Democrats eager to start impeachment investigation against Trump

Nancy Pelosi, Democratic Speaker of the House-designate, is wisely trying to restrain her colleagues who are eager as hell to begin discussing impeachment of Donald Trump once they take control of the House of Representatives next month. Being too eager may turn out badly for the Democrats. Frst, because Robert Mueller has still not finished his special counsel investigation into the allegations of collusion between Russian officials and the Trump campaign team, and it seems sensible for them to wait until it is. And second, if the Democrats go impeachment-crazy next month it might turn a lot of voters off and make it difficult for prospective Democratic presidential candidates hoping to beat Trump in 2020. They would very quickly be seen as Trump-impeachment candidates rather than candidates in their own right. That might work later in the campaign but certainly not in early 2019. It will be a tricky timetable decision for Pelosi. She will want the Democrats to be viewed by the public as the respectable party getting ready for governing, not a party of Get-Trump-At-All-Costs fanatics. Once Mueller reports his conclusions, of course, Pelosi and co will probably have far more material to exploit if and when it is decided to go for impeachment. There is every expectation that sometime in the early part of the New Year, Mueller will go public with his findings. Will there be a bombshell or a series of damp squibs? An impeachment-type accusation against Trump himself or just a long list of doubtful goings-on without a specific prime facie case of Trump/Moscow collusion? A lot of the Mueller stuff has already been made public, with all the indictments announced. So what's left are the final chapter and the overall conclusions. In other words, the Mueller verdict. If the Democrats on the House Judiciary Committee can restrain themselves until Mueller has spoken, no one will be able to accuse them of interfering or overlapping with the Mueller team of investigators. Pelosi is a clever and highly experienced politician and so far she seems to be making the right choices. If she puts a foot wrong Trump will come crashing down on her with big boots on. That would not be a pretty sight.