Dems tread cautiously around Trump impeachment after Iran strikes

Since the US attack on Iran, Democrats in Congress and opponents of President Donald Trump have said the operation was unconstitutional and vowed to rein in the president. But another impeachment inquiry, which the president has said he fears if Democrats take back the U.S. House of Representatives, has yet to be seriously considered.

The situation could change after the midterm elections if the party wins the House of Representatives and Republicans lose their grip on both houses of Congress but continue to control the White House. Trump knows he will be targeted by Democrats and has expressed fears of a third impeachment by congressional Republicans, telling them they must win in November.

“If you attack him, you want to make sure you don’t miss,” Jared Leopold, a Democratic strategist who works on the Hill and with the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, said in an interview.

House Democrats met last week to determine this year’s strategy; The meeting, held before the new Iran war that Trump started without congressional approval, created another potential ground for demanding impeachment.

Impeachment is unpopular with voters, and there is concern in some Democratic circles that past attempts to rein in Trump have not worked. echoed. He was impeached by the US House in 2019 over allegations that he withheld military aid to Ukraine in order to exert political pressure and his actions that led to the insurrection at the US Capitol on January 6, 2021. Both times the Senate voted to acquit.

However, if Democrats win back the House of Representatives, there is likely to be serious pressure to impeach Trump for a third time. No other president has been impeached twice.

“We’re not afraid of impeachment or any of the other constitutional tools in our arsenal, but we’ve learned that impeachment is not a panacea,” Rep. Jamie Raskin, the top Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee, said in an interview before the operation in Iran.

“It’s not a fetish for us, but it’s also not a taboo,” Raskin said. “If we think that would be the most effective way to address some of the crises in the republic that have been brought about by President Trump or certain members of his cabinet, then that will have to be considered.”

Given that any talk of impeachment is purely symbolic because Republicans control both the House and the Senate, Leopold said he doesn’t expect to see any increase in impeachment talk in the short term.

“You’ve seen some of them come up at various points, often using the ‘I word’ as a sort of attention-getting device,” Leopold said. “For the most part, people want to see Democrats compete in a way that has real-world impact. … Sometimes, if you’re a football team, you want to give the ball away and get first downs instead of going for a Hail Mary on every play.”

Although the Iran attack did not spark a new round of impeachment calls, Democrats have threatened to impeach Trump since his re-election last year. Attack on Iran in 2025his Dismissal of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro without congressional approval and for a period of time take the bag containing the other alleged crimes.

Rep. Maxine Waters, D-Calif., who said as recently as Maduro’s ouster in January that she was “reconsidering” her view that impeachment was no longer realistic, has now put the kibosh on a similar effort.

“I don’t want to go there. I think we’re focused on what’s going on in Iran,” Waters said Tuesday as she left a briefing on the Trump administration’s Iran operation. “I think we’ll take that into consideration when we take control of the House.”

“The morally bankrupt Trump administration has partnered with another morally bankrupt authoritarian to declare an unprovoked war on Iran and has already killed scores of civilians,” said candidate Kat Abuhazaleh. Published on BlueSky. “We need an immediate vote from Congress on the War Powers Resolution. Then articles of impeachment.”

Other candidates are from Evanston, Illinois. Mayor Daniel K. Biss and state Senator Laura Fine similarly called for Trump’s impeachment.

Before the Iran attack, Democratic leaders were discussing how to effectively keep Trump in check without ignoring other issues. Party leaders have discussed prioritizing the affordability message, which is the issue Republicans want Trump to focus on for the election year.

When Rep. Al Green, D-Texas, introduced a resolution to impeach Trump in December. 140 Democrats voted against the motion to table the measure. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, whose leadership team opted not to garner votes for the resolution, was one of 47 Democrats who cast “present” votes, neither supporting nor opposing the measure.

House Democratic Caucus Chairman Pete Aguilar, D-Calif., said at the Democrats’ policy meeting last week: “What we’ve been telling our members and the candidates running is that we have to do everything.” “We need to have oversight and accountability and talk about the affordability agenda and how we will make life better for people if we are given the opportunity to lead and if we are given the opportunity to govern.”

Rep. Deborah Ross, D.C., a member of the House Judiciary Committee, said at the meeting that a Democratic attempt at impeachment was almost certain. He said the question would determine the grounds on which he would be dismissed. “It’s not going to be a free-for-all,” Jeffries said.

“I think the challenge will be in narrowing down high crimes and misdemeanors. Because I think there are high crimes and misdemeanors,” Ross said.

Correction: The riot at the U.S. Capitol occurred on January 6, 2021. In an earlier version, the date was stated incorrectly. Clarification: This story has been updated to clarify that control of the White House is not part of the midterm elections.