J. Scott Applewhite/AP
Nancy Pelosi is getting a lot of grief over this:
is whistleblower/Ukraine situation changing Pelosi’s view on potential Trump impeachment?
adviser tells me: “no. see any GOP votes for it?”
— John Harwood (@JohnJHarwood) September 21, 2019
Obviously this is just the latest episode in the longrunning “Why won’t Nancy Pelosi impeach Trump?” melodrama currently playing out among Democratic activists. But while it’s at least arguable that Trump should be impeached for his sundry depredations of both law and ethics up to now, it’s not arguable that he should be impeached over Ukrainegate. So far, here’s all we know:
- A whistleblower filed a complaint against someone, which the inspector general considers “urgent” and “credible.”
- Various blind news reports say the complaint is about Trump and possibly involves a promise made to Ukraine if they’d open an investigation into Joe Biden’s son.
I’m sure I don’t have to point out that this isn’t even close to impeachable, do I? It could become impeachable at any second if a transcript of the Trump-Ukraine phone call leaks, but that hasn’t happened yet.
If that does happen, and if the transcript is as bad as we think it is, then I’ll join the chorus demanding impeachment hearings and forcing Republicans to either join in or defend Trump’s corruption. But not until then.
