Minutes after BuzzFeed published an explosive report that said President Donald Trump had instructed his former attorney and fixer Michael Cohen to lie to Congress, the cable news networks went to work analyzing what it all could mean.
CNN legal analyst Neal Katyal, appearing on CNN Tonight With Don Lemon, was quick to point out that if the accusations against Trump were true, then the president had committed a felony.
"This is not just nefarious behavior in terms of deceiving the electorate in 2016, it is a federal crime to order someone to lie in their testimony to Congress. That's what the BuzzFeed article says, and it says the Mueller investigation corroborated that with emails and text messages and electronic information. Again, we don't know that. If it is true, it is a blockbuster. It suggests the president himself committed felonies, not just directed other people to commit felonies, but he did it himself," Katyal said.
Lemon asked if the allegations could bring forth impeachment preceedings against Trump.
"I think he almost wants to be impeached at this point of his behavior with the wall and such," Katyal said. "He has no domestic agenda left. His domestic agenda is literally Twitter plus the wall. That's about it. Impeachment would actually allow him to do what he loves, which is be a snowflake and pretend he's the victim and the Democrats are this and that."
Kaytal's words were echoed on MSNBC by Watergate prosecutor Jill Wine-Banks.
Wine-Banks, appearing on The Last Word With Lawrence O'Donnell, said she found the news shocking but agreed with O'Donnell that the allegations were a "Nixonian moment" for Trump.
"This is absolutely one of those moments where you go 'when is enough sufficient?'" Wine-Banks said. "This is exactly the Watergate model of Nixon saying you can always say, 'I don't remember, I don't recall'—even though you do. That's subornation of perjury, plain and simple. It is a direct act of the president—while he's president—interfering not only with an investigation but of directly conspiring to obstruct justice."
Obstruction of justice made up the first article of impeachment for Richard Nixon, passing in a 27-11 vote.
Two other articles, abuse of power and contempt of Congress, also passed while two other articles failed. Nixon resigned on August 8, 1974, rather than face certain impeachment.
Fox News's Hannity and The Ingraham Angle did not report on the Buzzfeed article during their Thursday evening shows.
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