In a sudden change of heart, former Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) now says Democrats should start an impeachment inquiry into President Donald Trump, according to a Tuesday USA Today report.
“It’s not the right thing to do nothing,” Reid told USA Today. “It’s not the right thing to jump into impeachment without doing an inquiry.”
Reid had previously warned Democrats against impeachment efforts, arguing that they couldn’t “afford” the political risk given that Senate Republicans would block impeachment anyway.
“If you look at what happened following the impeachment of President Clinton, his popularity rose dramatically,” the former senator told NBC reporter Chuck Todd in April. “We have just a short time until the next election.”
However, Reid now believes that it’s pointless for Democrats to wait for support from Republicans, who are “going arm-in-arm with Trump, right over the cliff” anyway.
According to Reid, Democrats should start the impeachment inquiry “to find out how the public reacts” and possibly sway its opinion in the process.
A spokesperson for Reid told USA Today on Tuesday that Reid had spoken with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA).
