McCain: Calls by Democrats to impeach Trump should not be taken ‘very seriously’
May 18, 2017, 5:37 AM | Updated: 11:16 am
(AP Photos)
(AP Photos)
PHOENIX — U.S. Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) said calls made by some congressional Democrats to impeach President Donald Trump should not be taken “very seriously.”
According to a report from The Washington Examiner, McCain told reporters on Wednesday that he does not believe “many people take [Trump impeachment calls] very seriously.”
McCain said an impeachment is not “rational” at this point, adding that all he can do is “judge the situation as it is.”
“Every day, we are all surprised by some other twist and turn of this issue so I can only respond now, and now I do not think that is a rational approach,” McCain said.
The senior senator’s comments reflect on a tumultuous three days for the Trump administration, which has been pummeled with reports that:
• Trump shared highly-classified intelligence information about an Islamic State terrorist threat, given to the U.S. by Israeli officials, with Russian leaders in a meeting last week that possibly violated the intelligence-sharing agreement between the U.S. and Israel and jeopardized the safety of an Israeli asset. (Monday)
• Trump asked former FBI Director James Comey to shut down an investigation into former national security adviser Michael Flynn before Trump abruptly fired the director last week amid the bureau’s investigation into possible Russian interference into the 2016 presidential election. (Tuesday)
• The Department of Justice appointed Deputy U.S. Attorney General Rod Rosenstein as a special prosecutor to investigate possible interference by Russia in last year’s election. (Wednesday)
While some congressional Democrats, including U.S. Rep. Ruben Gallego of Arizona, have pointed to these events as proof that Trump is “marching toward impeachment,” others, like U.S. Rep. Al Green of Texas, openly called for the impeachment of Trump on Wednesday.
Even McCain himself said that Trump’s scandals have reached a “Watergate size and scale” while he was speaking at the International Republican Institute on Tuesday night.
But the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, U.S. Rep. Adam Schiff of California, told CNN that an impeachment would be a “wrenching experience” for the country.
“That’s not something that we should be rushing into or rushing to suggest,” Schiff said. “[There are] some profound questions I think we need to answer before we get too far down the path of what are the consequences if the proof turns out to be there.”
Despite the ongoing controversies surrounding Trump and his administration, congressional Republicans are still holding out hope that a party majority in the White House, Senate and House will lead to the repeal and replacement of Obamacare, passing a new tax code and maintaining a majority after the 2018 midterm elections.
