'Need to Impeach' leader brings his message to Twin Cities

Tom Steyer is actively trying to impeach President Donald Trump.

The San Francisco billionaire, philanthropist and Democratic fundraiser brought his campaign to Minnesota on Wednesday night.

"We think impeachment is the biggest political issue in the United States of America," he told the like-minded crowd of more than 300. "We think it touches on every other part of our political system, and we think impeachment is the tool that the framers of the constitution gave the citizens to get rid of a reckless, lawless and dangerous president."

Minneapolis was the 14th stop on Steyer's 30-city tour.

Steyer is spending about $40 million of his own money on his "Need to Impeach" campaign. He's spending another $30 million on his "Next Gen America" campaign — started five years ago to mobilize millennials across the country and specifically in 11 swing states to regain Democratic control of the U.S. House.

He has his share of detractors, both Republicans and Democrats. And, of course, the president.

"Wacky & totally unhinged Tom Steyer, who has been fighting me and my Make America Great Again agenda from beginning, never wins elections!" Trump tweeted in October.

"Whether or not the president should be impeached is a matter that is being dealt with in the Justice Department," Pelosi said in a news briefing then.

Steyer said Trump has already surpassed the threshold for impeachment and then some.

"The political establishment does not want any discussion of impeachment because it is not in their best interest," he said. "We're going to ignore that. We are going to tell the truth if it kills us."

Steyer said almost 5.4 million people have signed on to "Need to Impeach" since it was started last October with national TV and social media ads. That's bigger than the National Rifle Association's list.

"Some strategists say it's comparable to Bernie's and is one of the more powerful political tools for the Democratic Party right now," said Erik Olvera, Stoyer's spokesman.

A list of "quick facts" on "Need to Impeach" said that more than 50 legal scholars determined that Trump has already publicly committed at least eight impeachable offenses, including obstructing justice and undermining the freedom of the press.

Impeachment has to be a bipartisan effort, and the only way that can happen is "if the American people insist on it," Steyer said.

"What we have to do together is ... get names on the petition, get your friends and family to sign," he said. "The only people who can do it is the American people speaking together. We're trying to organize those voices."

Pat Pheifer • 612-673-7252