“I’m talking about the voters, people who voted for Trump,” he said. “Do you think that the case is so stark, that the offenses are so terrible and the proof so clear, that once you’ve laid it all out you will have convinced an appreciable fraction of the people who voted for Trump, who like him, that you had no choice? That you had to do it?”

Although impeachment appears unlikely — or, at the very least, a long way off — that does not mean Nadler will be sitting idle with his gavel in his hand these next two years.

He has already promised to investigate the circumstances surrounding Sessions’ firing. The Judiciary Democrats will revisit Russian interference in the 2016 election and hold hearings on current efforts by the administration to stem the Russians’ ongoing campaign. Part of that probe will focus on “cooperation” between Russians and Americans, including, potentially, some members of Trump’s inner circle, Nadler said.

Democratic investigators will take caution not to hinder the progress of Mueller’s investigation, though.

“We’ll clearly look into [Russian interference],” Nadler said, “but we’ll also have to talk to the Mueller people to make sure we don’t step on anything they’re doing.”