Elizabeth Warren: I Would 'Absolutely' Support Impeachment If Russia Allegations Are Proven

Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren would “absolutely” support impeaching President Donald Trump if allegations about his relationship with Russia are proven true, she said in an interview with Jezebel on Wednesday afternoon.

“I want to be sure that we are keeping this as nonpartisan as possible. And so the way I try to think about this and talk about it is to say let’s start with the facts,” Sen. Warren said. “We absolutely need to get a hold of Comey’s notes, any other written papers, any tapes that may have been made, and we need to get witnesses in here under oath. Let’s do our fact gathering so we’ve got all of the facts on the table in front of us and then evaluate whether or not those facts lead to a charge of impeachment.”

Sen. Warren was referring to a report from the Washington Post that found that Trump revealed highly classified information about ISIS to Russian officials, and one from the New York Times that found that in a memo, fired FBI Director James Comey wrote that Trump had asked him to end the investigation into former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn’s ties to Russia, and, incidentally, also asked that journalists be imprisoned for publishing classified information.

When pressed about whether or not she would support impeachment should the allegations be proven, she said, “Absolutely. You know, how could we not?”

“Let’s be clear: In the past, there has been strong bipartisan agreement that obstruction of justice is an impeachable offense. That’s not a Democratic position or a Republican conviction, it is a bipartisan position. And if the facts that are currently alleged are proven, then we should take the next step.”

Sen. Warren also said that she believes her Republican colleagues in Congress are also concerned about the allegations, even if they haven’t said so publicly.

“I believe they do see the risks,” Warren said. “Now, I think many of them are hesitating about what they want to do about it politically. But I’m urging all of them: Put country above party. This should not be a political issue. What Donald Trump has done threatens the security of the United States and we need Congress to step up and act like grown-ups here. We’re the ones who have to be responsible now.”

On Wednesday morning, Rep. Al Green officially called for Trump’s impeachment, joining an increasingly long list of Democratic representatives who have discussed the measure. Also Wednesday, Michigan Rep. Justin Amash became the first Republican to mention the possibility, telling The Hill if the details of the Times report are true, the charges would merit impeachment.

The rest of Jezebel’s interview with Sen. Elizabeth Warren will be available on the next episode of our politics podcast Big Time Dicks this coming Friday.