While Washington was in a frenzy Wednesday over special counsel Robert S. Mueller III’s first public comments about his investigation and President Trump, 800 miles away, in rural central Illinois, Democratic Rep. Cheri Bustos navigated an alternative political universe.
She dedicated a post office to a fallen Marine. She toured a mining equipment factory. And she spent time in a grocery store parking lot, quizzing voters about their concerns. Mueller didn’t come up once. Neither did impeachment.
The scene in this Midwestern congressional district — one of 31 Democratic-held districts that voted for President Trump in 2016 — highlights the split-screen reality faced by lawmakers who hail from competitive seats: While an increasingly vocal group of their colleagues are clamoring to begin impeaching the president, few of their constituents agree. CONT.
Mike DeBonis & Rachael Bade, Washington Post