General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: Why I think impeachment is an awful horrible no good very bad idea [View all]still_one
(92,492 posts)House in 2018, and the evidence against trump and his administration showed overwhelming complicity in illegal activities and violations of the law, they would have no choice but to impeach.
However, a key component I think you are overlooking scenario is the implication that the Democrats might be so inclined to start impeachment proceedings if they take back the House.
What might instead happen before the 2018 election, the republicans themselves might start impeachment proceedings, especially if they believe trump is too much of a liability. At the same time I could see them negotiating with Trump to resign and avoid impeachment, with assurances that Pence would pardon him, and Pence would use the bullshit excuse that "he wouldn't want to put the country through such an ordeal, and to move forward instead."
In the first case, if the republicans introduced articles of impeachment, the Democrats would go along with it, and there is a fair chance in that case the Senate just might convict, and Pence would then become president.
In the second case, if Trump resigned, Pence would become president, and there would be very little the Democrats could do to stop it.
What the Democrats would need to do though in such a case is point out how for the last year and a half they gave trump carte blanche, in spite of the evidence of illegal activities, nepotism, and conflicts of interest that occurred.