Democrats lay impeachment trap, but will the president step into it?
By Jonathan Turley, opinion contributor — 01/05/19 10:00 AM EST
Certain common aphorisms were never meant to be taken literally. “What doesn’t kill you only makes you stronger†is a particularly risky principle by which to live. A watched pot will indeed boil. Time does not heal all wounds. “Slow and steady†does not always win the race. President Trump added a new — and, for him, potentially dangerous — aphorism on Friday, when asked about impeachment. He said he was not at all concerned because “you can’t impeach somebody that’s doing a great job.â€
The president was hopefully making an aspirational, not a literal, point — because a president can be entirely successful in office yet rightfully be impeached for committing “treason, bribery, or other high crimes and misdemeanors.†Indeed, no matter how successful a president may be in various policies, the commission of any impeachable offense means, by definition, that he or she is not doing a “great job.â€
Trump’s statement was unnerving not only because he has said it before but because he is entering the most dangerous period of his term so far. With Democrats now controlling the House of Representatives — and some already stating their intentions, intemperately or even profanely like Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) — the White House is about to be hit with a torrent of document demands and subpoenas from a half-dozen committees.
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https://thehill.com/opinion/judiciary/423999-democrats-lay-impeachment-trap-but-will-the-president-step-into-it
