Some idle thoughts on impeachment this Saturday morning

[EarlG]

I've read a couple of stories recently about Dems either wanting to impeach Trump, or getting gunshy about impeaching Trump. To me, these stories seem like a trap.

First, this framing forces a narrative where Dems are either:

1) Pro-impeachment radical leftists with Trump Derangement Syndrome who would rather attack the president than pass bills to improve people's lives (which annoys moderates/independents), or...

2) Anti-impeachment wishy-washy milquetoasts who are fine ignoring the multitude of crimes committed by the Trump administration because they would rather suck up to moderates/independents than do the right thing (which annoys the liberal base of the party).

This narrative gives Democrats no room to maneuver, and allows for easy wedge-driving by Republican politicians, pundits, and of course all the foreign troll bots that flood social media services. The narrative is clear: either we do the radical leftist thing and impeach, only to (potentially) suffer "voter backlash" from moderates/independents, or we do the "spineless Dems" act and don't impeach, and (potentially) turn off lots of liberal base voters.

So how about an alternative approach?

It's clear to sane people that Trump is practically committing an impeachable offense per day at this point. Just this morning I read an article about how he is essentially selling pardons to criminals for $1 million per pardon. And that's just the latest in a string of outrageous offenses.

If/when Democrats retake the House this year, real investigations can start up again in earnest. Congress is supposed to provide oversight of the executive branch, and clearly that has not been happening since Trump was re-elected. Democrats will have an extremely strong mandate to do this, especially because mid-term elections are often about voters wanting the opposition party to act as a check against the party in power.

But it's also more than clear that impeachment itself is a dead end. Democrats already impeached Trump twice -- for good reason -- during his first term. In both cases the Senate failed to convict him. If they wouldn't convict him for January 6, there's no reason to think they would convict him now. He's shown that he wants to be an authoritarian dictator, and Republicans in the Senate have shown that they're fine with it.

There are other downsides to impeachment too. Last time around, Democrats impeached Trump quickly. The first impeachment took six weeks, the second took four weeks (Trump left office during the second impeachment). At the time, Democrats chose to focus on a handful of impeachable offenses, instead of taking a broader view. This meant that the trials were over and done with quickly, and the public moved on once it was clear that Trump had been acquitted.

I don't think it's a good idea to try the same thing again. I would not want to see a watered-down impeachment trial where Democrats decide once again, "Okay, these are the handful things we can DEFINITELY nail him on, so let's have a narrow focus and ignore the smaller stuff so we have a greater chance of success." Given that the Senate will absolutely fail to convict Trump, the chance of success is zero no matter what happens. This means that focusing on a few of the worst crimes will end up giving Trump the opportunity to exonerate himself on those crimes, and then simply sweep everything else under the rug. We've seen that movie before.

Then what to do?

If Democrats win the House, rather than coming up with a few reasons to impeach and then holding an impeachment trial, instead they should form an Impeachment Committee that is tasked with conducting a sweeping investigation to determine whether Donald Trump should be impeached, and if so, what for.

The job of this committee is not really to get us to a point where we actually impeach Trump. Instead, the point is to hold constant investigations of all the different unconstitutional actions that Trump could be impeached for. Start with DOGE and the illegal firings of federal workers, and look into what happened to all the confidential government data that Elon Musk and Big Balls walked away with, and move forward from there. Sending the military into the streets. Locking people up without due process. Sending legal immigrants to torture prisons against court orders. Demolishing the East Wing. Selling pardons. Politicizing the DOJ and ordering the prosecution of political opponents. Sending Venezuelan oil money to a bank account in Qatar. Failing to release the Epstein files. There is practically an unlimited supply of material, since the vast majority of things Trump has done in the past year have been unconstitutional and impeachable.

Televise these hearings daily -- take public testimony from star witnesses, and make a show of it. And make sure that each one is wrapped up fairly quickly -- say, within a week or two. Then as each mini-investigation is completed, release a report with all the evidence that says, "Here's something Trump could clearly be impeached for, and here are the receipts. We're adding this to the list of things to impeach Trump for."

And then just keep doing this, day after day, week after week. The idea is to set up a narrative similar to the Epstein narrative that is driving Republicans nuts at the moment -- they can't release the files because of what's in them, but by not releasing them they make people far more interested in what might be in them. Similarly, the job of the Impeachment Committee would be to maintain the narrative that impeachment is always looming just over the horizon, but before we can get there, we need to do another full investigation into yet another serious Trump crime.

Trump has benefitted politically from the fact that he has engaged in so much criminality and corruption, it's simply hard for people to get their heads around. We need to flip this on its head to politically devastate and cripple both Trump and the GOP in return. We already know that actually impeaching him will NEVER result in his removal, and would likely even end up as a political net negative for us. Instead, we use the Impeachment Committee to refocus the relatively short attention spans of Americans on a specific Trump crime, show how it is impeachable, then a week later move on to a different crime. Encourage popular podcasters to treat it like a crime drama with a new episode each week. If the media starts asking, "Are you ever going to impeach Trump?" reply, "We need to get to the bottom of all his crimes first! Don't you want us to gather all the evidence before proceeding?"

Without ever having to actually hold an impeachment trial, this could cement in people's minds that Trump is basically running a criminal operation out of the White House, and that he 100% should be impeached, even if an actual trial never happens. In addition, anyone who is still on board with Trump as all these crimes are exposed will be essentially aiding and abetting him, and the narrative will be that upstanding Americans need to drain that swamp at the earliest possible opportunity. Combined with a broad corruption reform campaign from Democrats, this could make life very difficult for Republicans going into 2028.

And while we're running up to the mid-terms this year, whenever media figures try to press Dems on, "Are you going to impeach Trump or not?" -- just so they can drive that wedge in our party -- Dems can sidestep the question with a united response: "We're definitely going to investigate all of Trump's crimes to determine whether impeachment is merited."

[CaliforniaPeggy]

1. I like how you think, my dear EarlG!

I don't see any downside to these proposals. I hope that someone will put them into action. Real movement on your ideas would relieve many of us from the frustration we currently feel.

K&R

[lamp_shade]

2. This approach has my vote.

[mahina]

3. Brilliant!

[leftstreet]

4. I think people are really, really tired of Trump

Once he dies or leaves office at term end, no one's going to care about impeaching his fat ass. Nor will doing so have any impact on healthcare, wages, rent prices, energy bills, grocery costs...

You're right that campaigning Democrats need to be careful of media traps with questions about it

DURec

[Tadpole Raisin]

5. Agreed!! And except for Fox - and maybe CBS now -

The MSM will cover it, and since the hearings aren’t initiated by the media those wimpy journalists and senior executives may feel protected from the Traitor’s wrath since it is not technically coming from them.

I would add possibly sharp targeted 30 second ads summarizing the worst of what he has done, especially in local stations of red states and targeted specifically to the damage being done to the people of those states which will have far more meaning.

An example as an aside (not really related to him but to prove a point). Mentioning global warming and you immediately turn off a huge percent of the population in the south. But mention the changes done by him that are making childhood asthma or COPD worse in the states that have the highest numbers of these diseases and you now have the attention of a lot of people who suffer or have family members and parents of kids suffering from these ailments. That is powerful. Take the ‘global’ topic and bring it down to the granular level.

These people have been brainwashed to believe Dems will destroy the country. Dems can’t keep using the language that the republican voting populace have been taught to dismiss. Andy Beshear said democrats have to talk like real human beings and he won in Kentucky!!

Take those congressional hearings, target the states impacted the most and turn them into ad ammunition with real world examples that have meaning.

[poli-junkie]

6. Dems need to expose & investigate.

Just doing so will keep the regime on the defensive.

[Fiendish Thingy]

7. Why not both?

Sure, have an ongoing impeachment committee investigating Trump’s crimes committed during the first half of his second term.

But remember, he is almost certain to continue committing impeachable offences after the midterms, and some may be so egregious, like invading Greenland, that they simply require immediate impeachment (in the case of Greenland, Don Bacon and I agree that would be an act that would garner enough republican support to remove him). If Dems investigate and fail to impeach for anything, how can that be framed as strong, decisive leadership?

So here is my “have it both ways” suggestion:

Use your suggested framing during the midterms-

: "We're definitely going to investigate all of Trump's crimes to determine whether impeachment is merited."

Then, once Dems take back the house, in addition to passing dozens of laws seeking to reverse the damage of the first two years, (facing a filibuster in the senate or a Trump veto should not deter them) like fully restoring ACA subsidies, they should form the Impeachment Committee and start hearings and investigations.

These hearings and investigations should not only target specific crimes and impeachable offences by Trump, but should also focus on a department by department examination of the impeachable offences by his cabinet. IMO, there should be an impeachment (not just hearings or investigations) of a cabinet official each and every month during 2027.

Start with Noem, then move on to:
Hegseth
Bondi
Kennedy
Rubio
McMahon at Education
Bessent
Vought
Gabbard
Patel
Etc

Stephen Miller although not a cabinet member shouldn’t be exempt from the hearings- make him come in and take the fifth or invoke executive privilege repeatedly, on camera.

Then every 90 days or so, the committee should summarize its findings and file formal articles of impeachment against Trump. The framing should be to “stop the unparalleled corruption and lawlessness of this administration”. The process could move as quickly as Trump’s second impeachment, say four weeks or so.

That would mean the first articles of impeachment would be filed in April 2027, with the first trial ending sometime in May. Then file the second set of articles in August, just before the summer recess, and finish in September. Lather, rinse, repeat.

Put our best, most articulate and passionate Dems on the committee- AOC, Crockett (if she’s still in the house), Raskin, Frost, etc. Throughout the hearings, make sure the suffering of the American people at the hands of the administration is highlighted- “he tore down the People’s house to build a gaudy gold ballroom while millions had their food stamps cut and healthcare premiums tripled”.

My guess is there will be a race for the exits by a number of cabinet members in late 2026-early 2027, but they can still be subpoenaed even if the question of impeachment is moot for them,

Dems must show the courage to impeach because that too is part of their oath to protect and defend the Constitution.

And besides, it’s the right thing to do.

[EarlG]

15. My argument is that actually impeaching him again is a mistake

My evidence is that we already tried it twice, and the effect in both cases was that Trump was acquitted by the Senate, which then allowed him to sell the lie that he had been exonerated and was innocent.

Repeatedly holding impeachment trials at the end of each mini-investigation would, IMO, give the impression of banging one's head against a wall. Each trial would quickly end with Senate Republicans acquitting Trump. Each time that happened, Trump would say, "They held an investigation, and I've been exonerated!" Senate Republicans would say, "When are we going to end this partisan nonsense and get back to working for the American people?"

And each time that happened, the Democrats' will to continue would wane. I can picture the pundits now: "How long are Democrats going to keep up this useless endeavor? Why are they wasting everyone's time?" It's inevitable that some Democrats would quickly give up and start reinforcing the Republicans' message that "We should get back to work for the American people" -- we've seen this kind of thing time and again. Those Democrats would be immediately attacked by more activist Democrats, which would give the impression of a party in disarray, trying to enact a strategy they disagreed on. Not only would each impeachment trial give Trump the opportunity to claim innocence, it would increase the chance that Democrats would damage themselves with infighting and accusations of spinelessness.

I don't disagree that we need to do the right thing. But in this case I believe that the right thing to do is, "whatever we can to politically damage Trump and Republicans to the point that this kind of government corruption and criminality is not seen again for generations." Trump has given us all the ammunition we need -- we just need to use it correctly.

So in that regard, and to your points, I definitely agree that:

1) As well as these impeachment investigations, Democrats should also pass bills seeking to reverse the damage of the first two years. A dual track of anti-corruption bills plus impeachment investigations (which highlight the crimes we need the anti-corruption bills for) would, I think, be highly effective.

2) Cabinet officials and advisers like Stephen Miller should definitely get dragged into this as much as possible. The entire regime needs to be held responsible for what's going on. And cabinet officials are notably not granted the same immunity from criminal prosecution that the president is. They would have more incentive to turn on each other. No doubt they would all claim "executive privilege"/Fifth Amendment etc. to try to dodge accountability, but that's fine -- let them do it. It'll just look like they are engaged in a cover-up.

3) This would have the likely effect of dragging JD Vance through the mud while he's trying to prep a run for president. "Four more years of Trumpian criminality without Trump" might not be the best message in 2028.

4) And finally, as a sweetener: I've stated flatly that there is no way in hell that Senate Republicans would vote to actually convict Trump. But maybe, just maybe, after months upon months of televised crime-of-the-week hearings, some of those Republicans might actually start to come around. And maybe, if the damage becomes bad enough, and Trump continues his mental decline, and is seen as a clear liability for the party, then there might eventually be enough of those Republicans to actually convict. If and when that time ever comes, and there is clear back-channeling from Senate Republican leadership that they're on board, then boom -- immediately end the investigations and hold the trial. By this point there will be more than enough evidence from all the investigations, and all that will be needed is a quick trial and conviction.

[Fiendish Thingy]

26. I think a solid drubbing in the midterms might make #4 more likely

Especially if Dems also retake the senate.

While many have given up and announced retirement from politics, Many republicans in congress are looking for an off ramp from MAGAville as a way to preserve their careers, especially those in swingier states/districts.

If voters send the message in November “stop the madness! We have suffered enough!”, I think there could be a significant number of defections from the Trump train…

[Cha]

61. I Agree... It's a Dead End Waste of Precious Time

and allows Traitor to "claim victory".

And This... For the "media" from our Dems...

"We're definitely going to investigate all of Trump's crimes to determine whether impeachment is merited."

I so Hope the Dems Get Back the House.

[bluestarone]

23. My thoughts are, TSF would pardon

Everyone of these assholes if he were still president. HE has to be first one impeached. BUT i'm good with holding everything back until we have FULL control of the two houses.

[malaise]

8. Most excellent

We're definitely going to investigate all of Trump's crimes to determine whether impeachment is merited."

[3Hotdogs]

9. In the meantime, pray our asses off that he croaks fast.

I start every day with Fox, hoping to see Swan Lake on a loop.

[RockCreek]

32. I'm beginning to play Swan Lake music for my own morale

[surfered]

10. Agreed, as it's unlikely the Senate would convict. It all relies on winning the House in the midterms

Which gives Dems the investigative power to expose the corruption and impeachable acts.

[orangecrush]

11. Not sure if this is relevant

But a problem I see is that the level of politicization the DOJ has reached under the regime has undermined its credibility for a generation.

And these people need to see prison time.

The Surpemes gave Trump a get out of jail free card, so apparently the king is untouchable.

In my youth, I saw Nixon's henchmen brought to justice.

It appears we have reached a level of rot that such a thing is inconceivable.

[highplainsdem]

12. Great idea!

[Blue Full Moon]

13. If he allows the midterms.

[Fiendish Thingy]

27. He doesn't have a say in the matter. Nt

[MiHale]

14. Great strategy...I can get behind it.

How do you get this into the Democrats leadership?

[c-rational]

16. Excellent post and suggestion. We could turn it into our Infrastructure Week. A new story every

week.

[CTyankee]

18. I like this approach. Wear them down, wear them out. "AGAIN, you've been screwed by Trump!" each time he does it.

[EarlG]

21. It's almost tailor made for modern media

This week's episode: Should Trump be impeached for letting Elon Musk steal Americans' Social Security data?

Monday: Opening presentation, explaining the offense
Tuesday: Evidence and expert (technical) witnesses
Wednesday: More evidence and star witnesses (subpoenaed administration officials, fired former federal workers, etc.)
Thursday: Closing statements and conclusion, then vote to set the evidence aside as a possible future article of impeachment.

Each day would have something new and juicy for mainstream media/influencers/podcasters etc. to chew on, before moving on to the next day. At the end of the week you have Friday for wrap-ups, and then the weekend for previews of the next week's investigation.

Then do it all over again, moving quickly from one investigation to the next, giving Trump supporters no time to respond. While they're trying to defend last week's crimes, we change the subject to different crimes. Trump has taught us this lesson -- let's use it against him.

[c-rational]

41. Ding ding ding...Bingo. Flood he zone and do not stop.

[liberalla]

44. "Encourage popular podcasters to treat it like a crime drama with a new episode each week."

Encourage popular podcasters to treat it like a crime drama with a new episode each week.

This is the line I highlighted when I first read your post. I dig this idea! This will get attention!

I'm also in favor of constant, relentless, never ending investigations on the orange bastard. Even if he kicks the bucket. We need to know everything we can and go after all the involved parties, accomplices etc. to answer and face justice.

[FakeNoose]

17. Moscow Mitch leaves office next year ... we need to wait until he's gone

He's the one who torpedoed both of the Chump impeachments. Despite what he seems to be saying this week, I believe he'd do it again if he had the chance. He doesn't have the power in the Senate that he once had, but the other Repukes still listen to him.

Meanwhile this midterm election is the most important of our lifetimes. That's my belief. You have several great suggestions here EarlG. The Repukes are trying to set traps for us and we need to keep our eyes on the prize.

GETTING OUT THE VOTE should be our only goal this year.

[RockCreek]

35. His wife resigned on Jan 7th 3021, effective Jan 11th.

She clearly didn't have enough influence over her husband to get him to do the right thing at that time.
Perhaps time and increasing insanity and dementia from "47", and pethaps some pressure from those clise to him like his wife, will make Mitch actually do the right thing on his way out.
I wouldn't bet more than $1 on it, but...
I'm always trying to find some reasons to be hopeful...

[Joinfortmill]

19. I like it. Sorta like the drip, drip, drip of water torture.

[betsuni]

20. Dem economic plan, economic message, is immediately met with cries of: "Whatabout Impeachment!" "Whatabout ICE!"

Democrats (again) do what everyone and their dog insists they're not doing, that the only way to win is to sit down at that kitchen table and talk about economy economy economy economy economy.

They do that and people nervously look around for something to throw at Democrats, pick up not stopping Trump with impeachment, not stopping ICE, not stopping Trump's foreign policy, REFUSING to stop all the bad things because being in the minority is just an excuse wherein when Republicans were in the minority they stopped Democrats from doing ANYTHING.

[EarlG]

24. There would be nothing to stop Democrats from

passing all kinds of positive economic bills in the House while investigations are going on elsewhere. Plus, while yes the economy is obviously hugely important, people may also feel strongly about anti-corruption legislation in 2027-28. I recall this was the case when we swept the House in 2006. (Remember Jack Abramoff?)

The ideal situation would be that all these things would gel together into one overarching narrative -- if it could be shown that Trump's crimes don't just mean that anti-corruption reform is needed, but also that his corruption has contributed to worsening economic conditions for regular Americans. For example, what are his connections to the billionaires who are building these all these datacenters that are causing everyone's electricity bills to go up? If these things can all be tied together, it could be very powerful, politically speaking.

[jmbar2]

22. well-reasoned - thanks Earl.

[mikelewis]

25. "It's clear to sane people that Trump is practically committing an impeachable offense per day at this point."

I agree, I don't think impeachment remotely needs to be the topic and all we get is President Vance even if it happens.

The new Congress can decide what it wants to do... and all the while we get to record what this congress let happen.

[spanone]

28. K&R

[milestogo]

29. But would anyone besides MSNOW even cover it?

[BumRushDaShow]

37. "But would anyone besides MSNOW even cover it?"

CSPAN always covers these and hopefully what is left of PBS would as well.

[Wednesdays]

62. Yes! That will reach HUNDREDS of voters!

Maybe even THOUSANDS!

[no_hypocrisy]

30. Good logic Earl G. And I didn't expect a conviction in the Senate, UNLESS

the Republicans in the Senate made a secret deal with J.D. Vance to continue (if not expand) Trump's tax cuts, etc.

Meet the same Boss. Same as the Old Boss. We won't get fooled again . . . . .

[gfarber]

31. A New Trick

There once was a party called “Dem,”
Caught fast in a pundit-made gem:
“Impeach and you’re nuts,
Don’t impeach and you’re a putz.
Either way, they all sneer and condemn.”

If they shout, “Let’s impeach him today!”
They’re deranged, say the polls, right away.
But if Dems hesitate,
They’re accused of cowardice straight—
There’s no winning the game as they play.

The GOP smiles and pours on the spin,
While troll farms come flooding right in.
With a shove to each side,
They keep widening the divide,
Till the wedge is embedded within.

Trump commits an offense every morn—
Before coffee, a scandal is born.
Sell a pardon for cash?
That’s just part of the rash
Of impeachable acts he’s adorned.

They impeached him—once, twice—can you tell?
Both times the Senate said, “Hell—
No conviction for Jan Six?
Then nothing will stick.”
Authoritarians love that smell.

The trials came and went in a flash,
Focused tight so they wouldn’t crash.
But when acquittals rang clear,
The public moved on without fear,
And the rest of the crimes turned to ash.

So here’s a new trick, sharp and sly:
Don’t impeach—at least not by and by.
Form a committee for slime,
Dig through crime after crime,
And let oversight never run dry.

From DOGE to the data that’s gone,
To troops sent to streets at the dawn;
Court orders defied,
Immigrants vanished aside—
Each week, another full con.

Roll cameras, bring witnesses on,
Like a drama that’s never withdrawn.
Wrap each case in a week,
Drop receipts, cold and bleak—
“Add this one to the list,” and move on.

Let impeachment hang just out of sight,
Like a storm cloud that grows day and night.
“More evidence first,”
Say the Dems when they’re pressed,
“And don’t you want truth done right?”

His crimes once blurred into noise,
Now refocused, each one destroys
The myth of the man—
Just a criminal plan
Run from power, not populist ploys.

So when anchors demand, with a grin,
“Will you impeach him—or not—tell us when?”
Dems reply, calm and plain:
“We’re investigating his reign—
All his crimes. Then we’ll see where that ends.”

[quaint]

39. wow

i mean wow

[WestMichRad]

33. I fully agree with this

… including the strategy of not actually beginning official impeachment proceedings. Keep dragging another investigation into the limelight to show how extensive the disregard for upholding our laws and the constitution has been, and keeping that in the spotlight.

But it needs to be accompanied by another tactic: repeatedly show how Dems are trying to work with Republicans on real issues, solutions to problems affecting many Americans, but they just won’t won’t cooperate to actually do anything productive, and that their being beholden to dear leader (urp!) is a (if not THE) primary cause of their obstinacy. I’m sure there are many examples of this that can be trotted out to show repeatedly how they do not care about the interests of our citizens.

[BootinUp]

34. Democrats need to demonstrate they can lead in the right direction. So every time they speak

they should make the case that we are on the wrong track and that the D party has the right answers, supply examples that are aimed at the audience. Any questions about partisanship should be side stepped. Any questions about invenstigations should be answered in the spirit of getting us on the right track.

[BumRushDaShow]

36. "Impeachment Committee that is tasked with conducting a sweeping investigation"

Basically the equivalent of the J6 Committee, which was not done specifically for Impeachment (the Committee was empaneled in July 2021, going into effect after the 2nd Impeachment that happened Feb. 2021).

The J6 Committee did get a lot of coverage, although it took almost a year after creation, to have their "first" primary hearing session (they had a preliminary hearing on "Security" that summer of 2021 but didn't move to the meat hearings until the following spring of 2022).

[yellow dahlia]

57. Right I felt the J6 Committee was extremely effective.

They organized the info and got it out there.

[KS Toronado]

38. Best idea I've heard in quite awhile.

[Montauk6]

40. Either way, the Democratic Party continues to have a huge target and "KICK ME" sign on its back.

Corporatists, AIPAC lackies, radical communists, transphiles aiming for everyone's children--these are just a bare fraction of the barbs the party has to deal with, even in the presence of a truly whacked out terror cell of goons and freaks.

[Wild blueberry]

42. Brilliant idea PLUS it's a great vehicle for recording all his/regime's crimes

Since they're so intent on memory-holing everying.
Thank you!

[RetiredParatrooper]

43. Impeachment is a waste of time

For the reasons cited.

If the Dems take the House and/or Senate, they can compel testimony. Get the Fascists on the record, and in public, and the ads will right themselves.

[jfz9580m]

45. And longer term - precedents downstream EarlG

I think somewhere (at least on the backburner) there should be a plan to never again allow a guy like this to do this - that is maybe more a bipartisan (the least corrupt conservatives remaining along with the leftish) legal scholar project. A lot of both Trump terms have shown the learned helplessness resulting from the constant shock of asking “Wait, can he/they do that? Aren’t there any checks against this?”

Something I have parallely had personal experience with from the forces behind Trump throughout - the tech giants. They aren’t the brightest guys for all their arrogance. And therefore perhaps it was more subconscious earlier, but by now it is conscious support. They were never truly liberal - I am very familiar with their skin deep liberalism.

This does sound like a good plan. And maybe be savvy about which crimes to focus on. Even after all these years, I find the American or (more broadly even human) zeitgeist confusing. But some people in politics are good at it..
I personally think corruption, incompetence and hypocrisy have universal appeal…

[scipan]

46. This is great, as far as it goes...

But it doesn't actually do much non politically. If a Democratic House has a mandate it will be to rein in Trump, so I think this should be tied in with proactive moves to do that.

What can the House do on its own? 1) Pass bills, and 2) sue if they can show harm, and 3) kill bills.

Maybe after each investigation, they could pass a bill addressing the subject, things like making clear that Impoundment is not something the President has a right to do (even though it should be clear already), or enabling legislation for the 14th Amendment Section 3 (disqualification for insurrection, that SCOTUS punted on).

My main point being to show they are proactively attempting to stop himand any future President from further illegal acts rather than just investigating things.

If your answer is that they'll already be doing that in other ways, I still think it's good to tie that idea in to the investigations. Especially since the Congress's power to investigate is tied to its power to legislate, and impeachment keeps getting deferred in your scenario.

ETA: If new legislation just doesn't fit, maybe because of a SC decision, maybe a Sense of the House could be used, or legislation to further clarify that SCOTUS should not take gifts and/or should recuse if they have a conflict of interest, or that the number of Justices is not written in stone.

[EarlG]

49. I agree that it would need to be a multi-pronged effort

But the pieces do seem to fall together naturally. In my OP I alluded to this near the bottom when I said, "Combined with a broad corruption reform campaign from Democrats, this could make life very difficult for Republicans going into 2028." In a reply above, I also mentioned that, "As well as these impeachment investigations, Democrats should also pass bills seeking to reverse the damage of the first two years. A dual track of anti-corruption bills plus impeachment investigations (which highlight the crimes we need the anti-corruption bills for) would, I think, be highly effective."

I think there's an opportunity here for both political and legislative success. That said, any legislation passed in the House would need to get through the Senate, and would likely die by Trump's veto pen. But even then the political ramifications would be positive for us. Even if the legislative action can't be completed, it's at least worth showing that Democrats are actually making serious efforts to combat corruption, and it would not help Republicans to have Trump vetoing those efforts. I believe this would set us up for electoral success in 2028.

[scipan]

51. I'm afraid I missed some of your replies. We're in agreement! Nt

[scipan]

54. Great OP BTW. Really got me thinking. I can picture it, and it's kinda beautiful.

Sorry I mistakenly thought it was incomplete.

Also I added a paragraph to my first post because I was arguing with myself about the feasibility of a piece of legislation for everything.

And keep the hearings and legislation focused, short and tight! I love it

[yellow dahlia]

58. Imagine some strong legislation to address thre Emoluments Caluse.

It could have teeth and be divided into chapters.

[mcar]

47. A Committee is a great idea

and yes, the whole thing is a trap. I can just hear the "Dems won't impeach!!11 They're weak, spineless, Turd Way, cowards." Blah, blah, blah.

[OldBaldy1701E]

48. Great post (and thanks as always for the great site leadership). But, I still have the same question.

Why are some of us so convinced that the corrupted and broken system is going to be able to repair the corrupted and broken system?

Bear in mind that the system was corrupted and broken over the past 80+ years ago, where we are now is the result of all of that meddling. The constant tweaking of laws and practices by the rich and the corporate interests have left the entire thing in shambles. Using it to try and make it better will just leave us open for this same thing to happen over and over. Using it to go after those for whom the entire system has been tweaked and corrupted to massively favor will just end in their favor.

Also, the idea of just 'putting a little air in the ball and then kicking it down the street' is not helpful either. Personally, I would prefer that Trump be the odd historical bump in the timeline, not the beginning of a dynasty. Which will happen whether he is removed in disgrace or not, if our current socio-political model stays the same. So why be so indifferent to the massive corruption to our original charter and vision (as well as indifferent to the fact that said corruption is the reason we got the orange gibbon and his hooters in the first place), when the situation could be the start of a real effort to go back and re-establish that original vision, but this time with added safeguards and restrictions to make sure that the wealthy, their money, or their corporate entities can never again influence our politics.

After we have our 'Nuremberg' moment, of course. Which we'd damned well better have.

So, why don't we want to do this?

(BTW, you know damned well none of the main media empires are going to do that. They must bow to Dear Leader... they are not going to anger him with coverage of his downfall. The ones that do (here in the US) will just have their license revoked and deny their servers any connection.)

[EarlG]

50. I've mentioned in a couple of places in my OP, and in replies

that this political effort should go hand-in-hand with a strong legislative effort to pass anti-corruption reform laws. Trump's daily disgraces are pissing off a broad range of people, and I think there's going to be an appetite for reform going forward. The political and legislative aspects of the strategy seem to naturally gel together.

[OldBaldy1701E]

55. You have a lot more faith in such a thing happening than I do, I guess. (n/t)

[dickthegrouch]

52. I love the strategy

We need to be training more people how to resist, how to fight back.
We need to empower ordinary people to get over their fear of retaliation by armed, unidentifiable thugs.
We need to be mindful that dotting every "i" and crossing every "t" probably derailed several other impeachment and criminal conviction cases against a whole array of GOP "leaders", operatives and hangers on. Show the receipts, without compromising potential jury integrity, by all means. And suggest open avenues for remedies.
We need a small army of attorneys, engineers, and sociologists preparing the next, more durable, more resilient Constitution.
Socialize the benefits and implications. That's how it was done 250 years ago, even as the population was far smaller. The fabric for such discussions is now much wider in its effectivity, if approached correctly.

[returnee]

53. I have no problem with Dems talking about impeachment...

…all day, every day and twice on Sunday, as long as they are always stating how actions by TSF or any one in his maladministration warrant impeachment. This is education and is necessary. They do not have to move to impeach until Repubs come on board. The Dems can do this whether they take the House or not.

[yellow dahlia]

56. Great idea. Imagine how many more crimes will be perpetrated,

given another year to commit them.

[AZProgressive]

59. I don't buy into accusations of TDS

The term is gaslighting which treats the person critical of Trump as crazy when in fact it is Trump that lost touch with reality. I can deal with Americans electing Trump but I refuse to live in Trump's alternate reality.

Even Nixon's Saturday Night Massacre pales in comparison to the multiple DOJ prosecutors and officials that either resigned in protest or fired. This is one of many scandals or impeachable offenses under Trump.

I want to keep my post as short as possible but in the first term even moderates campaigned on holding Trump accountable and voted to impeach him. I don't think anything has changed. I never bought into the media effort to sane wash Trump as a moderate during the 4 years we had during Biden.

[AntiFascist]

60. Agreed...

Impeachment investigations should be promoted to voters who are otherwise disenchanted with the Democratic Party in order to get them to vote in the midterms.

Once in control of Congress, the threat of impeachment can always be used in order to get Trump to back away from his Fascist tendencies and actually work with Dems on bipartisan legislation that people want passed. A return to government the way it should be working.

[TygrBright]

63. Exactly! "Impeachment is a dead end."

He didn't give a shit the first two times it happened, why the hell would he care about the third, fourth, fifth, sixth, or three hundred and forty-eighth time?

Unless we have enough Democratic Senators (that would be 2/3 plus enough more to counteract the weasels who wouldn't vote to convict-and you know there'd be some) pledged to try and convict him, plus the majority in the House to to bring the articles and run the prosecution, impeachment is just a paradoxical demonstration of GOP strength.

The real war is the propaganda war. They get away with it because the GOP and their master Putin have dominated the propaganda battlefield since the Internet provided them with a trojan horse. Enough Americans either believe, or think it's in their interests to pretend to believe, their constant firehose of bullshit, obfuscation, distraction and projection.

Americans who would unhesitatingly state their conviction that 1) government corruption is a threat to the Republic, 2) middle- and working-class Americans are hanging by an economic thread being cut, strand by strand, by elitist assholes, 3) the government makes all the wrong choices about who to help and how, and 4) malignant foreign interests are undermining the unity and strength of our nation - all completely true! - have been convinced that the parties responsible for these horrors are not 1) the sleazy bribed grifters of the GOP, 2) the broligarchy of super-wealthy authoritarians, 3) the lobbying and Citizens United-empowered corporate welfare queens, and 4) Russian and Chinese government cyberpropaganda experts, but...

...wait for it...

Democrats, "paid agitators", floods of illegally present violent criminals from "shithole countries", imaginary "radical leftists", mythical "antifa domestic terrorists" and ordinary people protesting against armed thugs killing citizens in our streets.

Yeah.

Until we find a way to undo that knot, we won't get anywhere with rebuilding the shattered remnants of our Republic and its once-worthy role as global neighbor.

disgustedly,
Bright

[gristy]

64. Yes!!!!!

Brilliant!