House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) said he will consider expunging one or both of Donald Trump’s impeachments.
“When you watch what he went through, I would understand why members would want to bring that forward,” McCarthy said at a press conference on Thursday, according to the Washington Post.
McCarthy then listed some other priorities for House Republicans including the economy, securing the border, and giving “parents the opportunity to have a say in their child’s education.”
“But I understand why individuals want to do it, and we’d look at it,” he added.
Trump was impeached in December 2019 on charges of abuse of power and obstruction of Congress after attempting to withhold military aid from Ukraine to pressure the country to investigate his then-Democratic opponent Joe Biden.
He was impeached a second time in January 2021 for incitement of insurrection after his supporters stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6.
Then-congressman Rep. Markwayne Mullin (Okla.) led the effort to expunge Trump’s impeachments in the last Congress.
His resolution seeking to expunge Trump’s impeachment after Jan. 6 was supported by Republican Conference Chairwoman Elise Stefanik (N.Y.).
“Democrats used their second impeachment resolution to once again weaponize one of the most grave and consequential powers of the House,” Mullin said at the time. “This was never about the Constitution; it was rooted in personal politics.”
Trump was acquitted both times in the Senate because they fail to reach the two-thirds majority needed to convict him. However, his impeachments in the House remain a part of the historical record.
[Image: Andrew Harnik / Associated Press]
