Democrats don’t see a world in which an impeachment of President Donald Trump is successful in this Congress, but they agree he has committed impeachable offenses.
Rep. Shri Thanedar (D-MI) unveiled seven articles of impeachment Monday against Trump, taking a long-shot blow at the president as Democrats scramble for any way they can to push back against Trump.
“Donald Trump has repeatedly demonstrated that he is unfit to serve as President and represents a clear and present danger to our nation’s constitution and our democracy,” Thanedar wrote in a press release. “His unlawful actions have subverted the justice system, violated the separation of powers, and placed personal power and self-interest above public service. We cannot wait for more damage to be done. Congress must act.”
House GOP leadership has also pushed back on Democrats’ ability to question the president by passing a rule Tuesday that hinders Democrats’ ability to use their limited power in the minority to launch investigations into the Trump administration.
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The seven articles of impeachment state a variety of of ways Thanedar believes “constitutional violations” have been made by Trump, including: obstruction of justice and abuse of executive power, tyrannical overreach, bribery and corruption, creation of an unlawful office, violation of First Amendment rights, abuse of trade powers and international aggression, and usurpation of appropriations power.
But not all Democrats agree that this is the right way to oppose Trump.
“We’ve impeached him twice. We don’t have the votes,” Rep. Becca Balint (D-VT) told the Washington Examiner. “Republicans didn’t do anything when there was an insurrection, when people were fearing for their lives, and they wouldn’t vote to convict. The folks in those seats haven’t changed.”
Trump’s first impeachment happened in December 2019, and the second happened in January 2021 following the Jan. 6 insurrection. The votes marked and third and fourth impeachments of a U.S. president, but the Senate voted to acquit him both times. Trump is the first president to be impeached twice.
Some members believe a vote shouldn’t be called unless they have enough support to pass it.
“I think you shouldn’t bring anything to the floor unless we think it has the votes to pass,” Rep. Mike Levin (D-CA) told the Washington Examiner.
The California Democrat and former attorney said he wants the Supreme Court to evaluate the president’s actions and take “appropriate measures.”
House Judiciary ranking member Jamie Raskin (D-MD), who was part of the Jan. 6 committee to investigate the attack, pointed to the tough process it takes to remove a president.
“The constitutional architecture around this is rigorous, because you need a majority vote in the House and you need a two-thirds vote to convict in the Senate, and any member can draw up impeachment articles,” the ranking member told the Washington Examiner.
The Maryland Democrat pointed out that just because it is an uphill battle, it does not mean these things should not be documented.
“We should certainly be keeping a careful inventory of all of the high crimes and misdemeanors that are being committed,” Raskin continued.
Other members sympathize with the emotions driving the impeachment articles.
“I understand exactly why people feel this way, so I don’t want to diminish their anger and frustration,” Rep. Greg Landsman (D-OH) told the Washington Examiner.
“We all know that he’s acting lawlessly,” he continued. “The withholding of hundreds of billions of dollars. The indiscriminate firing of hundreds of thousands of federal employees. The abuse of the tariff authority. The blatant corruption.”
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As Democrats search for ways to successfully push back against Trump, their plans will likely hinge on whether Democrats win back the House in the 2026 election.
“The president has been breaking the law non-stop, but in my view, the best way to hold him accountable is to hit him where he’s weakest, rather than sending it over to Jim Jordan,” Rep. Greg Casar (D-TX) told the Washington Examiner.