Tennessee congressman publically calls for President’s impeachment

Democrat Steve Cohen (TN-09) introduced the five articles with support from three co-sponsors and five other Democrats in Congress.

“It’s time for Congress to take action and stop this reckless and harmful behavior by removing Mr. Trump from office and to defend and uphold the Constitution of the United States,†Cohen said at a press conference.

Cohen, who represents Tennessee’s 9th Congressional District spanning the majority of Shelby County (including downtown Memphis) has cited in the articles several incidents where he says Trump has violated the U.S. Constitution. 

Upon the introduction of these articles, Cohen demanded that the House Judiciary Committee immediately begin impeachment hearings, according to CBS News. Although it appears moves have been mad in the direction of impeachment, right now it is nearly impossible for President Trump to be impeached, according to Jeff Leedham, a University of Memphis political science professor. 

“The bill is unlikely to ever make it out of committee, if it is even taken up for debate,†Leedham said. “They could simply table the matter without discussion as they’ve done with [Rep. Brad] Sherman’s earlier effort.â€Â 

In July, another bill was introduced to try to impeach Trump by Representative Brad Sherman following James Comey’s termination. The bill was only endorsed by one other Democrat.

Leedham said he believes Cohen hopes to “energize the Democratic base and show that there are Democrats out there willing to take on the president.†Still, Leedham said Democrats are more concerned with Robert Muller’s findings in the Russia investigation because those will make it easier to get Trump impeached. 

Others agree that impeachment is improbable. 

“We all know this is going nowhere,†Michael Sances, a political science professor at the U of M, said. “Impeachment is not a legal process — impeachment is a political process.â€

Sances said that right now, Trump is being backed too strongly by GOP members, so Cohen’s motion will not likely lead to impeachment. He said if Democrats take control of Congress in the 2018-midterm elections, the motion could be successful, but at this time, Cohen and the other Democrats are “the minority of the minority.â€

Sances said the only way the president could be impeached before midterms would be if Republicans began distancing themselves from Trump. But until Democrats get elected or Republicans change their mind about Trump, the movement for impeachment is virtually static.

Sances says although the motion for impeachment is “going nowhere,†the six representatives and Cohen are just “doing their jobs†by advocating for their constituents. 

“They are representing their voters who are very upset with the current administration and would like to see the president impeached,†he said. “Often times, members of Congress do actions they know are not going to succeed, but they have to go out and fight the good fight.â€

According to Sances, Trump’s best chance to rebuild his popularity with the American people and end further talk of impeachment is by seeking compromise with his opposing party. During a two-week span in September, Trump worked with Democrat leaders Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer on immigration reform, and it appeared Trump had begun bridging the gap — but it was short-lived, according to Sances.

 “If he became a bipartisan dealmaker president . . . I think that would be his best shot [to avoid impeachment],†he said. “Make the political climate as good and friendly for you as you can, and we saw during those two weeks that he has the ability to do that.â€Â 

But even if Trump returned to bipartisan tactics, that may not be enough to restore his reputation with Americans on the other side of the aisle, according to Sances. 

Joseph Hayden, a journalism professor at the U of M and expert in media and politics, says President Trump had this coming.

 “No president in modern American history has done more to deserve [this],†he said. “When people break their oath in office, they need to be held accountable and removed.â€Â 

But like Leedham and Sances, Hayden does not believe impeachment will happen. And if Trump will stay in office, there are shortcomings Trump must address during his term’s last three years. 

“Stop lying, stop defending white supremacists, stop commenting on women’s appearance, stop dividing, stop trolling,†Hayden said. “Stop attacking this country’s values and institutions.â€