Impeachment – Difficult Issue for Democrats

Leon Panetta, one of the elder statesmen of the Democratic Party, warns the party leadership that it should avoid impeachment and said Democrats should “allow Robert Mueller to complete his work.” He believes that the investigation has the best chance to provide the facts related to collusion and obstruction in the Trump campaign and presidency.

Public opinion agrees with Panetta that Democrats are on much safe ground defending the Mueller probe and delaying talk of impeachment. The latest ABC News/Washington Post poll shows 63 percent of the public support “Mueller’s investigation of Trump and his associates” (52% “strongly support the probe” and overall support includes 32% of Republicans). And, more than half (53%) believe Trump has tried to obstruct Mueller’s investigation.

President Trump’s, and his legal team and political allies, long campaign to discredit Robert Mueller, the investigation and even Attorney General Jeff Sessions has had very limited success.

• 62% support Sessions in dispute to allow investigation to proceed
• 64% oppose Trump firing Sessions (47% of Republicans oppose firing Sessions)
• 66% oppose Trump pardoning Manafort (only 36% of Republicans support it)

In contrast, the public is highly divided on beginning impeachment proceedings (49% begin, 46% don’t begin). Bill Clinton’s impeachment, which hurt Republicans in the midterms, only had 33 percent support at the end of 1998 after the Kenneth Starr report was presented for much of the year.