Trump Pushes Congress to Expunge His Two Impeachments, June 13

President Trump is pushing Republican lawmakers to pass a resolution that would symbolically nullify his two impeachments from his first term. Trump was impeached in 2019 over Ukraine allegations and in 2021 over the Capitol riot. The Senate acquitted him both times. Legal experts say any such resolution would be purely symbolic, since the Constitution provides no procedure for undoing an impeachment.

What Trump and His Allies Are Seeking

Trump and his allies have discussed pushing Congress to pass a resolution that would expunge his two impeachments from the historical record, according to the Wall Street Journal. Trump told the Journal, “It should be done because I did nothing wrong.” House Speaker Mike Johnson said the effort “makes a lot of sense” and called it “a priority and something that Congress should make right.” Johnson added that conversations about the resolution picked up about a month ago and that supporters view it as a symbolic repudiation of what they regard as politically motivated proceedings.

Why Legal Experts Say It Cannot Work

Constitutional scholars largely contend that impeachments cannot be expunged or undone. Michael Gerhardt, a law professor at the University of North Carolina, told the Journal that the idea is “absurd” and that “Congress doesn’t have this power” to erase impeachments from history. Legal experts are skeptical that any resolution would carry legal weight. Harvard law professor emeritus Alan Dershowitz, who defended Trump during his first impeachment trial, told the Journal that the legality remains unclear, but most scholars disagree.

The Two Impeachments Explained

Trump’s first impeachment in 2019 centered on allegations that he abused his power by pressuring Ukraine to investigate Joe Biden, a political rival. He was acquitted by the Senate in February 2020. The second impeachment followed the January 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol, when members of Congress accused him of inciting an insurrection. He was again acquitted after leaving office. Trump is the first president in U.S. history to be impeached twice.

Timing and Political Risk

Any effort to pass such a resolution likely will not happen until after the midterm elections in November, according to the Journal. Critics argue that revisiting the impeachments risks drawing renewed attention to the very allegations Trump would prefer to leave in the past. Political commentator SE Cupp questioned the strategy on CNN, saying “All the reasons he was impeached get dredged up again, and we’re all talking about it around a midterm election.” Several House Republicans told the Journal that even after November, it would be difficult to get the votes needed for the resolution to pass.

Final Thoughts

Trump’s push to expunge his impeachments is purely symbolic and lacks constitutional foundation. The effort risks reviving divisive debates just as Republicans focus on the midterm elections.

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