December 9, 2018

Two CNN contributors disagreed on Sunday about the legitimacy of a possible impeachment trial for Donald Trump.

On CNN's State of the Union, host Jake Tapper noted that five people close to the 2016 Trump campaign have already be indicted in special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into Russian election tampering.

"This is like a confederacy of liars," Democratic strategist Jennifer Granholm said. "And of course, Trump being the primo of them all, given the volume of lies that he's told since he's been president."

"Bob Mueller is there putting his flag in the ground for truth," she added. "He is bringing truth and honesty and nobility and integrity back."

"And I'm really, really happy about that," Granholm remarked.

Rick Santorum, a former GOP presidential candidate, did not agree.

"If you look at the other two impeachable offenses happening in modern times," the former Pennsylvania senator opined. "There was a crime under Richard Nixon... and then there was a crime [under Bill Clinton]. Whitewater."

"But that's not why he was impeached," Granholm interrupted.

"But there was a real crime that the special prosecutor really investigated," Santorum insisted. "We have no real crime here!"

"You don't know that!" Granholm shot back.

"So far, there is no evidence that there was a crime," Santorum insisted. "If this investigation produces 'a crime' as he paid off a stripper, as that's the basis of all of this?"

"There's no major crime here," he continued. "At least, certainly not for the thrust of the investigation."

Granholm reminded Santorum that he had voted to impeach Clinton.

"When you were senator, you voted in favor of impeaching the president, Bill Clinton, on the basis of a lie," Granholm said. "It was about his personal conduct. It wasn't about Whitewater."

"Be careful about history," Granholm advised Santorum.

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