Impeachment will 'divide the country' says Rep. Schrier

Should President Donald Trump be impeached? Some Democrats say yes.

Rep. Kim Schrier, a Democrat who represents the 8th District, says: Not so fast.

Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren and California Senator Kamala Harris are among those calling on the U.S. House to start impeachment hearings — now.

Both are also calculating how to win in a crowded Democratic presidential primary.

Shrier told KUOW talk of impeachment isn’t realistic.

“It will divide the country to go through impeachment proceedings knowing full well that at this moment the Senate will not take this up,” Schrier said.

Nevertheless, Schrier said Congress should investigate and that impeachment is still “on the table.”

“We have suspected for a very long time that our president has been obstructing justice, that there are all kinds of conflicts of interest that haven't even been looked at yet,” Schrier said.

Schrier also said there are a number of other issues that Congress should look into.

“The Muller report didn’t even look at financial issues, who might hold sway over our president; hasn’t looked into Deutsche Bank; hasn’t looked at issues with potential relationships with Russian oligarchs,” Schrier said.

Ultimately, Schrier said, voters will have their say in 2020.

That’s also when Schrier will be up for re-election for the first time in her hotly-contested district. Schrier was elected last year after flipping the district from red to blue for the first time ever.

So who is she backing for president from the vast Democratic field? Schrier won’t say.

But she urged Democrats to be mindful of what it takes to win elections in purple districts like hers and across the country.

“If we have a purity test, and we are constantly in pursuit of what the far left would consider perfection, ultimately that will lead to failure,” Schrier said. “We will lose elections … and we will make zero progress.”