The Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee (DLCC) is highlighting the possibility of impeaching President Donald Trump as a way to rake in money for the organization even as top Democrats try to quiet such talk from official party organs.
The DLCC, which focuses on electing Democrats at the state level, sent out a fundraising pitch Sunday night claiming that a recent poll, which is not named within the email, shows half of Americans would support impeaching Trump.
"According to a recent poll, nearly 50 percent of Americans already support impeaching President Trump," the email states. "They have plenty of reasons—whether it's his firing of the FBI Director and acting Attorney General, his attacks on the courts, or Trump's blatant corruption and conflicts of interest."
"That's why we're doing everything we can to fight back, making sure Democrats win in legislative elections nationwide to create a firewall in the states against his devastating agenda."
The email concludes by asking readers if they support impeaching Trump, which then redirects to a fundraising page for the organization.
Some Democrats in Washington have stated that such impeachment talks are counterproductive for the party and have advised against pushing the narrative that a Democratic takeover of the House would lead to impeachment.
Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D., Calif.) recently lambasted liberal billionaire and mega-donor Tom Steyer for a $10 million dollar ad campaign calling for the impeachment of Trump. While Pelosi publicly said Steyer's television ads were "great," privately she is "peeved" and called it a "distraction," Politico reported.
Pelosi added that impeachment talks are "not someplace that I think we should go" and has warned Democrats at leadership meetings against harping on the issue. Pelosi also advised Democrats to resist Trump's "bait" on Twitter.
Steyer, who lives in Pelosi's district and has known her for years, countered by saying Pelosi and establishment Democrats who shy away from impeachment talks are "dead wrong" in their judgment.
Democratic National Committee (DNC) chairman Tom Perez also said he is "not talking about impeachment" when asked about the Steyer campaign on ABC's "This Week."
The DNC did not respond to an inquiry asking if it supports Democrats using such tactics to fundraise, given party leaders are shying away from the topic.
The DLCC, which claims to have more than 150,000 "grassroots" supporters who donate an average of $16 per person to the group, raised $16 million in 2014 but saw that number dip to $9.2 million during the 2016 election cycle, according to data compiled by the Center for Responsive Politics.
The committee's largest expenditures during the 2016 election cycle included $2.5 million on salaries, followed by $1 million on administrative purposes, and $596,000 that was marked as "unclassifiable."