If a Michigan Democrat has his way, President Donald Trump could face the first impeachment vote of his second term.
Rep. Shri Thanedar’s resolution brings seven new articles of impeachment against the commander-in-chief, alleging everything from abuse of power to bribery, corruption, and “tyranny,” which the House must vote on before Thursday under its own rules.
Trump made history during his first term by becoming the first president in American history to be impeached twice by the House of Representatives, once over his quid pro quo approach to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in 2018 and once for his part in instigating the Capitol riot, although in both cases he was acquitted in the Senate.
Thanedar, 70, first announced his intention on April 29, saying: “When Trump ignores the Constitution, Congress, and the courts, he is not ‘fighting for America.’ He is tearing it down and endangering our democracy.”
His resolution is not expected to pass, however, given the Republican majority in the lower chamber of Congress and because several of Thanedar’s fellow Democrats have expressed their disapproval of his actions in no uncertain terms.
“This is the dumbest f***ing thing. Utterly selfish behavior,” one unnamed representative told Axios emphatically, while another agreed it was “a waste of f***ing time.”
Trump himself, currently on his first major overseas diplomatic trip to the Middle East, has also derided Thanedar’s move.
“Some guy that I’ve never heard of… is he a congressman? This guy, he said… ‘Ladies and gentlemen, I am going to start the impeachment of Donald Trump,’” Trump complained during a recent rally event in Michigan to mark his first 100 days.
“What the hell did I do? Here we go again.”
Thanedar has defended himself against accusations that his actions are self-serving and intended to boost his profile ahead of a future primary challenge from Democratic state Rep. Donavan McKinney, who has already been endorsed by Thanedar’s colleague Rep. Rashida Tlaib.
“Mr Trump has conducted unconstitutional activities. He has conducted impeachable actions, and I have to do my constitutional duty,” the congressman told Axios.
“The rest of the members have to look into their own conscience and make a decision: is this impeachable conduct or not?”
He also confirmed that he had not sought permission from his party leaders before acting and denied that his own position was on his mind by saying: “It’s too early – 15 months. I’m not worried about that. It’s not about elections… it’s about doing the right thing.”
The situation has echoes of Georgia GOP Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene’s repeated attempts to impeach Joe Biden during his first term, who filed articles of impeachment on his very first day in office on January 21, 2021, and followed it with five further attempts across his term.
