WASHINGTON (AP) 鈥 A Democratic lawmaker is launching a renegade effort to impeach President Donald Trump, pushing past party leaders on Wednesday with an attempt to force a procedural vote in the U.S. House that is expected to fail.
announced his intention to charge ahead, saying that as an immigrant he wants to do all he can to protect America's Constitution and its institutions. His resolution contains seven articles of impeachment against the Republican president.
鈥淒onald J. Trump has been committing crimes since day one 鈥 bribery, corruption, taking power from Congress, creating an unlawful office in DOGE, violating First Amendment rights, ignoring due process,鈥 the congressman said earlier from the House floor.
It would be the historic third time Trump has faced after being twice impeached during his first term as president 鈥 first in 2019 on charges related to as it confronted Russia and later on a charge of over the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol by . Trump was by the Senate.
Thanedar is not the only Democrat who has signaled impeachment efforts against Trump. But his decision to go it almost alone, without backing from party leadership, comes as , with several primary opponents looking to unseat him in his Detroit-area congressional district.
Democrats who streamed out of their weekly caucus meeting were critical of the impeachment effort. They said the focus should not be on impeachment but on Republican efforts to cut spending on important programs that Americans rely on, such as Medicaid and nutrition assistance.
鈥淭here鈥檚 no support for an impeachment resolution. There have been no hearings on compiling a record for which impeachment can be based. And this is just a procedure that鈥檚 meaningless at this point," said Rep. Hank Johnson, D-Ga. 鈥漈he sponsor is out of sync with the mood and the trajectory of House Democrats."
"The work that we need to focus on is that Republicans are stripping away access to health care, stripping away nutritional assistance for hungry kids, and giving tax breaks to the wealthiest Americans and large corporations,鈥 said Rick Larsen, D-Wash. 鈥淭his resolution has nothing to do with that.鈥
Timing is also key. Thanedar's resolution claiming Trump committed 鈥渉igh crimes and misdemeanors鈥 comes as Trump is in his first major trip abroad of his second term, violating a norm in American politics of not criticizing the president once he leaves the U.S. waters' edge.
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 and is considering accepting from the Qatari government.
鈥淢y constituents want me to act," Thanedar told The Associated Press late Tuesday.
鈥淚t鈥檚 time for us to stand up and speak. We can鈥檛 worry about, 鈥業s this the right time?鈥 We can鈥檛 worry about, 鈥楢re we going to win this battle?鈥 It鈥檚 more about doing the right thing,鈥 he said. "I took an oath to protect and defend the Constitution. So did Mr. Trump. He has violated his oath, and he鈥檚 doing unconstitutional activities. It鈥檚 time for someone to stand up and say that, and if that鈥檚 just me, then so be it.鈥
Thanedar is using a procedural tool to force a vote Wednesday on whether to proceed to the issue or shelve the matter.
One top Trump ally, Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, criticized Thanedar and dismissed the impeachment effort.
鈥淚t鈥檚 DOA,鈥 she posted on social media.
Impeachment of a president or other U.S. officials, once rare, has become an increasingly common in Congress.
Republicans in the House opened into then-President Joe Biden, a Democrat, but stopped short of action. The Republicans in Congress did, however, . The Senate dismissed two articles of impeachment against Mayorkas, .
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.
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Staff writer Kevin Freking contributed to this report.
