Brooks: ‘Still a Slightly Weak Case’ on Why Trump Should Be Removed

On Friday’s “PBS NewsHour,” New York Times columnist David Brooks stated that he thinks the House impeachment managers have made a strong case “on proving that Trump did it” but still have a “slightly weak case” on why the president should be removed from office.

Brooks stated, “I would give them an A on proving that Trump did it. I think the evidence was overwhelming before walking in, but they presented it clearly. I would give them a lower grade on, should he be removed from office? And to me, for doubting Republicans, if there are any, that’s the more important argument to make. I thought they hit that less hard, and, frankly, less well. All my friends loved Adam Schiff’s closing comments last night. I was a little less impressed. I mean, the two main arguments were — that’s when he directly addressed why this is worth removing. And it was, well, Trump believed Giuliani, and not his own intelligence agencies, and he did it out of self-interest. That strikes me as true, not a big crime. And then he said, you can’t trust Trump in the 2020 election, when China may interfere. But you can’t impeach for something that hasn’t already happened. And so I think the removal part is still a slightly weak case.”

Follow Ian Hanchett on Twitter @IanHanchett