If Donald Trump were in office, these comments would be grounds for impeachment.

Many have branded Donald Trump unfit to serve as President of the United States due to his childishness, cruelty, ignorance, dishonesty and more. Horror that Trump could occupy the Oval Office has been bipartisan, with a healthy segment of the Republican Party joining Democrats in shared revulsion toward his character.

Now, the man who would be commander-inchief has taken a foreign policy stand that smacks of national betrayal and would surely be grounds for impeachment were he in office.

By calling on the Russia of President Vladimir Putin not only to conduct a cyberhunt for Hillary Clinton’s emails but to release them to the world, Trump unmistakably urged a foreign power to conduct espionage in America.

Still more, at a time when national security experts believe Russian hackers penetrated Democratic National Committee computers, with the data used to damage Clinton’s campaign, Trump stands ready to accept political help from Putin.

Asked whether he would call on Putin to stay out of America’s presidential election, Trump appallingly responded: “I’m not going to tell Putin what to do. Why should I tell Putin what to do?”

Getting still more palsy-walsy with the strongman, Trump said he “would be looking into” formally recognizing Russia-invaded Crimea as under Kremlin control, and into lifting sanctions imposed by President Obama to check Putin’s adventurism.

Trump has often expressed admiration for Putin, who has returned the favor by calling Trump “very talented” while nursing a powerful antipathy toward Clinton, who as secretary of state challenged Putin’s human rights record and expansionism.

When told that Putin “kills journalists, political opponents, and invades countries,” Trump replied, “at least he’s a leader,” later adding “I think our country does plenty of killing, also.”

Trump’s seeming fondness for Putin, who would relish Trump’s willingness to weaken NATO, may track to business ambitions.

“Russians make up a pretty disproportionate cross-section of a lot of our assets,” Donald Trump Jr. told a conference in 2008.

In 2013, Trump gushed like a groupie when his Miss Universe Pageant was to be broadcast from Moscow. “Do you think Putin will be going to The Miss Universe Pageant?” he tweeted “If so, will he become my new best friend?”

Now, Trump insists, “For the record, I have ZERO investments in Russia.” As Trump flirts with treason, the more critical issue is: What investment does, or will, Russia have in him?