GOP has a new strategic reason to impeach Donald Trump and Mike Pence both

| 4:14 pm EDT September 2, 2017
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As of today, the Republicans in Congress now have two distinct reasons why they may have to reluctantly impeach and remove Donald Trump before the midterms. The first reason has long been apparent. He entered office with a historically low initial approval rating which has since dropped another ten points. If he becomes toxically unpopular enough, they may have to eject him to avoid getting wiped out in the midterms. But now there’s another reason to impeach Trump before the midterms: Mike Pence’s criminal antics.

Yesterday it was revealed that when Donald Trump was plotting to fire FBI Director James Comey to sabotage the Russia investigation, Mike Pence was in on the discussion and fully aware of Trump’s intent to obstruct justice. This makes Pence guilty of conspiracy to obstruct justice, as well as something called misprision of a felony: witnessing a felony and failing to report it. This means there’s now grounds to impeach them both. If the Republican-controlled Congress impeaches and removes Trump and Pence before the midterms, current Speaker of the House Paul Ryan would become President (unless Ryan is also guilty, in which case it would fall to Orrin Hatch). But let’s say the Republicans don’t impeach.

If the Democrats retake the majority in the midterm elections, Paul Ryan will no longer be Speaker of the House. That job will revert to Democratic House leader Nancy Pelosi, and she would take Ryan’s place in the order of succession. If the Democrats then impeach and remove Trump and Pence in rapid succession, Pelosi could incredibly become President of the United States. It would be a tricky scenario but certainly a possible one. This would obviously be the ultimate nightmare scenario for the Republicans.

So it if becomes clear that Robert Mueller will be able to paint Donald Trump and Mike Pence as being so guilty that the public is ready to support them both being impeached and removed, the Republicans in Congress may have no choice but to go ahead and oust them both, so they can get Paul Ryan – one of their own – into the White House. Failing to oust Trump and Pence could cost the Republicans not only the majority in the midterms, but also the White House in midstream.