Trump's Attempt to Talk His Way Out of Impeachment Backfires
- Democrats say transcript bolsters move for impeachment inquiry
- Republicans must choose how closely they can stick with Trump
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Donald Trump tried to squelch the latest threat to his presidency with the release of a transcript of his call with Ukraine’s president. It’s a trick that’s worked for him before, allowing him to claim exoneration and take the attack to Democrats.
Yet this time, the gambit backfired. Trump didn’t anticipate that, even in the absence of an explicit quid pro quo, his transactional approach to foreign policy and willingness to solicit political help from another country -- laid bare in a five-page transcript -- would embolden his critics and fan the flames of a nascent impeachment inquiry.