Tulsi Gabbard: Impeachment Would ‘Tear Our Country Apart’

Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D-HI), 2020 White House hopeful, is warning against launching an impeachment inquiry targeting President Donald Trump, saying the move would further tear at the United States’ social fabric.

Gabbard told Full Court Press host Greta Van Susteren in a recent interview, according to The Hill:

I don’t [back impeachment]. You know, I think it’s important for us to think about what is in the best interest of the country and the American people, and continuing to pursue impeachment is something that I think will only further to tear our country apart.

“Make no bones about it: We need to defeat Donald Trump,” the Hawaii Democrat added. “But I think it’s important for our country’s sake and our future that the voters in this country are the ones who do that, and I believe that we will.”

Conversely, other presidential candidates such as Sens. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), and Kamala Harris (D-CA) support the House of Representatives introducing a measure to oust the president, a move 132 Democrats in the lower chamber publically support.

Despite the growing number of House Democrats backing impeachment, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) has repeatedly poured cold water on the idea and instead called for committees to continue their ongoing investigations into the president and his associates.

“The public isn’t there on impeachment. It’s your voice and constituency, but give me the leverage I need to make sure that we’re ready and it is as strong as it can be,” Pelosi said, urging Democrats to make their argument as strong as possible.

However, Pelosi’s opposition to impeachment has not stopped plans by the House Judiciary Committee to formally vote to define the panel’s so-called “impeachment investigation.”

According to Politico, the powerful committee, chaired by Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-NY), could vote as early as this week on a measure to “spell out the parameters of its investigation.” The report follows news that the panel may investigate “hush-money” payments made by former Trump lawyer Michael Cohen to pornographic actress Stormy Daniels and model Karen McDougal, two women alleging affairs with President Trump.

Of the possible probe, Trump attorney Jay Sekulow told the Washington Post: “No campaign violations were engaged in by the president.”