Former Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe Says Democrats Should Consider Impeaching Donald Trump

On Sunday, former Governor of Virginia Terry McAuliffe called out President Donald Trump in an interview, saying “we ought to look at” impeaching Trump.

When asked by host Jake Tapper in CNN’s State of the Union whether Democrats should look at impeaching Trump, in reference to Trump’s statements at the summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin, McAuliffe said, “I think that’s something we ought to look at.”

“If President (Bill) Clinton or President (Barack) Obama had gone to Helsinki and done what President Trump had done, you would already have impeachment hearings going on,” the former head of the Democratic National Committee said.

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“There has to be a reason, Jake, why he is over there acting the way he acts about Putin, then inviting them here, and then saying he may go over there,” McAuliffe continued. “Do not forget that they came into the 2016 election, they came in and tried to destroy the greatest democracy in the world.”

Right after the summit with Putin, McAuliffe tweeted that Trump had violated his oath of office after the meeting.

The Senate needs to censure Trump for his conduct at Helsinki with Putin. America is under attack and he does nothing. He has violated his oath to preserve, protect and defend…against all enemies foreign and domestic. Republicans need to co-sponsor the resolution.

— Terry McAuliffe (@TerryMcAuliffe) 17. Juli 2018

Democrats are divided on whether calling for Trump’s impeachment is a smart strategy ahead of the 2018 midterm elections, in which polls show them in good position to win control of the House. McAuliffe doesn’t like to focus on Trump, arguing the Democrat Party should be focused on midterm elections, not the presidential election in 2020.

“Our future is on the line this year,” McAuliffe said. “These candidates should not be talking about 2020. We need to make sure we have a check and balance on President Trump, winning the House and Senate and these governors.”

McAuliffe, a longtime ally of former President Clinton, has been mentioned as a possible contender for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination.