- Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Kamala Harris are the most high-profile 2020 candidates to announce their support for beginning impeachment proceedings against Trump following the publication of the Mueller report.
- But other prominent candidates, including Sen. Bernie Sanders and South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg, are concerned that impeachment proceedings could hurt Democrats' chances of winning back the White House in 2020.
- Visit BusinessInsider.com for more stories .
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Here's where 2020 Democratic presidential candidates stand on impeaching Trump
Democratic presidential candidates are torn over the politics and consequences associated with impeaching President Donald Trump.
Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders.
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Ever since the Justice Department released special counsel Robert Mueller's Russia investigation report last week, Democrats have become increasingly divided on whether to immediately move forward with impeachment proceedings against President Donald Trump.
Those divisions are most visible among the nearly 20 Democrats running in the 2020 presidential primary.
Sen. Elizabeth Warren became the most prominent Democrat and first presidential candidate to call on the House to begin the impeachment process last Friday.
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Warren made her case the day after the release of the Mueller report, which did not find sufficient evidence to accuse the president of conspiring with the Russian government to interfere in the 2016 election.
But, Warren pointed out, Mueller did not come to a conclusion on whether Trump illegally obstructed justice in his handling of the investigation and explicitly names Congress' authority to investigate and hold the president accountable in this situation.
Warren argued that it's Congress' constitutional duty to pursue impeachment.
"There is no political inconvenience exception to the United States Constitution," she said on Monday night.
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Sen. Kamala Harris on Monday became the second major 2020 candidate to come out in favor of beginning impeachment proceedings, arguing that Mueller has laid out substantial evidence of the president obstructing justice.
But several other Democratic presidential candidates don't support moving forward with impeachment proceedings immediately. They say it should stay on the table, but that Congress needs to investigate Mueller's findings further before moving on impeachment.
Sen. Bernie Sanders said on Monday night that he's concerned impeachment would distract from the Democratic party's 2020 message on policy issues like healthcare, making it more difficult to win back the White House.
"At the end of the day, what is most important to me is to see that Donald Trump is not re-elected president," Sanders said.
Here's a rundown of the 2020 Democrats who have taken a public stance on impeachment:
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Sen. Elizabeth Warren was the first 2020 candidate to call for impeachment: "If any other human being in this country had done whats documented in the Mueller report, they would be arrested and put in jail."
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Pablo Martinez Monsivais/AP
Sen. Kamala Harris announced on Monday night that she supports beginning impeachment proceedings: "There is an investigation that has been conducted which has produced evidence that tells us that this president and his administration engaged in obstruction of justice. I believe Congress should take steps toward impeachment."
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Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
Sen. Bernie Sanders says Congress should keep investigating, but not necessarily move forward on impeachment: "At the end of the day, what is most important to me is to see that Donald Trump is not re-elected president."
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Matthew Putney/AP
South Bend, Indiana Mayor Pete Buttigieg says its up to Congress: "I think [Trumps] made it pretty clear that he deserves impeachment, but Im also going to leave it to the House and Senate to figure that out."
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Associated Press
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Sen. Cory Booker is against impeachment at this stage: "Theres a lot more investigation that should go on before Congress comes to any conclusion."
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Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
Source: The Associated Press
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Former Rep. Julin Castro supports impeachment proceedings: "I think it would be perfectly reasonable for Congress to open up those proceedings. And it is clear that Bob Mueller in his report left that in the hands of Congress."
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Eric Gay/AP
Former Rep. Beto ORourke doesnt support moving forward on impeachment right now: "Im no longer sure thats the fastest way for us to get there."
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Scott Eisen/Getty Images
Source: NBC News
Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand says Congress needs to hear from Mueller and the attorney general before it can decide on impeachment: I think its important to keep [impeachment] on the table, but I think we need a process."
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Paul Sancya/AP Images
Source: MSNBC
Rep. Seth Moulton is a yes on impeachment proceedings: "I think weve waited way too long to seriously start debating whether to impeach this president ... [Trump] is subject to the same laws as the rest of us are and thats why we should move forward with this debate."
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Charlie Neibergall/AP
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Source: MSNBC
Rep. Tulsi Gabbard: "I dont think that we should defeat Donald Trump through impeachment."
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Slaven Vlasic/Getty Images
Source: Fox News
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Sen. Amy Klobuchar isnt pushing for impeachment. "I believe that I am the jury here, so Im not going to predispose things ... The impeachment proceedings are up to the House. Theyre going to have to make that decision."
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Reuters
Rep. Eric Swalwell says Democrats are "on the road" to impeachment. He argues "doing nothing is not an option" and "this president needs to be held accountable."
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AP Photo/Alex Brandon
Former Gov. John Hickenlooper isnt ready to make a decision on impeachment: "We have to really push for an un-redacted copy of the report that goes to Congress. I think Mr. Mueller should testify in front of Congress, and then we can see in gory detail and in high-contrast color more clearly what went on and make a decision about impeachment."
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Associated Press
Source: NPR
See Also:
- Kamala Harris just became the second 2020 Democrat to call for Trump's impeachment
- Bernie Sanders' advisers blast Pete Buttigieg's 'intellectually dishonest' comparison of Sanders and Donald Trump
- Elizabeth Warren says 'there's no political-convenience exception to the US constitution' when it comes to impeaching Trump
SEE ALSO: Democrats have an intra-party battle brewing over impeaching Trump after the Mueller report's release
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