeaching Trump would only help Republicans win elections in 2020, but Lichtman, who has correctly predicted the outcome of every presidential election since 1984, is urging Democrats to impeach Trump or face defeat.
Morning Joe host Joe Scarborough asked Lichtman if Democrats have a chance to beat Trump in 2020.
“Only if they show boldness, not timidity, and move towards an impeachment inquiry,” Lichtman replied. “The Democratic leadership is wrong as you pointed out, morally and constitutionally, by avoiding impeachment. If you have a constitutional crisis, the constitutional remedy is impeachment.”
“But they are also wrong politically,” he continued. “The Democrats seem to be going down the same rat-hole as in 2016 when they believe the polls and think they are going to cruise to victory.”
Indeed, the polls showed Democrats heading toward a win in 2016 only to be shocked and demoralized when they lost. Making the same mistake again when so much is on the line is a dreadful error our nation just can’t afford.
By not impeaching Trump, Democrats are letting him off the hook for his crimes and depriving the American people of a focused investigation that gets to the truth. Impeachment would also help Democrats gather more evidence against Trump.
Lichtman said that an impeachment inquiry would reveal the depths of Trump’s crimes and could sway Senate Republicans to turn on him as the evidence is rolled out.
“The scandal key is the critical element of this election, which can be nailed down only by an impeachment process, public hearings and everyone forgets a trial in the Senate in which House prosecutors can call witnesses, bring up documents, make opening and closing statements and cross examine the president’s witnesses,” he concluded. “Democrats need to get on the right page morally as well as constitutionally.”
Here’s the video via MSNBC:
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