Trump apparently keeps telling advisers he will 'sue' Democrats if they impeach him

(Image credit: Mandel Ngan/AFP/Getty Images)

published 12 June 2019

"President Trump has threatened to take legal action if Democrats try to impeach him, musing that he'll 'sue,'" reports Ashley Parker at The Washington Post. "He has peppered confidants and advisers with questions about how an impeachment inquiry might unfold," and while he's "fixated on his belief that Democrats can't impeach him because he has done nothing wrong," he's also "intrigued by the notion of impeachment but wary of its practical dangers."

Trump has publicly said he would ask the Supreme Court to intercede if Congress tries to impeach him — a notion most legal scholars say is bonkers, since impeachment is spelled out and enshrined in the Constitution, though frequent Trump ally Alan Dershowitz told the Post he could envision a case where the Supreme Court would step in. But "Trump has also griped privately that if Democrats tried to impeach him, he would simply sue," Parker reports, citing interviews with 15 White House aides, outside Trump advisers, and GOP lawmakers.

His advisers are split on the political merits of impeachment: Many outside Trump loyalists argue it's a winner and perhaps his one path to re-election, Parker reports, while a larger group warns it would be a grueling and legacy-staining ordeal. Democrats are split, too. "I think this is another one of those things where Democrats are sort of out-thinking themselves," MSNBC's Rachel Maddow told Seth Meyers on Tuesday's Late Night. "You sort of can't game out what the political impact of impeachment is going to be — that's not the kind of process impeachment is."

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Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.