Eric Swalwell explains why Democrats are holding off on Trump impeachment

2020 presidential candidate Rep. Eric Swalwell explained on Fox News Sunday why — despite being one of the party's most vocal critics of President Trump — he has found himself among the Democratic lawmakers who have advised against immediately moving forward with impeachment.

"No one is going to question how hard I fought while our democracy has been on the line, but I also believe dearly in the rule of law. I was a prosecutor. I know when I go to court I've got to have my pencil sharpened, my subpoenas ready, my witnesses and exhibits ready to go. You only get one shot at this. I want to make sure we get it right. I think that means first getting the full Mueller report unredacted, getting Mueller to testify himself, getting people like Don McGahn in, and so we are pressing that and we are winning in the courts right now. The president is outnumbered with the subpoena power and the court rulings that are on our side. I think that's a road would go down, but we are not going to do Donald Trump justice here because we only get one shot to make sure the rule of law still stands in America.'

Why it matters: Swalwell's comments largely seem to reflect the thinking among Nancy Pelosi and top Democratic chairs in the House, who have sought to keep calls for impeachment at bay as their investigations proceed. Pressure to impeach is rising, but as Swalwell pointed out, a string of Democratic victories in court over the past few weeks suggests the tide could be turning against Trump's congressional stonewalling.

Go deeper: Trump's legal losing streak