Washington — Democratic Rep. Shri Thanedar of Michigan backed down from his attempt to force a vote on impeaching President Trump after it lacked support from his own party.
The House was expected to vote Wednesday evening to table Thanedar’s motion to impeach Mr. Trump for alleged high crimes and misdemeanors, which would have effectively killed it.
Thanedar filed his seven articles of impeachment against Mr. Trump in April, but moved Tuesday to bring it up as “privileged,” requiring the House to act on the motion within two legislative days. But Thanedar changed course by Wednesday afternoon after having conversations with his colleagues.
“Instead, I will add to my articles of impeachment and continue to rally the support of both Democrats and Republicans to defend the Constitution with me,” he wrote, adding that he will “continue to pursue all avenues to put this President on notice and hold him accountable for his many impeachable crimes.”
His 29-page resolution accuses Mr. Trump of obstructing justice, overriding Congress’ power to appropriate funds, abusing the power of the presidency, violating First Amendment rights and unlawfully creating the Department of Government Efficiency.
Thanedar’s effort was not expected to receive much support from Democrats. The three Democrats who were listed as initial co-sponsors of the resolution when it was introduced last month quickly pulled their names after learning it was not cleared by leadership. And, Rep. Pete Aguilar of California, the Democratic caucus chair, said the move to impeach Mr. Trump was impractical because Republicans control both chambers of Congress.
“This is not the right approach we should be taking,” Aguilar told reporters earlier Wednesday, adding that Democratic leadership would be joining Republicans in voting to block the attempt.
Aguilar said Democrats are focused on Republican attempts to cut Medicaid through the reconciliation process as they seek to slash spending to pay for trillions in tax cuts.
“Everything else is a distraction,” Aguilar said.
Thanedar acknowledged the hesitancy in his party to impeach Mr. Trump in a news conference Wednesday morning, but defended his action as something supported by the public and said that he would continue pushing the issue “until we have a victory.”
“Many people in my party and elsewhere say, ‘Is this the right time to do this?,” he said. “People all over the country are saying this is the right time to do it!”
“Some Democrats have called me a lunatic, just like the president has called me lunatic,” he said. “Nobody has said to me, ‘Mr. Thanedar, the seven articles of impeachment that you presented to the U.S. Congress, they’re piece of s***. They’re not good. You missed the point.'”
House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Louisiana Republican, called the effort an “embarrassing political stunt.”
Mr. Trump was impeached twice during his first term — in 2019 for his efforts to pressure the Ukrainian government to investigate his political rival Joe Biden, and again in 2021 for the Capitol riot. The Senate voted to acquit him in both cases.
Thanedar is not the only Democrat to push for Mr. Trump to be impeached again. Rep. Al Green of Texas has repeatedly threatened to file his own articles of impeachment against the president during his second term but has yet to do so.
