Congressional Democrats are at loggerheads over attempts to impeach various Trump administration Cabinet members.
In the days since impeachment articles were filed against Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, the party has split over whether the procedure is a worthwhile use of its members’ time.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.J., thought little of the impeachment efforts.
“You know what I’m focused on? Making sure that the American people don’t have their health care ripped away from them,” Jeffries told Axios.
Rep. Pete Aguilar, D-Calif., and Rep. Katharine Clark, D-Mass., joined Jeffries in a joint statement denouncing the moves. The representatives said that process would require an immense amount of work to succeed.
“Impeachment is a sacred constitutional vehicle designed to hold a corrupt executive accountable for abuse of power, breaking the law and violating the public trust,” the statement read. “None of that serious work has been done, with the Republican majority focused solely on rubber stamping Donald Trump’s extreme agenda.”
Some Democrats agreed with impeachment in theory. Rep. Sarah McBride, D-Del., said she would vote for impeachment, but doesn’t think Stevens or Ramirez have a case yet.
“Impeachment is a serious process and has to be done in a serious evidentiary-based procedure,” she told Axios.
Rep. Jared Huffman, D-Calif., called the impeachment attempts “deeply distracting and unproductive,” while noting Stevens and Ramirez have a point.
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“You can’t swing a cat without hitting an impeachable offense in this administration,” he said.
Impeachment efforts this year have been non-starters for Democrats. In June, Democrats joined Republicans to kill a measure to impeach Trump over his administration’s air strikes in Iran. Rep. Shri Thanedar, D-Mich., introduced articles of impeachment against Trump in April, which were quickly shot down. Thanedar has launched another long shot effort, filing to impeach Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Tuesday.
