CLOSE

Impeaching at U.S. President might not be all for their career. Not only can a president remain in office after impeachment, but even see higher approval ratings. We explain.
Just the FAQs, USA TODAY

LAS VEGAS – Former Leader Majority Leader Harry Reid, who is a new member of the House of Commons. office.

"It's not the right thing to do nothing," Reid said in an interview Monday with USA TODAY. "It's not the right thing to jump into impeaching without doing an inquiry."

The most important goal, he said, would be to "give the American people a view of what's going on."

The House could establish an impeachment panel to inquire into the allegations that some of the "high crimes and misdemeanors" necessary under the Constitution to remove a president from office. But such a panel would not necessarily vote to impeach Trump – that is, to approve Articles of Impeachment that would send the process to the Senate for a trial.

The fight: Congress and White House fight over subpoenas to train helpers Hope Hicks and Annie Donaldson

Pelosi on Jimmy Kimmel: 'I'm done with' Trump, says GOP Senate would block impeachment

The change in opinion of one of the nation's most senior Democrats, a five-term senator from Nevada who led Senate Democrats for a Decade, reflecting growing momentum within the ranks of impeachment effort.

Democrats have been frustrated by the House of Commons. And last week, Robert Mueller's special counsel, in his first public comments, discouraged calls for him to testify.

Some analysts say an impeachment inquiry would have more attention to the problem.

Then-Sen. Minority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nevada, waves to the crowd on the third day of the Democratic National Convention at the Wells Fargo Center on July 27, 2016 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo: Alex Wong, Getty Images)

Reid's comments are also notable because he was called "a front-row seat" at the nation's last impeachment trial, when Reid was a Senate minority leader. Then, the Republican-controlled House Clinton, but the Senate did not convince him in the trial that followed.

That impeachment effort is rebounded politically against GOP candidates in the 1998 midterm elections.

The Trump from Office.

Buttigieg: Buttigieg says he would vote to impeach Trump, talks Al Franken resignation during Fresno town hall

more: What will Robert Mueller do next? Here's what happened to investigators of Watergate, Iran-Contra and Clinton

Thank you! You're almost signed up for

Keep an eye out for an email to confirm your newsletter registration.

"That has been one of the big arguments against the impeachment," Reid said. "Why do you make Trump a saying 'they could not impeach me?'" And remove him from office. But Reid called that "all the more reason why the inquiry is the right thing to do."

In the end, he said, "I just think Republicans are going arm-in-arm with Trump, right over the cliff." But he said public opinion might be affected by a systematic effort to explore allegations that Trump tried to obstruct the special counsel's investigation and engaged in other wrongdoing.

"I think that's one reason it should go forward, to find out how to react to this," he said.

At the end of the hour-long interview, Reid said he was likely to reach out to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to tell her his thoughts, and a spokesman Reid said Tuesday that the senator had spoken with her office. Reid, who stays in regular touch with Pelosi, heaped on her and her leadership.

Reid, 79, uses a wheelchair after surgery that was necessary because of complications from chemotherapy. But the pancreatic cancer has been broken, and he has been energetic and upbeat. "It does not mean it's cured," he said, "but I feel pretty good."

autoplay

Show Thumbnails

Show Captions

Last SlideNext Slide

Read or Share this story: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2019/06/04/pelosi-led-house-should-open-trump-impeachment-inquiry-harry-reid-says/ 1343009001 /