Democrat files 26-article impeachment resolution against Trump, the most ever against a sitting president

Nine days after the House voted to shelve a previous Democratic impeachment effort, Rep. Steve Cohen of Tennessee introduced 26 articles of impeachment against President Donald Trump on September 24 — the largest number of impeachment articles ever filed against a sitting president.

At 26, the count is more than twice the 11 articles the House brought against Andrew Johnson in 1868 — previously the largest number to reach a Senate trial, per the International Business Times. Trump's two earlier impeachments, during his first term, carried two articles and one article respectively.

Cohen, a senior member of the House Judiciary Committee, has been explicit about the resolution's purpose: it is a message document, not a mechanism. Republicans control the House, and no committee hearing or floor vote on the resolution had been announced as of publication. Speaking to Nexstar, Cohen acknowledged the effort has no path forward — 'but I'm not going to stop standing up for my constituents and for democracy.'

Trump is clearly the most impeachable President our country has ever endured. His continued presence in office is a danger to our democracy. That the sycophantic Republican majority in Congress is derelict in its duty does not mean that I must abandon my responsibilities. I took an independent oath to support and defend the Constitution. That commitment compels me to introduce this resolution today. When historians write about this period, and our constituents ask who stood up to President Trump's lawlessness, this resolution is the answer.— Rep. Steve Cohen, Tennessee Democrat and senior House Judiciary Committee member

The 26 articles span an unusually wide range of conduct. Article one charges Trump with eroding democratic norms by casting doubt on election integrity. The second article alleges that Trump abused his power by engaging militarily with Iran without authorization from Congress. A third targets what Cohen describes as extrajudicial killings in international waters off Venezuela. A fourth concerns the deployment of military forces against U.S. cities.

Immigration features prominently. Among the articles are charges tied to Trump's birthright citizenship executive order, the administration's invocation of the Alien Enemies Act in Kilmar Abrego Garcia's case, the conditions inside El Salvador's CECOT prison, and claims that the administration defied court orders related to immigration enforcement.

Other articles accuse Trump of unlawfully withholding congressionally appropriated funds, imposing loyalty tests on the federal workforce, terminating inspectors general without statutory notice to Congress, obstructing the appointment of U.S. attorneys, and moving to dismantle the Department of Education — a congressionally mandated agency — without legislative approval.

Two articles target press freedom: one over the banishment of reporters from the White House for disfavored coverage, and another alleging coercion of CBS and ABC to change editorial content. Those press-freedom allegations come amid an ongoing legal battle in which CNN, MS NOW, and Politico are suing to regain White House access, according to Newsweek.

Further articles allege political prosecutions of Comey, James, and Schiff; abuse of the presidential pardon power; retaliatory executive orders against law firms; withholding of federal funds from universities; and the demolition of the White House East Wing without congressional approval. The closing article charges that Trump ran afoul of the Constitution's emoluments provisions by deriving personal financial benefit directly from holding the presidency.

The resolution arrives amid visible divisions among House Democrats over impeachment strategy. Just nine days earlier, on September 15, the House voted 232-147 to table a narrower impeachment resolution brought by Rep. Al Green of Texas, which focused on the administration's immigration crackdown and civilians killed during federal enforcement operations. Eighteen Democrats sided with nearly all Republicans to table the measure, while 47 lawmakers — among them House Democratic leaders Hakeem Jeffries, Katherine Clark, and Pete Aguilar — recorded a present vote. Speaking shortly before that vote, Aguilar, who chairs the House Democratic Caucus, indicated that impeachment was not a priority for House Democrats.

Cohen's resolution is considerably broader than Green's, though the two overlap on immigration enforcement, Abrego Garcia, CECOT, and court-order compliance. Cohen expressed hope that the resolution would lay the groundwork for accountability in what he called the 120th Congress, adding that gathering the allegations into one document would give voters and future historians a single reference point for what one senior Judiciary member formally alleges.

Cohen has pursued Trump's impeachment since the first term. In November 2017, while serving as ranking member of the House Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution and Civil Justice, he introduced five articles; he subsequently voted to impeach Trump in both 2019 and 2021 and earlier put his name to 13 articles introduced by Rep. John Larson of Connecticut, according to the International Business Times. The White House had not responded to a request for comment as of publication, according to Newsweek.

Why it matters — The resolution is the broadest formal impeachment filing in U.S. history and, even without a realistic path to a vote, puts 26 specific constitutional allegations against a sitting president into a single congressional record.

Reported by house.gov, cohen.house.gov, newsweek.com, ibtimes.co.uk, truthout.org