Rep. Shri Thanedar (D-MI) pulled articles of impeachment against President Donald Trump on Wednesday after a pressure campaign from Democratic leadership that rebuked their caucus member for pushing an agenda they called “not timely” and “unserious.”
Thanedar’s seven articles against Trump sought to remove him from office for high crimes and misdemeanors. He filed it as privileged on Tuesday, requiring it to be called up in two days for a full House vote. It was scheduled for a vote on Wednesday, but he said in a statement he would “add to my articles of impeachment” and “rally the support of both Democrats and Republicans.”
“This is not about any one person or party; it is about defending America, our Constitution, and Rule of Law,” the Michigan congressman said. “I will continue to pursue all avenues to put this President on notice and hold him accountable for his many impeachable crimes.”
His decision to pull the resolution comes after he held a press conference on Wednesday morning, where he equated his push for impeachment to historic civil rights movements such as the abolition of slavery and the right to vote for women.
“So many changes happened because people stood up, because somebody started it, somebody started a movement, somebody had a thought,” he said at the conference.
Still, Thanedar acknowledged the lack of party support for his efforts during his conference too, stating that “some Democrats have called me a lunatic just like the president has called me a lunatic.”
Democratic leadership hasn’t been too keen on the impeachment efforts. Chairman Pete Aguilar (D-CA) and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) have argued that there are more important issues for the Democratic caucus to be focused on.
“I have said before from this podium, this is not the right approach we should be taking,” Aguilar said at a Wednesday press conference ahead of the vote.
Leadership was so against the impeachment resolution that when four original co-sponsors of Thanedar’s articles learned it did not go through the proper channels for approval, they removed themselves from the sponsorship list.
In Democrats’ weekly caucus meeting on Wednesday, Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-NY) reportedly criticized the resolution as “idiotic” and earned applause from several lawmakers, including former Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA).
He was among the four Democrats briefly listed as co-sponsors, and his legislative director had sent out an email to fellow Democratic aides asking for staffers to let each other know when their boss signs on to a bill or resolution in the future.
“Members can walk away with different impressions of a conversation, and a quick check-in with staff can go a long way in avoiding confusion,” legislative director Andrew Heineman had written. “I don’t think any of us want to learn that their boss was added to a bill that’s been introduced from a Google Alert.”
Aguilar said leaders are no strangers to the “broad mosaic of opinions” within the caucus, but the focus should be on the lawmakers in committee hearings debating the reconciliation bill this week.
“We should be talking about uplifting that hard work,” the chairman said. “We shouldn’t be talking about this proposal that is not right, not timely.”
The Congressional Progressive Caucus, realistically Thanedar’s only chance for supporters in his resolution, sent out a notice to members calling the impeachment effort “unserious.”
“This doomed impeachment vote is not about holding Trump accountable, but instead seems to be about the interest of the bill sponsor,” Congressional Progressive Caucus Chairman Greg Casar (D-TX) wrote.
Thanedar has repeatedly said he would move forward with introducing his impeachment articles and calling up a vote regardless of party support. He is facing strong primary challengers in 2026, including state Rep. Donavan McKinney, but he’s said his push for impeachment is not related to his reelection. McKinney has endorsements from Justice Democrats and Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI), who represents the district next to Thanedar and with whom she has an icy relationship.
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Several rank-and-file Democrats have blasted Thanedar for wasting people’s time, with many noting that Trump has been impeached twice but acquitted in the Senate both times.
“Republicans didn’t do anything when there was an insurrection, when people were fearing for their lives, and they wouldn’t vote to convict,” Rep. Becca Balint (D-VT) told the Washington Examiner when Thanedar introduced the resolution. “The folks in those seats haven’t changed.”
