The Atlantic

The Question Democrats Have to Answer Before They Can Impeach

The lawmakers who most want to oust President Trump don’t agree on what the party’s strongest case against him is.
Source: J. Scott Applewhite / AP

Updated on September 12 at 10:18 a.m. ET

Democrats clamoring to impeach President Donald Trump scored a victory of sorts this morning when the House Judiciary Committee voted to launch a formal investigation that could result in the adoption of articles of impeachment for consideration by the full House.

But the panel’s decision to broaden its probe beyond the issues covered by former Special Counsel Robert Mueller has put a whole new question before the party: If Democrats decide to move against Trump, what exactly should they impeach him for?

Although impeachment backers are still far from the 218 votes they’d need to pass articles off the floor, a majority of House Democrats now favor launching a formal inquiry. But more than a dozen interviews we conducted with lawmakers this week found that even those who support the effort are unsure which of the multitude of offenses they

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