WASHINGTON — No former president has ever been impeached before in US history, but the prospect of Donald Trump is causing the first, if any, alarm among party members on Capitol Hill.
Asked about the GOP presidential candidate who could be jailed in New York for his role in paying adult film star Stormy Daniels, the Republican lawmaker insisted that the indictment would help Trump in 2024.
“Ironically, this left wing [district attorney] can play a pivotal role in reelecting Donald Trump as president,” Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) predicted on Friday, referring to Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg. “It is likely to rally the Republican primary voters behind Trump.”
Even Senator Lisa Murkowski, a Trump critic, acknowledged the possibility that criminal charges could help Trump’s quest for a third term. The Alaska Republican laughed when asked to comment on the “surreal” situation, succinctly summing up the current absurdity.
“Only Trump can be helped by impeachment,” Murkowski told HuffPost, throwing up her hands and shaking her head in disbelief. “Seriously, listen to your question. I didn’t mean to be funny, but [for] others, impeachment is not the way to win elections.
Bragg is investigating Trump over the former president’s role in a $130,000 cash payment to Daniels in 2016 before the presidential election. Daniels said she had sex with Trump in 2006, an allegation Trump denied.
A grand jury convened by Bragg could vote on whether to indict Trump as early as this week. The former president claimed over the weekend that he would be arrested, calling on his supporters to take to the streets in protest.
Whether the impeachment could help or hurt Trump politically has been a matter of heated debate in Washington, with both cases in several newspapers. It is likely that the charges filed by New York prosecutors will benefit Trump in the immediate GOP primary. Competitors have been quick to defend him, and he will not lose the opportunity to make various appeals for funding.
It’s unclear how the indictment will affect Trump’s chances in the general election, which is more than a year away. He lost to Joe Biden in the 2020 presidential race in part because of Trump fatigue among wary GOP voters. Other legal issues — in New York, Georgia, and potentially at the Justice Department — could compound the problem.
“Only Trump can be helped by impeachment. I don’t mean to be funny, but [for] others, impeachment is not the way to win elections.
– It is. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska)
One thing that is clear is that Trump continues to hold a firm grip on the GOP establishment. He became the first president to be impeached twice by the House of Representatives, and the first to try to overturn the election he lost, causing riots in the US Capitol on January 6, 2021. But Republican lawmakers still rallied against him. defense and attack the local prosecutor before he even reveals the charges against the target.
“Trump’s impeachment would be a disgusting abuse of power. The DA should be put in jail,” Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) tweeted on Tuesday.
When reporters asked Paul whether the Bragg law has been violated so that he deserves to say jail time, the senator refused to state.
“I think we’ll stick with what we tweeted,” he said CNN.
Other Republicans have claimed Bragg is leading a politically motivated investigation that relies on untested legal theories dealing with falsifying business records to cover up federal crimes.
“We’re not talking about local prosecutors, you know, criminals. … We’re talking about people who went after the former president,” said Sen. Thom Tillis (RN.C.) told reporters.
Top Democrats, meanwhile, were tight-lipped when asked about the possibility of Trump’s impeachment and how it would affect the 2024 presidential race. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (DN.Y.) and Democratic Senator Campaign Committee Chairman Gary Peters (D-Mich.) both declined to comment Tuesday.
Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.) also said he did not want to speculate, but suggested that any legal investigation involving the former president should be airtight before proceeding to court.
“I have always been of the opinion that if and when one of these cases happens, I hope that the prosecutor has all his ducks in a row,” Warner told HuffPost.
“This is an example of why Donald Trump is full when he says there is a ‘deep state,’ because there is no coordination between the cases that are happening today,” Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) said when asked. if he has concerns that charge Trump through allegedly falsifying business records can dampen the public reaction to other accusations can be against him, including his role in the January 6 riots.
Other Democrats say not to prosecute Trump because politics would damage America’s legal system and that an indictment would ultimately cost him money.
“It’s hard to make ‘convicted of a crime’ look good,” Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (DR.I.) told HuffPost.
“He should face the consequences of his actions,” said Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.). “As long as the prosecutor does the right thing, I think it’s the right thing to do, and ultimately, it’s going to be the politically correct thing to do.”
Only Sen. Joe Manchin (DW.Va.), a moderate considering whether to run for re-election in a state where Trump is very popular, advised caution because the impeachment could have a “reverse effect.”
“There are a lot of reasons not to support Donald Trump. There are a lot of reasons why he shouldn’t be president again, but you have to be careful … it just makes him brave,” Manchin said.