On Friday’s “PBS NewsHour,” New York Times columnist David Brooks argued that pursuing impeachment would be a colossal error, but sometimes bringing down a president is necessary, “and it may be necessary in this case. This is, to me, a borderline case.”

Brooks stated, “I think it would be a gigantic mistake to do impeachment. I think it would be handing Donald Trump the kind of gift that he really likes, where he could set it up as the left vs. right, rather than just, what is Donald Trump’s actual behavior? And this is a case where I think we’re voters, and voters should have the ultimate word here. And giving information to the voters about what’s really happening is a good idea.”

He added, “I just hate the idea of conducting our politics always through scandal, always through the paradigm of Watergate, where we’re going to bring down a president. Sometimes, that’s necessary, and it may be necessary in this case. This is, to me, a borderline case. I just think, A, it’s not going to happen. And when we have our politics through the politics of scandal, we’re not having a politics through the politics of issues.”

Follow Ian Hanchett on Twitter @IanHanchett