This week, attempts to impeach U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth failed in the House of Representatives of the U.S. Congress. Republicans, who still hold the majority, blocked the procedure by 211 votes to 204.
Hegseth has been accused of starting the war in Iran without congressional authorization. The other allegations against him concern strikes by ships in the Caribbean, as well as the kidnapping of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. He himself described the procedure as “sabotage” and a “farce.”
However, the Republicans’ majority in Congress will last only a few more weeks. The new Congress will be sworn in on January 3, and following the midterm elections, Democrats will have a large majority in both chambers. Among their campaign promises was to hold Trump and his administration accountable, as well as investigate corruption in Washington. But what will they actually be able to do?
Will there be another attempt to impeach Trump?
The chances of launching impeachment proceedings against Donald Trump for a third time are high. But the previous two attempts never succeeded. In 2020, Trump was acquitted of “charges of abuse of power and obstruction of Congress,” while in 2021 he was acquitted of the charge of “incitement of insurrection” on January 6, 2021, when his supporters stormed the Capitol.
Frank O. Bowman III, a law professor at the University of Missouri, served as a consultant in both cases. “In my view, they should have succeeded,” he told DW. “But they did not, and from the perspective of the ordinary citizen, it is simply noise and commotion, but nothing happens. So why do we even bother? I believe that in the public consciousness, impeachment has lost much of its significance.”
For the president’s impeachment to succeed, two-thirds majorities are required in both chambers. Democrats will not have such majorities despite their major victory. “The best strategy would be to engage in intensive negotiations with Republican senators to determine whether there are grounds that could win over the votes they need,” Yale University law professor Keith Whittington told DW. “That may not be very satisfying for the Democratic base, but it would expose the president to the greatest risk of removal.”
The members of the president’s Cabinet are also at risk. Among them are Health Secretary Robert Kennedy, Education Secretary Linda McMahon, and Attorney General Todd Blanche, against whom similar proceedings have already been initiated. “Cabinet members could be removed in order to send a clear signal to the administration: ‘Okay, we will not go after the big boss himself, but if the rest of your subordinates continue to do bad things, we will remove you,’” Frank O. Bowman III commented.