Jun 3, 2019

Swalwell wants Congress to impeach Barr and Mnuchin

Democratic presidential candidate U.S. Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA) speaks during the California Democrats 2019 State Convention at the Moscone Center on June 01, 2019 in San Francisco, California.

Democratic presidential candidate Eric Swalwell. Photo: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

Democratic presidential candidate Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.) told a CNN town hall Sunday he would only look at impeachment proceedings against President Trump after "we’ve exhausted every other remedy." But he wants to "make an example" of Attorney General Bill Barr and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin.

We have a lawless president. First things first, I think we should move immediately to impeach the attorney general and Secretary Mnuchin."

Details: During the town hall, Swalwell spoke of his gun restrictions plan." He also expressed support for making community college free and said he'd look to bring the interest on student loans down to zero — as the 38-year-old revealed he's still paying off a $100,000 student loan. But one of the biggest cheers of the night was when he called for the impeachment of Barr and Mnuchin.

The big picture: Democrats have been angry with Barr for his handling of the findings of the Russia investigation. House Judiciary Chairman Jerrold Nadler said last month Barr had not committed to releasing the full report findings of former special counsel Robert Mueller and underlying documents, as requested.

  • Mnuchin rejected a House Ways and Means Committee subpoena to turn over Trump's personal and business tax returns last month. He told a House Financial Services Committee May hearing that he'd never spoken with Trump "or anyone in the White House about delivering the president's tax returns to Congress."

The other side: Trump and his administration have repeatedly accused the Democrats of a witch hunt over their investigations. They insist now Mueller's investigation has ended, "the case is closed."

  • Barr has said he expected criticism for his decisions concerning the report. He said Mueller could've reached a decision on whether or not Trump obstructed justice.

What he's saying: Mueller said that if his office "had confidence that the president clearly did not commit a crime," it would have said so, adding that charging Trump was never an option under Justice Department guidelines. Mueller reiterated this point last week in his an on-camera public statement.

Go deeper: Eric Swalwell on the issues, in under 500 words

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