Barbara McQuade Says Congress Has Grounds for Impeachment If Claims Against Trump Are True

Last week, a story emerged about President Trump and his possible engagement with foreign powers to interfere with American elections. 

While information and details are still developing, the general narrative is that a whistleblower made allegations against President Trump over his dealings with Ukraine. On Friday, the Wall Street Journal reported that Trump had “repeatedly pressured the president of Ukraine to investigate Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden’s son.” Additionally, the story pointed out that the administration had delayed $250 million in aid to Ukraine. Trump insisted on his innocence, telling the media that his communication with foreign leaders is “always appropriate.”

Jake Neher/WDET

Barbara McQuade, Law Professor at the University of Michigan and former United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Michigan, joins Detroit Today with Stephen Henderson to discuss the legal implications of this story: “I compare it for local understanding to the case my office brought against Kwame Kilpatrick,” says McQuade. She says if the allegations against Trump are true, he could be impeached on the basis of committing extortion and bribery. She says those are “specific intent crimes…it would be important to prove that, but you could do that not just by looking at works but also by action and context.”

Click on the audio player above to hear the full conversation.