September 21, 2019

Impeachment and Nancy Pelosi

J. Scott Applewhite/AP

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Nancy Pelosi is getting a lot of grief over this:

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.

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This is how change happens.

One story at a time.

This investigative reporting takes time too. Months of research. Weeks of writing, editing, and fact checking—and putting together the photography, art, video, and audio that tell the stories in a new way, illuminating new perspectives and voices.

We can afford to take our time because we don’t report to oligarchs or corporations. We report to you, and for you.

And the stakes are high. Democracy is on the defense. We’ve been exposing corruption and scandal for five decades, and this is a pivotal moment in our country’s history. Will democracy prevail? We won’t wait for time to tell—independent journalism is essential for democracy, and we’ll keep doing our part to amplify the free press.

So, we’re asking: Will you join the fight? Mother Jones has been here for 50 years, and we need your support to fuel the future of investigative journalism. Mark our 50th anniversary with a gift of any amount.

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