Beyond impeachment: How Republican election losses threaten Trump’s team
Donald Trump, President of the US (photo: Getty Images)
If Democrats win the November elections to the US Congress, they may not only initiate a third impeachment of Donald Trump. A more realistic threat will be investigations into his team.
Why impeachment is not the main threat
Democrats have voiced the idea of a third procedure to remove Trump from office more than once. In their view, there are sufficient grounds for it: the president's inner circle is suspected of insider deals, and the White House carried out strikes on Iran without the consent of lawmakers.
However, it is unlikely that the impeachment will be brought to completion. For this, two-thirds of senators must vote in the Senate, and the opposition will not gather such support even with the best election results for them. Therefore, it is not Trump himself who is at risk first and foremost, but people from his administration: after the elections, congressional committees may take up their cases.
Scandal surrounding Trump Jr.
One of the possible reasons for such checks appeared in September. Senators asked FBI Director Kash Patel what he knew about the money of Russian oligarch Umar Kremlev, which allegedly partially paid for the wedding celebration of the president's eldest son. He avoided a direct answer.
Democrats in Congress reacted by promising to conduct an official investigation. However, launching it is only realistic in the event of an election victory.
Talk of the Kremlin's role in the life of the Trump family began in mid-September. Then media outlets found out that the head of the International Boxing Association, who is close to Putin, secretly paid hundreds of thousands of dollars for Trump Jr.'s wedding festivities in the Bahamas.
US Attorney General Todd Blanche refused to investigate this story. Later, Trump himself assured that his son would return the money to the Russian businessman.
On September 28, Reuters also wrote about the Democrats' plans. According to its data, in the event of an opposition victory, they may initiate a series of investigations into the president's business and his family.
The White House does not rule out that Republicans will lose control of Congress or at least one of its chambers, and is preparing for such a scenario. There are grounds for such fears: Trump's approval rating has dropped to a new anti-record. Only 37% of adult Americans approve of the president's work, while 63% do not support it, with half of those polled being categorically opposed.
