Democrats are in danger of losing the impeachment spin battle

While I’ve already argued it was right for Pelosi and the Democratic caucus to not rush to impeachment, it’s still worth considering how this prolonged process has played to Republicans’ advantage. Even as Pelosi ploddingly slow-walked to the impeachment inquiry, Republicans effectively railed that Democrats were pursuing a breakneck “rush to judgment,” as Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell called it back in September. And now that we are finally here, Pelosi’s new indication that she wants the impeachment process to wrap up quickly seems likely to only substantiate Republican talking points.

It’s a maddening strategy considering how much evidence there is against the president. Pelosi recently told The Atlantic that the case against Trump would be “ironclad” once it went forward. But her acknowledgment in that same interview that “we’ve had enough [evidence] for a very long time,” raises questions about why it took so long to get here.