President Donald Trump has confided to his friends that he’s worried about the possibility of impeachment. Trump’s public demeanor has appeared steadfast in his criticism to the Mueller probe and has said more than one time that he’s not worried about being impeached. But it seems like things are heating up in the Oval Office. The president has been at the center of the Special Counsel investigation for the last two years. Robert Mueller and his team are looking at whether members of the Trump campaign colluded with Russia during the 2016 election. So far there have been a number of high profile indictments some of which have hit very close to the president’s inner circle.
In addition to this, matters were complicated even more when the Democrats swept nearly 40 seats and took control of the House. Many close aides to the president believe that it would be very important for him to maintain a close relationship with establishment Republicans who he backed for reelection in the midterms.
Federal investigators have already released a few documents that appear to suggest that the president could be indicted for campaign finance violations. Prosecutors say that these payments were all designed to influence the outcome of the election. However, Democrats noted that even if it’s proven that the president directed his lawyers to make payments to two women who claimed they had an affair with him, the possibility of an impeachment is still far down the road.
Adam Schiff, a high ranking Democrat, said in an interview that even though campaign finance violations could constitute an impeachable offense, the Democrats weren’t ready or committed to pursue this line of action based on this alone. Trump has maintained that the payments made to the two women weren’t designed to influence the election in any way. The president noted shortly after federal prosecutors filed sentencing documents for Michael Cohen that the transactions were private. He added that if Cohen made any mistakes with their execution, then it’s he who needs to be held accountable. Cohen, a long time lawyer of president Trump, was convicted for three years in prison for a number of crimes including tax evasion and lying to Congress.
The latest development comes as Trump starts his search for a new Chief of Staff. John Kelly who has served in the position for the last two years announced that he will be leaving the White House at the end of the year. Reports also noted that he and Trump were no longer talking. A number of candidates were shortlisted as possible replacements for Kelly but some have already declined the offer saying that they aren’t interested in the job.
It’s also very likely that starting next year the president will face a flurry of House investigations as Democrats take full control of the House. But what really worries Trump is the fact that the Mueller probe could unravel his administration just two years after he took office. Trump still enjoys considerable support from the GOP base. However, based on how the midterms turned out, there’s increasing backlash towards his presidency.
