Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA), one of the first lawmakers on Capitol Hill to support impeachment proceedings against President Donald Trump, admits that the American public does not support her position.
.@RepMaxineWaters to Trump: "Just resign and save us the trouble" https://t.co/x1OwAPwn6U #CheddarLive pic.twitter.com/Uay57Oa5IZ
— Cheddar (@cheddar) June 3, 2019
“I do believe that our country is a bit unsettled because we have the president — the likes we’ve never seen before. We have people coming from all different directions in our society saying something is wrong, and members of the California society want members of Congress to do something about it,” Waters told Cheddar in an interview outside the California Democratic Convention over the week.
The House Financial Services Committee chairwoman then conceded that polls show Americans disagree with her on impeachment — but expressed optimism that the tide will turn once the special counsel Robert Mueller’s report, which cleared the 2016 Trump campaign of criminal conspiracy with Russia, is better understood.
“And so it’s not reflected yet in the way that it should be reflected in the polls, but I’m confident that as each day goes by, that as people learn more and more, and the Mueller report has helped an awful lot. People understanding things they’ve never heard before,” the California Democrat said.
“Many people will never read that report, but as we go through our constitutional responsibility of oversight and investigation in the six committees that have that responsibility with this investigation, people are going to learn more and I’m confident the support for impeachment will grow,” she added.
Waters’ comments after the latest Harvard CAPS/Harris Poll survey showed the majority of voters oppose impeachment. “Of the 1,295 registered voters polled, only 37 percent support impeaching and removing President Trump from office. While 43 percent favor “no action,” 60 percent of Democrat voters believe Trump should be impeached and removed altogether,” Breitbart News reported.
Polling aside, it is unlikely the will of the voters will sway Waters from her position on impeachment. Just last week, the California Democrat referred to President Trump as a “traitor” and “porn star fornicator” who “should take his ridiculous self home, resign, and free us of what we will have to do to impeach him and throw him out of office!”
While Waters talks tough about impeachment, the longtime lawmaker did not object when House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) signaled during a House Democrat caucus conference call that leadership has no immediate plans to pursue impeachment. Nonetheless, Pelosi continues to face pressure from dozens of Democrats to support the start of impeachment proceedings. Over 50 congressional Democrats now support it, as do various White House hopefuls, including Sens. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) and Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY).
On Tuesday, over 25 progressive groups, including the Justice Democrats and the Women’s March, sent a letter to Pelosi demanding she begin proceedings to oust the president, writing: “As Speaker of the House, you have the power to ensure Congress exercises its constitutional obligation to hold this president accountable, but instead of using your power, you are giving us political excuses for why you shouldn’t.”
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