The Reach To Impeach, Con't

Democratic Rep. Jackie Speier gives the correct answer today on the GOP defense of Trump being that Trump's Ukraine scandal doesn't rise to the level of impeachable: "This is a very strong case of bribery", an offense written directly into the Constitution as impeachable.

A Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee defended the Democrats' strategy in the impeachment inquiry and responded on Sunday to the Republican witness requests in an interview on ABC's "This Week."

"This is a very simple, straightforward act. The president broke the law," said Rep. Jackie Speier of California. "He went on a telephone call with the President of Ukraine and said 'I have a favor though' and then proceeded to ask for an investigation of his rival. This is a very strong case of bribery."

The constitution is very clear, treason, bribery or acts of omission," she added. "And in this case it’s clearly one of those."

Republicans are now falling back on "It's all one-sided so it's illegitimate!"

Ranking member of the House Armed Services Committee, Rep. Mac Thornberry, R-Texas, criticized the inquiry for being partisan, in response to Speier during a separate interview on "This Week."

"I think whatever happens now, there will be a taint to this one-sided partisan approach to impeachment, that is different that has been used before, and so I think there will be intense skepticism about whatever they come up with," he said.

When "This Week" co-anchor Martha Raddatz pressed Thornberry on the substance of the allegations at the center of the impeachment inquiry versus the process, Thornberry said, "I believe that it is inappropriate for a president to ask a foreign leader to investigate a political rival."

He added, however, "I do not believe it was impeachable."

This is where the country will be headed into hearings later this week.  Everyone agrees he did it, but is it impeachable?

If the answer is no, if bribery isn't impeachable, then we're done as a nation.