Dems to Make Trump's Tenure Difficult But Lack Power to Impeach Him - Analysts

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - After gaining control over the US House of Representatives in the midterm elections, Democrats will do everything possible to create difficulties for President Donald Trump but will not be able to impeach him, experts told Sputnik.
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According to the latest election results, Democrats have a 222-196 lead in the House of Representatives, four seats more than the 218 they needed to secure a majority. Republicans retained the majority in the 100-seat US Senate, picking up as many as four seats.

"No doubt, Democrats who will now chair all House committees will do everything possible to make Trump's life difficult," American University in Moscow President and Founder Edward Lozansky said.

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Trump’s opponents will try to "dig into his past, financial dealings, taxes and definitely keep pushing for the Russia-gate investigation," Lozansky explained.

Eurasia Center Vice President Earl Rasmussen suggested that these challenges could also include a "potential government shutdown over the budget, an extension of the Mueller investigation or similar probe, and an increased threat of impeachment, despite no proof of wrongdoing."

However, Rasmussen said, Trump's opponents will not succeed in removing Trump from office.

"While impeachment is a possibility, I think it is unwise for the Democrats to pursue it with such a narrow majority and being a minority in the Senate," he said.

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The expert noted that the Senate would need a two-thirds majority to oust the president, and this would not be possible to achieve, despite internal opposition within the Republican Party.

Steven Patten, an analyst working on national security issues with Lee & Grant International, agreed that Democrats could start a procedure of impeachment, but said they would fail if they tried.

"The House can impeach, and you will see some House Democrats calling for it, but there's absolutely no chance of conviction (that is, removal from office) if the Senate is controlled by Republicans," he said.

The experts also agreed that the election outcome would not affect dramatically impact US-Russia relations. The development will not lead to any positive breakthroughs, nor will it negatively affect relations, as bilateral ties are already at a record low level, they said.

President and CEO of Sacramento-based Slavic American Chamber of Commerce Sergey Terebkov noted that Trump has made many public statements about the need to improve relations with Russia, but called these remarks mere "proclamations."

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"I do not think the relationship is going to be worse. It is on very low level, and I do not believe we will face significant changes between the two countries," he said.

Rasmussen suggested that Trump could feel more confident in pursuing a good partnership with Moscow now that the midterm elections have concluded. "However, he has internal cabinet and party challenges to deal with," he added.

Meanwhile, the expert said, the world needs US and Russian cooperation, particularly on issues such as the Middle East, North Korea and counter-terrorism.

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