Emanuel urges Democrats to pursue ethics reform over impeaching Trump
In short
Former Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel said Democrats should not try to impeach President Trump if they win the House in next month’s midterms, urging a comprehensive ethics package instead. He said on NBC News’s “Meet the Press” that an impeachment “is not going anywhere” and would be a “food fight.” Outlets reported differing House seat projections ahead of the vote.
Read the full story 2 min read
Former Chicago Mayor and White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel said Democrats should not try to impeach President Trump if they win control of the House after next month’s midterm elections, and should instead pursue ethics reform. Emanuel made the remarks in a Sunday appearance on NBC News’s “Meet the Press,” according to NBC News, The Hill and Fox News. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 ]
Asked whether Democrats should impeach Trump, Emanuel said, according to Fox News: “Short answer: No, because it’s not going anywhere, and it’s going to be a food fight.” He added: “You’re never going to get an impeachment.” The Hill reported he urged Democrats to “pass an ethics package,” saying that otherwise “you just basically prove all Washington is what the American people think.” [ 3 , 4 ]
Emanuel, who was also former President Obama’s chief of staff during his first term, said he supported investigations. “I’m for the investigations. Hold this administration accountable, which is what the Republican Congress and Senate has refused to do,” he told NBC News’s Kristen Welker, referencing a ProPublica report about a Russian oligarch funding a $170,000 wedding celebration for Donald Trump Jr. “They paid $170,000 for a wedding party. And nobody thought it was wrong. That tells you the sense of impunity that’s operating,” he said. [ 3 ]
Trump was impeached twice during his first term, The Hill reported, and Democrats have not made much of an effort to impeach him again during his second term beyond a bid by Rep. Al Green (D-Texas) that was voted down by several House Democrats. Fox News reported that House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries has declined to say whether he would support impeachment proceedings, telling NBC in June that Democrats “haven’t ruled anything in or ruled anything out in terms of accountability.” [ 3 , 4 ]
The two outlets gave different House seat projections for the midterms. The Hill cited Decision Desk HQ forecasting Democrats will hold 238 seats, and cited the same forecaster for Trump’s approval rating at 38.6 percent and disapproval at 59.3 percent, alongside issues it said were dragging on the GOP. Fox News reported Democrats projected to win 215 seats against 201 for Republicans, with Democrats needing three more victories in 19 toss-up races to clinch a majority and Republicans needing at least 17. The Hill said it had reached out to the White House for comment. [ 3 , 4 ]
Why it matters
Emanuel’s remarks put a prominent Democratic voice against a third impeachment of Trump as the party is projected to win the House, framing the party’s choice as ethics legislation built on investigations rather than removal proceedings. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries has declined to say whether he would support impeachment proceedings, so the party’s position if it takes the majority is not settled in the documents.
Key facts
- Former Chicago Mayor and White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel said Democrats should not pursue impeaching President Trump if they win control of the House, and should instead pursue ethics reform. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 ]
- Emanuel made the remarks in a Sunday appearance on NBC News’s “Meet the Press.” [ 1 , 3 , 4 ]
- Emanuel said Democrats would never secure an impeachment and urged them to “pass an ethics package.” [ 1 , 3 , 4 ]
- Emanuel said he supported investigations to hold the administration accountable, citing a ProPublica report about a Russian oligarch paying $170,000 for a wedding celebration for Donald Trump Jr. [ 3 ]
- Trump was impeached twice during his first term, and a bid by Rep. Al Green (D-Texas) to impeach him again was voted down by several House Democrats, according to The Hill. [ 3 ]
- The Hill cited Decision Desk HQ forecasting Democrats will hold 238 seats, with Trump’s approval at 38.6 percent and disapproval at 59.3 percent. [ 3 ]
- Fox News reported Democrats projected to win 215 seats against 201 for Republicans, needing three more wins among 19 toss-up races for a majority. [ 4 ]
Confirmed by several sources
- Former Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel said Democrats should not pursue impeaching President Trump if they win the House and should instead pursue ethics reform. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 ]
- Emanuel is a former Chicago mayor and a former White House chief of staff. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 ]
- Emanuel made the remarks on NBC News’s “Meet the Press.” [ 1 , 3 , 4 ]
- Emanuel said Democrats would never secure an impeachment. [ 3 , 4 ]
Still unclear
- Whether Democrats would pursue impeachment if they win the House. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries has declined to say whether he would support impeachment proceedings, and the documents report no party decision; that detail comes from a single outlet.
- The Democratic House seat projections for the midterms. The Hill cites Decision Desk HQ forecasting 238 Democratic seats while Fox News reports a 215-201 projection with 19 toss-up races, so the documents do not agree on the numbers.
- Any response from the White House to Emanuel’s remarks. The Hill said it had reached out to the White House for comment; no response appears in the documents.
What local media are saying
Timeline, local time
- NBC News publishes Emanuel’s remarks from his “Meet the Press” appearance, quoting his “short answer, no” on impeachment and his call for a comprehensive ethics package. [ 1 ]
- NBC News publishes a further report on Emanuel’s call for Democrats to pursue ethics reforms rather than impeaching Trump. [ 2 ]
- The Hill reports the remarks in full, including his reference to a ProPublica report on a $170,000 wedding celebration for Donald Trump Jr., and cites Decision Desk HQ seat and approval figures. [ 3 ]
- Fox News reports the remarks along with House seat projections and Hakeem Jeffries’s June comments on impeachment. [ 4 ]