Trump Takes a Step Closer to Impeachment

I’ve said for months that the evidence against President Donald Trump might demand impeachment at some point, but that we weren’t there yet — we were only at an intermediate stage, where there was sufficient evidence for impeachment and removal but where other political choices were still possible and reasonable.

Well, the reporting Thursday by BuzzFeed that Trump allegedly directed Michael Cohen to lie to Congress about his business plans in Russia initially seemed likely to help bring an endgame closer. However, that story was more shaky late Friday, after Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s office said in a rare statement that the “description of specific statements to the special counsel’s office, and characterization of documents and testimony obtained by this office, regarding Michael Cohen’s congressional testimony are not accurate.” BuzzFeed’s editor in chief, Ben Smith, said he stood by the reporting and the reporters’ sources.