2020 Dem on impeachment: Pelosi is 'politically brilliant' but our duty is to Constitution, not party

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Seth Moulton on 2020 hopefuls ramping up calls for impeachment

Democratic presidential candidate Seth Moulton defends call to impeach President Trump.

Rep. Seth Moulton, D-Mass., praised House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's, D-Calif.,  political prowess but suggested she had misplaced priorities when it came to impeaching the president.

"I didn't swear an oath to protect and defend the politics of my party," the combat veteran and 2020 hopeful told Fox News host Neil Cavuto on Saturday. "I swore an oath to protect and defend the Constitution of the United States."

While appearing on "Cavuto Live," Moulton argued that former Special Counsel Robert Mueller's report clearly showed Trump committing the types of crimes that would warrant impeachment under the Constitution.

Moulton's comments came after Mueller testified before Congress, prompting some Democrats -- but not Pelosi -- to call for impeachment. The Massachusetts congressman joined others differing from Pelosi, whom he described as "politically brilliant," on that issue.

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Democrats like Moulton and Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., have argued that constitutional duties superseded political considerations. When Cavuto asked Moulton whether he was playing "kabuki theater," Moulton indicated that Pelosi was mishandling that duty.

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"It's not political kabuki theater if you're doing the right thing. What's political Kabuki theater is playing politics with your constitutional duty," he responded.

Cavuto pointed out that impeachment likely wouldn't pass in the Republican-dominated Senate, an issue that Pelosi has raised as well. Pelosi has argued that failure in the Senate would also damage the prospect of prosecuting Trump once he leaves office.