Morteza Makky on the Democrats’ move to start Donald Trump’s impeachment process, said: “The debate to impeach Trump on the role of his campaign team in coordination with Russia and its interference in the 2016 election has been raised a number of times. However, there were possibilities the Democrats would take advantage of this situation and demand Trump’s impeachment.”

He added: “The report released by Robert Muller, Special Counsel investigating Russian interference in the 2016 US election, cleared Trump of conspiring with Russia but virtually kept silent on the Trump campaign’s intervention and somehow left the case open. The Democrats who did not hold the majority in the Senate knew they would have no political or propaganda gain in demanding Trump’s impeachment. Nancy Pelosi, the Speaker of the House of Representatives explicitly declared they will shelve the issue for a later time they could impeach Trump.”

President Trump repeatedly pushed for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to investigate a potential 2020 political rival, Joe Biden, and his son, Hunter, during a July 25 phone call, according to a transcript of the conversation released by the White House. This coincided with a $250 million grant to Ukraine by the US. This has cost Trump very dearly because his act is considered abuse of power for personal interests.

The Democrats are taking this issue very seriously, and given that about 14 months remain from Trump’s presidency, it is likely for him to escape impeachment but it has armed the Democrats with a political-propaganda weapon, Makky said. Trump’s impeachment plan in the House of Representatives must be approved by two-thirds of Senate members, and given the majority seats at the Senate are held by the Republicans, it is unlikely Trump’s impeachment in the House would get enough votes.

At the same time, he stated, in the world of politics nothing is impossible: with the components available in the American political, governmental and constitutional structure and the atmosphere among the Republicans, it seems unlikely for the impeachment to result in Trump’s ouster. But the Democrats’ pledge in the House of Representatives to keep track of Trump’s talks with the Ukrainian president is a good political and propaganda means that could seriously damage Donald Trump’s position.

The analyst stated that abuse of power in any form of political and governmental structure is very despicable. Richard Nixon did this abuse of power during the Watergate and had to resign before being ousted by the Senate. If it is proven in court and public opinion that Trump has abused power he will surely have to face a very difficult 2020 election to stabilize his position in the White House for another four years.

Describing the implications of the Democrats’ efforts to impeach Trump and considering the upcoming election, he said: “It’s been about a year since the November 2020 US presidential election, and generally this one-year period is stressful and marked with publicity campaign and political motivation. All candidates try to make the most of their political, financial, and publicity opportunities to consolidate their position in the political arena of competition.

“Democrats also began this effort a few months ago, and the debate is taking place more seriously. The Democrats are expected to announce their nominee in about 10 months,” Makki said. In this situation, Trump’s implicit political and propaganda arguments could undermine both his reputation in the Republican Party and before public opinion. Especially if it is proven that the US president has abused power and tried to use the case of Joe Biden’s son as the winning card against Joe Biden, and if it is proven, even if the impeachment fails in the Senate. Trump’s position will be greatly damaged.

The expert on strategic issues in evaluating the results of the Democrats’ efforts to advance the impeachment said: The Democrats have veteran politicians like Nancy Pelosi, Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders, and they know what tools to use in political competition. The topic of Trump’s talks with the Ukrainian president has certainly been raised with sufficient knowledge and with the aim of impeaching Trump in the House of Representatives. The Democrats shelved the issue of Russia’s interference in the 2016 election because they knew they couldn’t get the necessary votes in the Senate, but as we get closer to the 2020 presidential election, they are trying to make the most of political and propaganda use of the situation. This is a card that will not burn easily and will remain a few months in the US media and political scene.