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President Donald Trump’s escalating threats against Iran sparked fierce bipartisan backlash on Capitol Hill, with some lawmakers calling for his removal from office.
Trump warned Tuesday that a “whole civilization will die tonight” unless Iran reopens the Strait of Hormuz, a critical waterway responsible for one-fifth of the world’s oil supply.
“I don’t want that to happen, but it probably will,” Trump wrote in a Truth Social post. “However, now that we have Complete and Total Regime Change, where different, smarter, and less radicalized minds prevail, maybe something revolutionarily wonderful can happen, WHO KNOWS?”
Some Democratic lawmakers in both chambers immediately called for the president’s impeachment, though it is likely to be a futile effort in the Republican-controlled House of Representatives.
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“Trump’s unhinged threats of violence and genocide are inexcusable,” Rep. Delia Ramirez, D-Ill., wrote on social media. “My Republican colleagues can’t keep turning a blind eye. He must be stopped and impeached.”
“Sickeningly evil. Donald Trump must be impeached,” Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., said in response to Trump’s message.
Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., also called on the Cabinet to invoke the 25th Amendment, characterizing Trump as a “maniac” who must be removed from office.
Under the U.S. Constitution, the vice president and a majority of the cabinet can use the mechanism to remove a president, though the cohort must submit a written letter to Congress stating their rationale. Lawmakers in both chambers would then need to approve the president’s removal with a two-thirds majority — a much higher bar than impeachment and conviction.
Republicans similarly demanded that former President Joe Biden be removed toward the end of his administration.
The White House slammed Democrats’ renewed impeachment push in a statement to Fox News Digital.
“This is pathetic. Democrats have been talking about impeaching President Trump since before he was even sworn into office,” White House spokesman Davis Ingle said. “The Democrats in Congress are deranged, weak, and ineffective, which is why their approval ratings are at historic lows.”
Other Democratic lawmakers stopped short of calling for Trump’s ouster but have advocated for an immediate end to the war and canceling recess to hold a vote to check the president’s war powers in Iran.
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“Each Republican who refuses to join us in voting against this wanton war of choice owns every consequence of whatever the hell this is,” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said Tuesday.
Democrats in both chambers are expected to force votes requiring Trump to seek congressional authorization before launching military force against Iran in the coming weeks. However, the House and Senate are not expected to resume session until the week of April 13.
Trump’s latest fiery statement comes after his Easter edict, in which the president reaffirmed his Tuesday deadline in an expletive-filled post and threatened that Iran will be “living in Hell.”
Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., a close ally of Trump’s in the Senate, said he hoped the president was bluffing.
“I am hoping and praying that President Trump is — this really is bluster,” Johnson told John Solomon Reports. “I do not want to see us start blowing up civilian infrastructure. I do not want to see that we are not at war with the Iranian people. We are trying to liberate them.”
Republicans have so far given little pushback to Trump’s war in Iran, with many declining to use the term. And in the Senate, they have blocked several attempts from Democrats to rein in Trump’s war authorities in the region and call back America’s military forces from the conflict.
Some Republicans aren’t completely sold on providing more funding for the conflict, including Sen. John Curtis, R-Utah, until there has been a formal declaration of war approved by Congress.
That moment has not yet come, however, but it may be fast approaching, given that the conflict has now stretched over 39 days. At 60 days, Congress would be able to weigh in.
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Not all Republicans shared the same sentiment as Johnson. Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, when asked about the post, said “He’s not wrong.”
“Let’s put it like that,” Ernst said. “I know the president is really frustrated, and we do want to see the strait opened. It’s not just good for the United States, but it’s good for Europe and so many other countries.”
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