New York Times columnist David Brooks is warning that the march to impeachment could end badly.
“Donald Trump committed an impeachable offense on that call with the Ukrainian president. But that doesn’t mean Democrats are right to start an impeachment process,” he wrote in an op-ed Friday.
“Remember, impeachment is a political process, not a legal one. There is no obligation to prosecute. Congress is supposed to do what is in the best interest of the country. And this process could be very bad for America,” he warned.
First, he noted that even if the House impeaches Trump, “This will probably achieve nothing.”
“To actually remove Trump from office, at least 20 Republican senators would have to vote to convict him. If you think that will happen because of this incident, you haven’t been paying attention to the Senate Republicans over the past two and a half years,” he wrote.
He said House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) is taking a “giant risk,” given that Trump would likely be acquitted in the Senate.
“Usually when a leader takes a big risk, it’s because there’s a big upside,” he wrote. “But Nancy Pelosi is taking a giant risk and there is little upside. At the end of this process Trump will probably be acquitted by the Senate. He will declare himself vindicated and victorious in his battle against The Swamp. An ugly backlash could ensue — in both parties.”
He also noted that the push for impeachment is “completely elitist.”
“This is completely elitist. We’re in the middle of an election campaign. If Democrats proceed with the impeachment process, it will happen amid candidate debates, primaries and caucuses,” he wrote. “Elections give millions and millions of Americans a voice in selecting the president. This process gives 100 mostly millionaire senators a voice in selecting the president.”
He said the message from “Democratic elitists” to voters would be “We don’t trust you. Too many of you are racists!”
Brooks also noted there is no “bipartisan groundswell” for impeachment. Recent polls have shown a slight uptick in favor of impeachment, but the country is still deeply divided.
“This is not what the country wants to talk about. Pelosi said she would not proceed with impeachment unless there was a bipartisan groundswell of support,” he wrote. “There is no bipartisan groundswell, and yet she’s proceeding. According to a Quinnipiac University poll, only 37 percent of Americans support impeachment.”
Brooks underscored that point, writing that when traveling around the country and speaking to hundreds of people, only one — a fellow journalist — mentioned impeachment.
The impeachment process is “already devolving into the sort of mindless partisan war that causes Americans to be disgusted with Washington.”
“Impeachment is no longer a rare and grave crisis in American life; it’s becoming a device parties use when the House and the presidency are in the hands of different parties. Democratic House members have already introduced impeachment articles against Trump on at least four occasions. It’s just another partisan thing,” he wrote.
Impeachment also reinforces Trump’s message that “the liberal elites screw people like us,” he wrote.
“If Trump’s most visible opponents are D.C. lawyers, Trumpism becomes permanent,” he warned.
He argued that impeachment would bring out the most extreme Democrat candidates and marginalize moderates.
“An election can save the country. An inside-the-Beltway political brawl will not,” he wrote.
Follow Breitbart News’ @Kristina_Wong.
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