Stefanie Lindquist, Arizona State University Donald Trump’s legal and political defenders are all singing the same refrain: The president can’t be impeached; he hasn’t committed a crime. Alan Dershowitz, the constitutional lawyer now representing Trump, said it during an appearance on CNN. Sen. Ted Cruz echoed it on Twitter, noting there was “not even a speeding ticket.” And, of course, Trump himself has used the phrase “no crime” repeatedly as he seeks to delegitimize the impeachment hearings. But does the impeachment and conviction of a president require an actual criminal offense, as the president’s counselors and supporters argue? Democrats clearly don’t think so.