Watch Veronica Escobar Make the Case for Impeaching Trump

With a simple analogy, the representative from Texas takes down Republicans’ argument that Trump committed no wrongdoing.

Tom Williams/Zuma

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While the House Judiciary Committee debated the articles of impeachment drawn up against President Donald Trump, Rep. Veronica Escobar (D-Texas) used a simple analogy to make the case that the president had committed a crime.

“If a community suffers a natural disaster, and the governor of the state has aid that will help that community, but calls the mayor of your community and says, ‘I want you to do me a favor, though,’ and conditions giving the aid to the community on the police chief smearing his political opponent, has there been a crime?” Escobar said this morning. “The answer is yes. And that governor would go to jail.”

The governor would go to jail, Escobar said, even if he released the aid after he got caught. Escobar also pointed out that this hypothetical governor also would have committed a crime if he defied subpoenas and tried to cover up his wrongdoing.

“Our Republican colleagues are working overtime to try to convince us that we didn’t see what we saw with our own eyes and we didn’t hear what we heard with our own ears,” she said. “Facts matter.”

Watch Escobar’s full statement below:

PLEASE—BEFORE YOU CLICK AWAY!

“Lying.” “Disgusting.” “Scum.” “Slime.” “Corrupt.” “Enemy of the people.” Donald Trump has always made clear what he thinks of journalists. And it’s plain now that his administration intends to do everything it can to stop journalists from reporting things it doesn’t like—which is most things that are true.

We’ll say it loud and clear: At Mother Jones, no one gets to tell us what to publish or not publish, because no one owns our fiercely independent newsroom. But that also means we need to directly raise the resources it takes to keep our journalism alive. There’s only one way for that to happen, and it’s readers like you stepping up. Please do your part and help us reach our $150,000 membership goal by May 31.

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PLEASE—BEFORE YOU CLICK AWAY!

“Lying.” “Disgusting.” “Scum.” “Slime.” “Corrupt.” “Enemy of the people.” Donald Trump has always made clear what he thinks of journalists. And it’s plain now that his administration intends to do everything it can to stop journalists from reporting things it doesn’t like—which is most things that are true.

We’ll say it loud and clear: At Mother Jones, no one gets to tell us what to publish or not publish, because no one owns our fiercely independent newsroom. But that also means we need to directly raise the resources it takes to keep our journalism alive. There’s only one way for that to happen, and it’s readers like you stepping up. Please do your part and help us reach our $150,000 membership goal by May 31.

payment methods

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