Impeachment Watch
It's no surprise that US House Democrats are increasingly calling for Trump's impeachment and that articles of impeachment have been previously filed by them.
It's also a fact that the Republican majority is razor-thin. For a successful impeachment vote, only 2 or 3 Republicans need to cross over to vote with the Democrats.
A growing number of major Republican names are literally declaring Trump to be insane (
see the names and quotes here). This shifting sentiment is an indicator. Trump has always been just a few votes away from impeachment. But these days, Republican crossovers may not be that hard to find. Trump's outrageous posts and actions of late have a number of House Republicans deeply concerned.
My eyes are on these Republicans for their pro-impeachment vote:
1. Any one of the 36 House Republicans who have announced they are not running for re-election to their House seats. Of those, 20 are running for other offices, 16 are retiring from public office entirely.
The 16 have no primary to fear or future election to be concerned about.
A few or all of the 20 may see the massive anti-war sentiment of the electorate and calculate that an impeachment vote is the right move.
2. Dan Newhouse (R-WA): One of the Republicans who voted to impeach in 2021. "The rhetoric we’ve seen over the last 48 hours—specifically the threats of 'annihilation'—is not the language of a rational leader. It is deeply unhinged. We are seeing a total absence of the mental guardrails required to manage a global conflict. I am listening closely to my colleagues about the 25th Amendment, because the current trajectory is unsustainable."
3. Victoria Spartz (R-IN): She has publicly questioned the President’s "mental focus" and "irrational" decision-making. Spartz has a history of independent voting and has previously signaled that she will not support a "leadership crisis" during a war.
4. Thomas Massie (R-KY): Massie has been the most vocal sitting member using "removal" language. By calling the current war footing "pure madness" and describing the President as "unhinged from the law," he has positioned himself as the most likely lead for a GOP impeachment push on constitutional grounds.
5. Ken Buck (R-CO): "We cannot have a Commander-in-Chief who believes the Constitution is an 'optional' document during a crisis. These threats to strike civilian infrastructure without a single vote from this body are illegal and dangerous. It’s a level of impulsive governance that we simply haven't seen before, and it puts our entire system of checks and balances at risk."
6. Chip Roy (R-TX): "I’m looking for a strategy, and all I’m seeing is a Twitter feed. You can't lead a war on vibes and expletives. This is erratic, it’s unstable, and it’s not what we promised the people. If the President cannot articulate a constitutional basis for 'Power Plant Day,' then we have a serious crisis of leadership on our hands."