Efforts by Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) and other progressives to impeach President Donald Trump over the recent airstrikes on Iran hit a major roadblock Monday, after Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) declared the proposal “dead on arrival” in the Senate. Fetterman, a key swing-state Democrat, publicly supported Trump’s decision to strike Iranian nuclear facilities and dismissed rumors of an internal push among Democrats to pursue impeachment. The idea had gained some traction among left-wing lawmakers after Trump was accused of launching an unauthorized military operation without congressional approval. “Of course, no \[he should not be impeached],” Fetterman told Fox News. “She knows it. I know it. We all know it… that’s not going anywhere.” He added that bringing up impeachment again, after two failed attempts, would not be helpful and could undermine the seriousness of the process. His comments came in response to Ocasio-Cortez’s call for a third impeachment following the U.S. bombing of Iranian nuclear sites using 14 “bunker buster” bombs.
AOC criticized the strikes as a constitutional overreach, writing that Trump’s decision “without authorization” violated congressional war powers. However, Fetterman warned that invoking impeachment too casually weakens its purpose. Other Democrats took a more measured approach. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) said Trump failed to seek congressional authorization and risked dragging the U.S. into a broader Middle East conflict. Still, Jeffries stopped short of supporting impeachment, despite reportedly being contacted by the White House ahead of the strikes but failing to respond.
