Democratic presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg speaks at the Iowa Democratic Party's Hall of Fame Dinner on Sunday in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. 2020 Elections Buttigieg becomes the latest 2020 Dem to back a criminal probe into Trump post-office

Pete Buttigieg has become the latest presidential candidate to endorse a criminal investigation into Donald Trump once the president leaves office, supporting an issue that appears to have become the latest litmus test for the Democratic field.

“I would want any credible allegation of criminal behavior to be investigated to the fullest,” the South Bend, Ind., mayor told The Atlantic in an interview conducted Wednesday and published Thursday.


Buttigieg's comments come after a similar statement from his 2020 opponent Kamala Harris, a former prosecutor and California attorney general. Harris, in an interview published Wednesday, said the Justice Department would have “no choice” other than to charge Trump with obstruction of justice if he were not impeached.

“The president is not above the law,” the California senator told NPR.

The bubbling debate over a criminal investigation into Trump comes after another flashpoint among the 2020 Democrats: whether to support impeaching Trump. Sen. Elizabeth Warren was the most aggressive out of the gates, calling in April for the House to begin impeachment proceedings. A number of other contenders followed suit.

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Trump’s relatively cozy relationship with Russia continues to draw scrutiny, despite President Vladimir Putin’s comments on Thursday that U.S.-Russia relations are getting worse. Earlier this week, Trump said he might not report it to the FBI if a foreign source offered him damaging information about a political opponent.

