Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) is pictured attending a protest by Stop & Shop employees last week. On Friday she became the first 2020 presidential candidate to call for impeachment proceedings for President Donald Trump. (Photo: @ewarren/Twitter)
Warren Becomes First 2020 Contender to Announce Support for Impeachment Proceedings Against Trump
"The severity of this misconduct demands that elected officials in both parties set aside political considerations and do their constitutional duty."
Sen. Elizabeth Warren became the first 2020 Democratic presidential candidate to call for impeachment proceedings against President Donald Trump on Friday.
The Massachusetts Democrat decided to call on the House to move to impeach Trump shortly after reportedly reading the redacted Mueller report on Thursday.
Warren pointed to Special Counsel Robert Mueller's finding that Trump may have obstructed justice as Mueller was investigating his campaign's contacts with Russia, as a reason for bringing charges against the president.
"To ignore a President's repeated efforts to obstruct an investigation into his own disloyal behavior would inflict great and lasting damage on this country, and it would suggest that both the current and future presidents would be free to abuse their power in similar ways," Warren tweeted.
"The severity of this misconduct demands that elected officials in both parties set aside political considerations and do their constitutional duty," the senator continued. "That means the House should initiate impeachment proceedings against the President of the United States."
CNN correspondent M.J. Lee. reported that Warren felt it was her "duty" to publicly call for impeachment proceedings after reading the report, but that she does not plan to make the issue a central theme of her campaign.
The call puts Warren at odds with top Democrats in Congress and contrasts sharply with a statement from House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer following the Mueller report's release, which urged Democrats to wait for voters to elect a new president in 2020 rather than pursuing impeachment for Trump.
Some political observers reacted with surprise at Warren's announcement, while some praised the senator for letting the public know her clear position on the issue.
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Sen. Elizabeth Warren became the first 2020 Democratic presidential candidate to call for impeachment proceedings against President Donald Trump on Friday.
The Massachusetts Democrat decided to call on the House to move to impeach Trump shortly after reportedly reading the redacted Mueller report on Thursday.
Warren pointed to Special Counsel Robert Mueller's finding that Trump may have obstructed justice as Mueller was investigating his campaign's contacts with Russia, as a reason for bringing charges against the president.
"To ignore a President's repeated efforts to obstruct an investigation into his own disloyal behavior would inflict great and lasting damage on this country, and it would suggest that both the current and future presidents would be free to abuse their power in similar ways," Warren tweeted.
"The severity of this misconduct demands that elected officials in both parties set aside political considerations and do their constitutional duty," the senator continued. "That means the House should initiate impeachment proceedings against the President of the United States."
CNN correspondent M.J. Lee. reported that Warren felt it was her "duty" to publicly call for impeachment proceedings after reading the report, but that she does not plan to make the issue a central theme of her campaign.
The call puts Warren at odds with top Democrats in Congress and contrasts sharply with a statement from House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer following the Mueller report's release, which urged Democrats to wait for voters to elect a new president in 2020 rather than pursuing impeachment for Trump.
Some political observers reacted with surprise at Warren's announcement, while some praised the senator for letting the public know her clear position on the issue.
Sen. Elizabeth Warren became the first 2020 Democratic presidential candidate to call for impeachment proceedings against President Donald Trump on Friday.
The Massachusetts Democrat decided to call on the House to move to impeach Trump shortly after reportedly reading the redacted Mueller report on Thursday.
Warren pointed to Special Counsel Robert Mueller's finding that Trump may have obstructed justice as Mueller was investigating his campaign's contacts with Russia, as a reason for bringing charges against the president.
"To ignore a President's repeated efforts to obstruct an investigation into his own disloyal behavior would inflict great and lasting damage on this country, and it would suggest that both the current and future presidents would be free to abuse their power in similar ways," Warren tweeted.
"The severity of this misconduct demands that elected officials in both parties set aside political considerations and do their constitutional duty," the senator continued. "That means the House should initiate impeachment proceedings against the President of the United States."
CNN correspondent M.J. Lee. reported that Warren felt it was her "duty" to publicly call for impeachment proceedings after reading the report, but that she does not plan to make the issue a central theme of her campaign.
The call puts Warren at odds with top Democrats in Congress and contrasts sharply with a statement from House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer following the Mueller report's release, which urged Democrats to wait for voters to elect a new president in 2020 rather than pursuing impeachment for Trump.
Some political observers reacted with surprise at Warren's announcement, while some praised the senator for letting the public know her clear position on the issue.