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It's Time to Impeach Donald Trump

The impeachment process can seem complicated. Here we breakdown some of our most frequently asked questions.

Has Donald Trump actually met the threshold for impeachment, according to the Constitution?

He sure has. Here at Need to Impeach, we’ve identified at least 10 impeachable offenses that Donald Trump committed while in office, and while he was on the campaign trail.

Does Trump’s impeachment hinge on the Mueller report?

Trump has committed a number of impeachable offenses that have nothing to do with the Mueller report. However, now that we’ve seen the redacted report there is overwhelming evidence that the President committed obstruction of justice. Read more about that here.

Is there public support for impeachment?

Polling in late March 2019 found that over one third of Americans want Donald Trump impeached. There’s also over 8 million of us in this movement, and we’re very public about the need to hold this president accountable. So yes, there absolutely is public support for Trump’s impeachment.

Which elected officials have voiced support?

Many members of Congress have voiced their support for impeachment. Most recently, Rep. Rashida Tlaib (MI-13) introduced articles of impeachment on the House floor on March 27, 2019. You can read her Resolution here.

Could impeaching Trump set a dangerous precedent? Does this mean Republicans will try to impeach a future Democratic president over differences in policy?

Republicans may try to claim that this is just about differences in policy, but that’s ignoring the crisis at hand. Trump has clearly violated the Constitution, the spirit of his office, and the public’s trust. Moving forward with impeachment wouldn’t set any new precedent — we’re applying the same historical standard that Congress used to justify impeachment proceedings for Richard Nixon and Bill Clinton.

In fact, Congress would be setting a dangerous precedent if they don’t start impeachment proceedings. If Congress ignores all the times that Trump violated the Constitution, that signals to every future president that this behavior is fine–obstruction of justice is fine, violating the rights of asylum-seekers if fine, encouraging a foreign government to illegally influence our elections is fine. By failing to hold Trump accountable for this behavior, Congress would actually be incentivizing these actions.

What’s the impeachment process? How do you actually go about doing it?

First, the House of Representatives would ask the Judiciary Committee to investigate the president’s conduct. Then they would assess whether that conduct is considered impeachable or not. If yes, the Judiciary Committee would ask the entire House to vote to advance the Resolution with articles of impeachment. However, the House could vote on articles of impeachment without a resolution first–similar to what happened with the Starr report. Next, representatives would make the case for impeachment to the Senate—that’s where they’d decide whether to convict or acquit, with the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court presiding over the hearing.

Watch a quick breakdown of the process here.

Doesn’t impeachment need Republican support?

Bipartisan support is always a good thing, but ultimately the House of Representatives doesn’t need Republican votes to advance impeachment to the Senate. And as history has shown us with Nixon, once the public is informed that the President participated in criminal behavior, support for impeachment grows.

Okay, so say we impeach Trump. What about Mike Pence—wouldn’t he be worse?!

We shouldn’t let “what ifs” keep us from taking morally right and urgent action. It’s also important to keep in mind that our work won’t end with impeachment because democracy isn’t a spectator sport. This is our government, and we need to keep being loud about the changes we want to see!

What can we do to pressure Congress to start impeachment proceedings?

Join us and take action! We have a lot of ways you can be part of the movement–even from the comfort of your own home. Click here for more info.

What are the other active investigations into Donald Trump?

There are more than a dozen active investigations and lawsuits looking into the Trump campaign, administration, and his presidential inaugural committee. Some of these investigations include: improper reversal of granting security clearances that had been denied, expediting a nuclear deal with Saudi Arabia against the advice of legal and intelligence officials, and various financial violations. The New York State Department of Financial Services, New York State Department of Taxation and Finance, and the New York Attorney General are all looking into Trump’s financial practices.
The fact that there are so many investigations into this president should give you a sense of how badly he does not belong in the White House.

Heard enough? Join us here.