House progressive backs down from Trump impeachment push after pressure from fellow Dems

A lone House Democrat pushing to impeach President Donald Trump has backed down from his effort to force a vote on the measure after pressure to do so from fellow liberals.

Rep. Shri Thanedar, D-Mich., aimed to force a vote on his seven articles of impeachment against Trump this week through a mechanism known as a privileged resolution that forces the House to reckon with a piece of legislation within two days of being in session.

Democratic leaders made their opposition to the effort known, however, and House Democratic Caucus Chairman Pete Aguilar, D-Calif., told reporters it was a “distraction.”

Thanedar later announced on X he would back off trying to force the vote.

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It comes after Democrats, including House Progressive Caucus Chairman Greg Casar, D-Texas, pushed back on the effort. He said he would vote against the measure and called it “unserious,” according to Punchbowl News.

“This doomed impeachment vote is not about holding Trump accountable, but instead seems to be about the interest of the bill sponsor,” Casar said.

House GOP leaders had planned a vote to table the measure, a procedural motion blocking a House-wide vote, but called it off after Thanedar apparently missed his window to force the vote.

Thanedar said in a statement on X afterward, “In the fifteen days since I filed seven articles of impeachment against President Trump, he has committed more impeachable offenses, most dangerously, accepting a $400 million private jet from Qatar, which even Republican Members of Congress have called wrong.

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“So, after talking with many colleagues, I have decided not to force a vote on impeachment today. 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.”

Later, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., said the situation “speaks for itself” when asked whether he pressured Thanedar to drop the motion.

Thanedar’s resolution has caused a modest political headache for Democratic lawmakers at a time the party has struggled with messaging after the 2024 election.

“I have said before from this podium, this is not the right approach we should be taking,” Aguilar said at his weekly press conference. “I’ll join members of the leadership team in voting to table that motion.”

Thanedar acknowledged his colleagues’ concerns about his move during his own press conference Wednesday morning, though he insisted it would not deter him.

“Even some Democrats call me a lunatic, just like the president has called me lunatic,” the Michigan Democrat said.

“But they have never said, nobody has said to me, ‘Mr. Thanedar, the seven articles of impeachment that you presented to the U.S. Congress, they’re a piece of s—. They’re not good. You missed it, missed the point. They are not legally right.’ They didn’t do that. No one says that.”

However, Aguilar said hours later it was not the right time to push an impeachment effort.

“This is such an impactful moment, and our colleagues are locking themselves in a room for 24 hours to protect and defend healthcare. We shouldn’t be talking about this proposal that is not right, not timely,” Aguilar said, referring to the House Energy and Commerce Committee’s meeting on budget reconciliation, which has been ongoing since 2 p.m. Tuesday.

“This president is no stranger to impeachments. He’s been impeached twice. Impeachment is a tool that can be used, but it takes weeks, months to do. Right now, the issue of the day is, will Hill Republicans stand up and support healthcare in this country?”

Hours before the expected vote, NBC News reported that House Democratic leaders pressed Thanedar not to show up for the chamber’s 5 p.m. vote series, which would have meant he could not force the vote.

Republicans, meanwhile, seized on the disagreement.

“House Democrats have demonstrated once again they are willing to abuse the Constitution in their effort to impede the agenda of the American people,” Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., said in a statement before the vote.

“Their latest sham impeachment charade against President Trump is another embarrassing political stunt. Today, House Republicans will move promptly to discard it.”

When reached for comment on Thanedar’s push Tuesday, White House spokesperson Liz Huston told Fox News Digital, “Every action taken by President Trump and his administration is fully lawful and firmly rooted in the will of the American people. President Trump is doing exactly what he promised: securing our border, bringing in trillions of dollars in investment to America and restoring common-sense leadership.”

“Meanwhile, Democrats are once again showing where their true priorities lie — siding with illegal immigrants over the safety, security and well-being of hardworking American citizens. This desperate impeachment stunt is nothing more than a reckless political act that the American people see right through,” the White House said.

Fox News’ Tyler Olson contributed to this report