Lindsey Graham also made a distinction yesterday between the payoffs to the women (unimpeachable) and conspiring with Russia (impeachable):
Asked if his own support for Trump had declined in the past day, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) replied: “No, not yet.”
“What happens here is, I’m looking for evidence of collusion. That would affect me. Rather than say what would affect me, let me find out what [special counsel Robert] Mueller’s got. Then let me tell you.”
On Cohen directly implicating Trump in a felony:
“Yeah, that’s a very serious accusation. But the heart and soul of why Mueller exists is whether or not there was collusion (with Russia). I’m not saying it’s not serious. I just don’t believe we’re gonna know enough until Mueller issues his report.”
Bret Stephens in the New York Times today:
For all of my opposition to Donald Trump, I have long been skeptical of the political wisdom or evidentiary basis of efforts to impeach him.
...
At least that was my view until this week. Michael Cohen’s guilty plea changes this. The Constitution’s standard for impeachment is “Treason, Bribery, or other high Crimes and Misdemeanors.” The standard is now met.
...
To suggest that this doesn’t amount to a felonious act also doesn’t pass the smell test. [Trump] is now, in effect, an unindicted co-conspirator on charges already prosecuted by the government as a criminal matter against Cohen.
Take South Carolina’s Lindsey Graham, one of the House managers overseeing the case against [Bill Clinton]:
“Twenty-five years ago,” he said that December, “a Democratic-controlled judiciary committee, with a minority of Republicans, reported articles of impeachment against Richard Nixon. Why? Nixon cheated — he cheated the electoral system by concealing efforts of a political break-in, and his people thought the other side deserved to be cheated. They thought his enemies deserved to be mistreated. Ladies and gentlemen, they were wrong.” (Stephens' emphasis)
He continued: “Today, Republicans, with a small handful of Democrats, will vote to impeach President Clinton. Why? Because we believe he committed crimes resulting in cheating our legal system. We believe he lied under oath numerous times, that he tampered with evidence, that he conspired to present false testimony to a court of law. We believe he assaulted our legal system in every way. Let it be said that any president who cheats our institutions shall be impeached.” (Stephens' emphasis)
Graham today explaining that he learned things from the Clinton experience and Trump:
“When it got to the Senate, polling for the president was strong among the Democratic base,” Graham recalled of the Clinton impeachment trial. “Independents thought impeachment was too far. And no matter what I said, the politics took over."
“I understand that today better than I did then that for impeachment to be successful, you’re gonna have to have the public believe that conduct is such that the office needs to be cleansed.”
Stephens gets the final word:
I’m sorry that so many congressional Republicans have lost their sense of moral principle and institutional self-respect...What the Constitution demands is the impeachment and removal from office of this lawless president.
Asked if his own support for Trump had declined in the past day, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) replied: “No, not yet.”
“What happens here is, I’m looking for evidence of collusion. That would affect me. Rather than say what would affect me, let me find out what [special counsel Robert] Mueller’s got. Then let me tell you.”
On Cohen directly implicating Trump in a felony:
“Yeah, that’s a very serious accusation. But the heart and soul of why Mueller exists is whether or not there was collusion (with Russia). I’m not saying it’s not serious. I just don’t believe we’re gonna know enough until Mueller issues his report.”
Bret Stephens in the New York Times today:
For all of my opposition to Donald Trump, I have long been skeptical of the political wisdom or evidentiary basis of efforts to impeach him.
...
At least that was my view until this week. Michael Cohen’s guilty plea changes this. The Constitution’s standard for impeachment is “Treason, Bribery, or other high Crimes and Misdemeanors.” The standard is now met.
...
To suggest that this doesn’t amount to a felonious act also doesn’t pass the smell test. [Trump] is now, in effect, an unindicted co-conspirator on charges already prosecuted by the government as a criminal matter against Cohen.
Take South Carolina’s Lindsey Graham, one of the House managers overseeing the case against [Bill Clinton]:
“Twenty-five years ago,” he said that December, “a Democratic-controlled judiciary committee, with a minority of Republicans, reported articles of impeachment against Richard Nixon. Why? Nixon cheated — he cheated the electoral system by concealing efforts of a political break-in, and his people thought the other side deserved to be cheated. They thought his enemies deserved to be mistreated. Ladies and gentlemen, they were wrong.” (Stephens' emphasis)
He continued: “Today, Republicans, with a small handful of Democrats, will vote to impeach President Clinton. Why? Because we believe he committed crimes resulting in cheating our legal system. We believe he lied under oath numerous times, that he tampered with evidence, that he conspired to present false testimony to a court of law. We believe he assaulted our legal system in every way. Let it be said that any president who cheats our institutions shall be impeached.” (Stephens' emphasis)
Graham today explaining that he learned things from the Clinton experience and Trump:
“When it got to the Senate, polling for the president was strong among the Democratic base,” Graham recalled of the Clinton impeachment trial. “Independents thought impeachment was too far. And no matter what I said, the politics took over."
“I understand that today better than I did then that for impeachment to be successful, you’re gonna have to have the public believe that conduct is such that the office needs to be cleansed.”
Stephens gets the final word:
I’m sorry that so many congressional Republicans have lost their sense of moral principle and institutional self-respect...What the Constitution demands is the impeachment and removal from office of this lawless president.
