Fred Barnes finds Democrats lack something in their impeachment drive - a crime.
A special blow to Democrats was Hurd’s point about the lack of evidence of bribery by Trump. The notion that the president sought to bribe Zelensky to investigate Hunter Biden by threatening to cut off aid — that’s the centerpiece of the Democratic case. Bribery is cited by name in the Constitution as an impeachable offense.
But it’s unclear if Trump’s asking for a favor from the Ukrainian leader while holding back aid reflected an actual crime. An impeachable offense doesn’t have to be a crime. But the articles of impeachment against both Richard Nixon and Bill Clinton included crimes. If Trump’s prime offense is not connected to a crime, that would likely become a significant political issue when (or if) the full House votes and sends the case to the Senate. And Trump’s allies would harp on the question, “Where’s the crime?”