Schiff claims impeachment wouldn’t be failure even if Trump acquitted by Senate

The impeachment process won’t be a failure if President Donald Trump is acquitted by the Senate, as seems almost certain, Democratic Rep. Adam Schiff said Sunday.

“No, it isn’t a failure. At least it’s not a failure in the sense of our constitutional duty in the House,” Schiff, chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, said on ABC’s “This Week.”

.@gstephanopoulos: "If President Trump is overwhelmingly acquitted in the Senate, is that a failure?"

House Intel Chair Adam Schiff: "No, it isn't a failure. At least it's not a failure in the sense of our constitutional duty in the House." https://t.co/P6iz1j1VA4 pic.twitter.com/G1oCNC46xu

— This Week (@ThisWeekABC) December 15, 2019

On the same program, Rep. Jerry Nadler of New York, chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, continued to press the Democrats’ case, saying Trump “poses a continuing threat” to U.S. national security and democracy.

The judiciary committee on Friday recommended Trump’s impeachment in a party-line vote. The panel acted on two counts, one charging Trump with abuse of power and the other with obstruction of Congress. The investigation followed Trump’s July phone call with Ukraine’s president.

Bitter partisan disagreement continues over whether the ultimate constitutional punishment fits the nature of the president’s alleged misconduct. Across the country, polls show about half of Americans support impeaching Trump, with responses falling along party lines.

The votes to advance the articles of impeachment for consideration by the full House this week will almost inevitably lead to Trump becoming only the third president in U.S. history to be impeached.

Schiff said he was “confident” there will be a majority in the House to impeach the president, even as Republicans target 31 Democratic lawmakers from districts that Trump won in 2016.

The process would then move to a trial in the Senate, where Republicans hold a majority.

You can watch the entire interview here: