LAS VEGAS — Former Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid said Tuesday that his party can't "afford" to impeach President Donald Trump, arguing that such an effort could backfire politically. 

“If you look at what happened following the impeachment of President Clinton, his popularity rose dramatically,” Reid said. “We have just a short time until the next election. If impeachment proceedings go forward — and they might go forward — I think this country will be spending an inordinate amount of time on impeachment and nothing else. And I don’t think we can afford that.”

The former Nevada Senator appeared alongside former GOP House Speaker John Boehner for an on-stage interview with “Meet the Press” moderator Chuck Todd at the University of Las Vegas, Nevada’s MGM Public Policy Institute.

Prior to the event, the two men had a chance to address a topic that’s historically dear to Reid on the Chuck ToddCast: term limits for judges. Some Democrats have flirted with supporting term limits as both a way to provide a check on the judiciary and lower the stakes of a confirmation battle. 

When asked if it's time to consider term limits for judges, Reid said, “the judiciary itself should take care of it.”  But, he added, "if they don’t do something about it themselves, Congress is gonna step in in the meantime.”

Boehner agreed: “I don’t think there’s any way to legislate this. But I think the Bar Association and these judges need to look in the mirror and determine what makes sense.”