Former Watergate prosecutor Jill Wine-Banks says Donald Trump has committed an “impeachable offense” by refusing to punish Russia for their crimes against the United States during the 2016 election.
In an interview with MSNBC’s Chris Hayes, Wine-Banks said the recent Mueller indictment of 13 Russians shows just how big a threat Russia still is to American democracy. According to the former Watergate prosecutor, Trump’s continued inaction is a “dereliction of duty.”
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Former Watergate Prosecutor Calls Trump’s Refusal To Punish Russia An ‘Impeachable Offense’ #Inners pic.twitter.com/hCWdDtn0jS
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— Sean Colarossi (@SeanColarossi) February 20, 2018
Wine-Banks said:
I would say is that this is an impeachable offense because Donald Trump has not lived up to his constitutional duty to protect America. And we have a real threat to democracy with the interference in our elections. And we need some leadership here. Donald Trump should be asking Congress to pass new legislation that will protect the 2018 election. And he has done absolutely nothing. He has been totally silent on this. In fact, if anything, he has despite his recent statements that well, it could have been Russia, he has many times said it’s not even Russia. And we need him to take some responsibility for this. I think that this is the first step toward an impeachment because this is an impeachable offense.
While the Trump White House is pointing to the Mueller indictment as proof that there was no collusion between his campaign and Russia, it does show just how extensive and elaborate the Russian plot against the United States was and currently is.
Instead of combatting that threat like former President Obama tried to do, Trump has essentially ignored it. Not only has he let Russia off the hook for their previous crimes against American democracy, but it puts the United States at risk of future attacks going forward. This is particularly dangerous ahead of this year’s midterm elections.
The Mueller indictment only confirms that Donald Trump has failed his number one job as president – keeping the country safe. He should be held accountable for that failure.
Sean Colarossi currently resides in Cleveland, Ohio. He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism from the University of Massachusetts Amherst and was an organizing fellow for both of President Obama’s presidential campaigns. He also worked with Planned Parenthood as an Affordable Care Act Outreach Organizer in 2014, helping northeast Ohio residents obtain health insurance coverage.
