HBO host Bill Maher has cautioned that the criminal indictment of former President Donald Trump could backfire on his opponents by comparing it to the impeachment of then-President Bill Clinton in 1998. In a recent episode of Real Time with Bill Maher, the talk show host noted that after going through impeachment over extramarital affairs and perjury accusations, Clinton emerged with an approval rating of 73 percent.
The current criminal case against Trump accuses him of falsifying business records within his company to conceal the true nature of 11 checks paid to attorney Michael Cohen for work covering up alleged extramarital affairs. These allegations involve payments made to adult film star Stormy Daniels, which Trump denies.
Maher warned Democrats about pursuing this line of attack: "When the real indictments come down for the really serious offenses, they will have shot their wad on Stormy Daniels." He urged them to learn from Clinton's sex scandals before continuing their efforts against Trump.
Drawing parallels between the two situations, Maher explained how Republicans' attempts at attacking Clinton during his administration only served to boost his popularity among American citizens. However, he also acknowledged important differences between both cases and criticized some media outlets for knowing that there are weak arguments in legal proceedings against Trump yet still pushing forward.
On Friday's episode of Real Time, Maher called discussing Trump's Manhattan indictment "cathartic" but slammed Democrats for centering their case around a sex scandal instead. The Alvin Bragg-led prosecution currently targets 34 felony counts related chiefly to alleged falsification of business documents connected with payments made by Cohen on behalf of President Trump.
To emphasize what he perceives as misaligned priorities in prosecuting more significant matters involving election interference or other severe charges, Maher played an audio recording where former President Donald J. Trump can be heard telling a Georgia election official that he needs just 11,000 votes in the 2020 presidential election.
Bill Maher's warning to Democrats highlights concerns about the potential consequences of pursuing lesser charges against Trump instead of focusing on more significant legal issues. As history has shown with Clinton's experience, such efforts may only serve to invigorate support for a political figure rather than diminish it.