Jared Kushner downplays Russian interference and Mueller report – live

Where do the other Democrats stand on the I-question? Here’s a rundown of what the major 2020 candidates have said about impeaching Donald Trump:

Joe Biden: [radio silence]

Bernie Sanders: (weak) NO. “I worry that works for Trump’s advantage.”

Kamala Harris: (weak) YES. “I believe Congress should take the steps toward impeachment.”

Pete Buttigieg: PUNT. “I’m pretty sure he deserves to be, but Congress will have to figure procedurally what to do.”

Elizabeth Warren: (strong) YES. “If any other human being in this country had done what’s documented in the Mueller report, they would be arrested and put in jail.”

Beto O’Rourke: PUNT. “I’m not asking Congress to do one thing or the other. I’m just saying — you’re asking me, has the president committed impeachable offenses? Yes. Period.” As a senate candidate in 2018, O’Rourke favored impeaching Trump.

Amy Klobuchar: PUNT. “I believe that I am the jury here, so I’m not going to predispose things.” Klobuchar sits on the Senate judiciary committee which would try Trump if he were impeached in the House.

Julián Castro: (weak) YES. “I think it would be perfectly reasonable for Congress to open up those proceedings.”

Cory Booker: PUNT. “There’s a lot more investigation that should go on before Congress comes to any conclusions like that.”

Kirsten Gillibrand: PUNT. Gillibrand has directed reporters to statements that don’t take a stand. “Congress should get the full, unredacted Mueller report. The American people have the right to know the facts—without the spin.”

Impeachment hearings would need a green light from the Democratic House leadership to proceed. It turns out that that group has expressed not a lot of appetite to impeach. Here’s what three leaders have said:

Speaker Nancy Pelosi: (weak) NO. “While our views range from proceeding to investigate the findings or proceeding directly to impeachment, we all firmly agree that we should proceed down a path of finding the truth.”

Majority leader Steny Hoyer: (strong) NO. “Based on what we have seen to date, going forward on impeachment is not worthwhile at this point.”

Majority whip James Clyburn: (weak) NO. “We want to see the full report, give us the full report, let us make up our own minds.”