DETROIT — Democratic hopefuls in a debate Wednesday portrayed impeachment of President Trump as a no-win situation.

Sen. Michael Bennet of Colorado said that impeaching Mr. Trump now would give him a talking point for his reelection campaign.

“We have a moral obligation to beat President Trump and we should not do anything that plays into his hand,” he said.

Mr. Bennet said that after the Democrat-run House impeached Mr. Trump, the GOP-majority Senate would vote against removing him from office. That would enable Mr. Trump to tell the voters that he had been “exonerated.”

But former Housing Secretary Julian Castro countered that not impeaching him would also play into Mr. Trump’s hand.

He said members of Congress should be able to “walk and chew gum at the same time.”

Not impeaching the president would enable him to say the House, after all its investigations, found no grounds to impeach, according to Mr. Castro’s reasoning.

He said an acquittal under Senate Majority Mitch McConnell, Kentucky Republican, would not give Mr. Trump a talking point.

Mr. Castro said Democrats would say, “His friend Mitch McConnell let him off the hook.”

Mr. Bennet said that he agreed with Mr. Castro, despite their arguments contradicting each other.

New York Mayor Bill de Blasio said Mr. Trump “obviously” committed offenses worthy of impeachment. But he said Democrats should be talking about working people and their lives, about making sure the wealthy pay their fair share of taxes.

“The best impeachment is beating him in the election in 2020,” said Mr. de Blasio.

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