Trump, allies push effort to expunge 2019 and 2021 impeachments through Congress: Report
WASHINGTON, DC: President Donald Trump and his allies are discussing a congressional effort to expunge the two impeachments he faced during his first term, according to a report published on Thursday, June 11.
The proposed move would seek to formally void the impeachment actions taken by the House of Representatives in 2019 and 2021, although legal experts say the Constitution provides no mechanism to undo an impeachment once it has occurred. Trump defended the effort, arguing that both impeachments were politically motivated.
Proposal would remove impeachments from congressional record
According to a report by The Wall Street Journal, Trump and his allies have urged lawmakers to pass a resolution aimed at voiding the impeachments from his first term in office.
The report said the proposal would be largely symbolic because the US Constitution contains no procedure for reversing an impeachment once it has been approved by the House. Legal experts cited by the publication said the measure would not alter the historical record or have any legal consequences.
In a phone interview with the newspaper, Trump reiterated his view that the impeachment proceedings were unjustified. “It should be done because I did nothing wrong,” Trump said. “It was a rigged deal, it was a whole rigged situation.”
A White House official later confirmed to reporters that administration officials have encouraged movement on the issue. White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson said it was unsurprising that people were interested in revisiting what she described as “sham efforts.”
“It's no surprise that sane individuals are recognizing these sham efforts and are interested in undoing those shameful actions,” Jackson said. The Journal reported that lawmakers are unlikely to consider any such resolution before the November midterm elections.
Mike Johnson signals support as debate reopens questions
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La) told the outlet he supports the idea of expunging the impeachments, arguing that subsequent developments have strengthened Republicans’ long-held criticism of the proceedings.
“I think it makes a lot of sense, the more the evidence comes out, the more we know they really were sham impeachments,” Johnson said. “We were saying it at the time, now we know. And they make a very compelling case that it should be expunged from the record, because it was a hyperpartisan attack job.”
The report said that Johnson has discussed the proposal with Trump and others, including attorney Alan Dershowitz, who defended Trump during one of his Senate impeachment trials.
Trump was impeached twice during his first term. The first impeachment, approved by the House in December 2019, charged him with abuse of power and obstruction of Congress over his dealings with Ukraine. The second impeachment, approved in January 2021, accused him of incitement of insurrection following the January 6 attack on the US Capitol.
In both cases, the Senate acquitted Trump after the charges failed to secure the two-thirds majority required for conviction. No formal resolution has been introduced, and congressional leaders have not announced a timetable for any potential action.
