A Democratic representative is initiating a bold move to impeach President Trump, disregarding guidance from party leaderships as they push for a procedural vote in the U.S. House on Wednesday, which is anticipated to be unsuccessful.

Representative Shri Thaneder from Michigan declared his plans to move forward with charges, stating that as an American immigrant, he aims to utilize every means possible to safeguard the nation’s Constitution and institutions from President Trump’s disregard for legal norms. The resolution put forth by him includes seven articles of impeachment targeting the GOP president.

” Donald J. Trump has been engaging in criminal activities since his inauguration — including acts of bribery, corruption, seizing authority from Congress, establishing an illegal position within the DOGE organization, infringing upon First Amendment rights, and disregarding due process,” stated the congressman previously during remarks on the House floor.

This would mark the unprecedented third occasion on which Trump has encountered attempts at impeachment, following two instances during his initial presidential term—initially in 2019 for allegedly holding back military assistance from Ukraine amid tensions with Russia, and subsequently for purportedly encouraging the riot at the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021. Both prior occasions resulted in acquittals for Trump via the Senate’s verdicts.

Thaneder isn’t the sole Democrat pushing for impeachment proceedings against Trump. However, his choice to pursue this path independently, lacking support from Democratic leaders, highlights his personal political struggles back home. He’s up against multiple challengers vying to replace him in his Detroit-area House seat.

The timing is crucial here. The resolution stating that Trump engaged in “high crimes and misdemeanors” was introduced just as he was embarking on his significant overseas journey for his second term, which goes against an established custom in American politics—refraining from publicly critiquing the president after they have left the country.

But Thanedar said he was pressing ahead in part because of Trump’s trip abroad and the potential conflicts of interest as the president appears to be mixing his personal business dealings with his presidential duties and is considering accepting a lavish gift of an airplane from the Qatari government.

“My voters expect me to take action,” Thanedar said to the Associated Press on Tuesday evening.

It’s time for us to rise and voice our concerns. We shouldn’t concern ourselves with whether ‘this is the appropriate moment’ or ‘whether we will emerge victorious.’ The priority should be taking the correct action,” he stated. “I swore to uphold and safeguard the Constitution. This pledge was also made by Mr. Trump. However, he has breached his vow and engaged in actions contrary to constitutional principles. Now is the moment when someone needs to step forward and declare as much, even if I am that person.

Thanedar is employing a procedural method to compel a vote on Wednesday about either moving forward with the issue or setting it aside.

One top Trump ally, Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, criticized Thanedar and dismissed the impeachment effort.

“She announced on social media, ‘It’s dead on arrival.’”

Impeachment of a president or other U.S. officials, once rare, has become an increasingly common in Congress.

Republicans in the House opened an impeachment inquiry into then-President Biden, a Democrat, but stopped short of action. The Republicans in Congress did, however, impeach Biden’s Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. The Senate dismissed two articles of impeachment against Mayorkas, ending his trial.

Thanedar, who’s from India, has said he came to the United States without many resources. He said he loves the U.S. and wants to defend its Constitution and institutions.

When he took over the Detroit congressional district, it was the first time in decades the city was left without a Black lawmaker in Congress.


Mascaro, Brown, and Askarinam pen articles for the Associated Press.

This tale initially surfaced in

Los Angeles Times

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