Congresswoman Guarantees Trump-Russia Collusion

Outspoken Donald Trump critic Maxine Waters on Thursday guaranteed that there was collusion between the president and Russia and called on the black community to demand his impeachment. Waters, the long-time Democratic Congresswoman from California, has frequently called for Trump to be removed from office, citing a variety of alleged offenses.

But her latest tirade against the United States’ 45th president may be her most severe yet. Speaking at a town hall on civil rights for the Congressional Black Caucus, Waters called on the black community to step up and make their voices heard in opposition to Trump. Adding that there was no strict definition for what constituted an impeachable offense.

“How many in your organization have said ‘impeach 45?’” she said. “Impeachment is about whatever the Congress says it is. There is no law that dictates impeachment. What the Constitution says is ‘high crimes and misdemeanors,’ and we define that.

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“Bill Clinton got impeached because he lied. Here you have a president, who I can tell you and guarantee you is in collusion with the Russians to undermine our democracy. Here you have a president who has obstructed justice. And here you have a president that lies every day.”

While the Constitution dictates that a president can only be removed for “treason, bribery or other high crimes and misdemeanors,” it is ultimately a political and not a legal decision. That reality is why the chances of impeaching Trump within the near future are viewed as slim to non-existent with Republicans controlling both houses of Congress.

One of Waters’ fellow California Democrats, Brad Sherman, began the process against Trump in July, filing articles of impeachment in the House of Representatives, accusing the president of obstructing justice over his firing of former FBI Director James Comey. Trump later said he had the investigation into whether he colluded with Russia on his mind when he decided to fire Comey. It has been reported in recent days that the man now leading the investigation, special counsel Robert Mueller, is seeking documents related to Trump’s dismissal of the former FBI director.

If he is impeached, Trump would become just the third president to suffer such a fate, following Andrew Johnson and Bill Clinton. Both were later acquitted in the Senate. Waters, though, has already made up her mind that it is time for Trump to go.

“Thank God that the special counsel is beginning to connect the dots—and understand Facebook’s role in it, social media’s role in it,” she continued in remarks that earned a standing ovation. “When is the black community going to say, ‘yeah, Impeach him’? It’s time to go after him. I don’t hear you. Don’t another person come after me and say ‘you go, girl.’ No, you go.”