Mercurynews – As impeachment talk heats up in Washington, the four Democrats running to be California’s next governor are divided on whether Congress should launch an effort to impeach President Donald Trump.
Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom and Delaine Eastin, the former state superintendent of public instruction, said in response to inquiries from the Bay Area News Group that they believed Congress should begin impeachment proceedings against Trump.
But Antonio Villaraigosa, the former mayor of Los Angeles, and state Treasurer John Chiang are sounding more cautious notes, saying they need additional evidence first.
The furor over “the I-word” grew this week as Rep. Brad Sherman, D-Sherman Oaks, circulated a draft resolution impeaching Trump for obstruction of justice among his House colleagueson Monday. Sherman argues that Trump deserves to be impeached for interfering in the FBI investigation of Russian influence on the 2016 election.
He faces long odds: Removing a president through impeachment requires a majority vote in the House of Representatives and a two-thirds vote in the Senate, both of which are controlled by Republicans. And so far only one other member of Congress, Rep. Al Green, D-Texas, has publicly supported the effort to write articles of impeachment now.
But the proposal is finding support on the campaign trail. Newsom, who has led in polls for the 2018 governor’s race, backs the idea of starting impeachment proceedings, his campaign says.
“He does believe it is time to pursue impeachment,” said spokesman Dan Newman. “He thinks that while impeachment should never be casually invoked as a political tactic, President Trump’s actions are so egregious and his rhetoric is so deceitful that we should begin the process to obtain the facts and the truth.”
Eastin also endorsed impeachment.
“I absolutely support members of Congress drawing up Articles of Impeachment against President Trump,” she said in an email, citing what she said were Trump’s conflicts of interest, his travel ban, his campaign’s collusion with Russia, and his firing of FBI Director James Comey. “We cannot allow one petty man to destroy the democracy that so many have given their lives to defend.”
Citizen led Trump impeachment method.
Rules of the House of Representatives stipulate citizens can initiate it.
