Former President Carter said Tuesday that discussing the impeachment of President Trump is “the wrong thing for Democrats to do” ahead of this year’s midterm elections.
“I don’t talk about impeachment. I think that’s the wrong thing for Democrats to do. I think the outcome of the 2018 elections are just completely unknown now,” Carter told Fox Business Network’s Neil Cavuto.
He added that he intends to help Democratic candidates “any way I can,” and that he’s hopeful voters “will make the right choice.”
{mosads}Democratic leaders have largely downplayed impeachment proceedings against the president, saying they are not a priority ahead of Election Day.
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) maintained that position in the aftermath of former Trump fixer Michael Cohen and former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort being implicated in court proceedings last week.
However, many liberal lawmakers and progressive allies are pushing impeachment, particularly after Cohen, Trump’s former personal attorney, told a judge that he violated campaign finance laws at Trump’s direction while entering a guilty plea in New York.
Trump and other Republicans have used the specter of impeachment to encourage voters to turn out in November. The president told supporters at a rally in April that Republicans need to retain control of the House to make sure impeachment doesn’t become a reality.
A faction of Democrats have already attempted to introduce impeachment articles in the House on two separate occasions. Both efforts failed overwhelmingly.