Democrats aren't ready to embrace the I-word. A day after separate legal hammers dropped nearly simultaneously on two former members of Donald Trump's inner circle, Democrats in Washington and across the country faced a delicate balance as they sought to take political advantage of the president's growing troubles without alienating moderates and independents turned off by talk of impeachment. Instead of calling for the president's removal, corruption is the new buzzword in Democratic circles.

They're not just pointing to former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort's conviction on tax evasion and other charges and longtime fixer Michael Cohen's plea deal implicating the president in an illegal campaign finance scheme. They've also got the indictment Tuesday of a second Republican member of Congress. As the party faithful gathered in Chicago on Wednesday for the Democratic National Committee's summer meeting, Chairman Tom Perez ticked off the growing list of legal troubles for Trump and other Republicans.