The impeachment of Donald Trump is no longer a remote prospect

Editorial: More American voters now support than oppose impeachment. If public opinion turns further against the president, it could be a matter of time until his departure

How far away Bill Clinton’s misdemeanours seem. He was, after all, impeached and then acquitted, accused of perjury and obstruction of justice in the sexual harassment case brought by Paula Jones. His personal conduct was deplorable, and he did not tell the truth about it, but nothing came close to the “high crimes” test under the United States constitution for the removal of a president.

Donald Trump is a different kettle of very different fish. Last week he said, on camera: “China should start an investigation into the Bidens.”

It is against the law in the US to solicit foreign assistance for electioneering. This is a serious charge that has been levelled at Mr Trump his whole time as president. He has been accused of accepting Russian help to fight the 2016 presidential campaign, although no evidence of law-breaking has yet met the threshold for prosecution.

Last week, it was reported that Mr Trump used a phone call to Boris Johnson to ask for help in undermining Robert Mueller’s investigation into Russian influence. Mr Johnson’s response is not known. Similar demands have been made of the Australian and Italian governments.

Recently, the president’s conversations with Volodymyr Zelensky, the Ukrainian president, have been made public. Mr Trump asked Mr Zelensky to investigate the business dealings of Hunter Biden, son of a possible rival in next year’s presidential election. The request was backed by the threat to withhold US military aid – a threat that was withdrawn as soon as it became known.

In the midst of widespread indignation about the subversion of American democracy, Mr Trump appeared outside the White House on Thursday and, in effect, said that his critics were right – by inviting the Chinese government to embarrass his Democratic rival.

This is, incidentally, the Chinese regime that oppresses the Uighurs and Tibetans and is cracking down on democratic protesters in Hong Kong.

The evidence that Mr Trump has broken the law is strong – and this is on a matter that arguably does fit the “high crimes and misdemeanours” described in the US constitution.

It is well known, however, that procedures in congress for impeachment and removal of a president are political rather than legal. The House of Representatives was always likely to impeach – that is, to charge – Mr Trump once the Democrats gained a majority in last year’s mid-term elections. Even before last week’s news, opinion polls suggest more American voters now support than oppose impeachment.

The question was always going to be whether there would be a two-thirds majority in the Senate to convict the president. Until recently, and despite Mr Trump’s distance from the Republican establishment, this has seemed implausible.

It remains unlikely, but if public opinion turns further against the president – and he has been more unpopular before – his removal from office no longer seems a remote prospect.