Stringer/Sputnik via AP
Damage in the Capitol
A new poll by Avalanche Insights shows some amazing Republican defections from Donald Trump.
Fully 41 percent of Trump voters believe he has “betrayed the values and interests of the Republican Party.”
Two-thirds (66 percent) of Trump voters oppose the actions of Trump supporters who attacked the Capitol, with 44 percent saying these actions “betrayed American values.” Over half (55 percent) say they should be prosecuted for their actions and 29 percent believe they committed treason.
More generally, 62 percent of Americans hold Trump responsible for yesterday’s events and say he should be removed by the 25th Amendment or impeachment. An astounding 71 percent of Americans say the GOP members of Congress who promoted or supported yesterday’s actions should either resign or be censured. In addition, 75 percent of Americans and 55 percent of Trump voters want the people who stormed the Capitol Building to be prosecuted.
These findings will exacerbate splits in the Republican coalition, as pressure increases on Vice President Pence to invoke the 25th Amendment, and on Republican legislators to support impeachment and removal.
Trump, meanwhile, has been on rare good behavior, as leading Republicans have warned him that one more bit of lunacy will cause them to support his ouster. He has been consulting lawyers to see if he can pardon himself, a move unlikely to be supported by the Supreme Court.
Having burned his bridges to VP Pence, a Pence pardon in exchange for a resignation now seems out of the question.
Does anyone doubt that Trump will do something crazy in the next few days? The momentum is with impeachment. It needs to proceed.
