Schiff: Dems to discuss impeachment and ‘best course for the country’

WASHINGTON— House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff said Sunday that the Democrats will discuss whether to begin impeachment hearings of President Donald Trump after progressives ratcheted up the pressure on a reluctant party leadership.

“We’re going to have a caucus about this over the next couple weeks to try to figure out what the best course is, not for the party, but what’s the best course for the country,” Schiff said on “FoxNews Sunday.”

His statements followthe release of a redacted version of Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s report, which identified at least 10 instances of potential obstruction of justice and left it to Congress to decide howto handle them.

That opening spurred high-profile progressives, including Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren and New York Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, to call for impeachment.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and other party leaders, battling to preserve party unity so they can move forward on a policy agenda, have repeatedly warned about the political risks of an unsuccessful impeachment attempt.

Schiff, who has previously echoed Pelosi’s position, said Sunday that he had not made up his mind about the “very consequential” issue but again warned that “an impeachment would be unsuccessful if the Republican Party continues to place party above country, continues essentially to back the president no matter how unethical or dishonest his conduct may be.”