Welcome to DU! The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards. Join the community: Create a free account Support DU (and get rid of ads!): Become a Star Member Latest Breaking News Editorials & Other Articles General Discussion The DU Lounge All Forums Issue Forums Culture Forums Alliance Forums Region Forums Support Forums Help & Search

Uncle Joe

(64,264 posts)
Mon Jan 12, 2026, 10:36 PM 12 hrs ago

A congresswoman wants to impeach Kristi Noem. She's right to do so Jan-Werner Mller

It may be tempting to dismiss the move as hopeless – but it interrupts the Trump administration’s promise of impunity

In the wake of the killing of Renee Nicole Good, Congresswoman Robin Kelly has announced the filing of three articles of impeachment against Kristi Noem, the homeland security secretary. Predictably, reactions have been muted at best: with the GOP holding both the Senate and the House, impeachment can be dismissed as purely performative, a helpless response to an in and of itself understandable moral imperative of “just do something!”

But such dismissals are too quick: this administration has been running on a promise of impunity at all levels, and Democrats have to start signaling that actions have consequences. They also need to break out of a fateful dynamic: during Trump 2.0, misdeeds and scandals are following each other in such rapid succession that neither the press nor the public ever seem to get to focus on one. Impeachment can concentrate minds and slow down political time.

Of course, on one level it is obscene to make a senseless killing immediately subject to political calculations – what happened in Minneapolis is not a test of Machiavellian savviness, but of one’s capacity for compassion and decency. Trump’s sycophants have been failing it; they rushed into TV studios, spreading lies about Good’s conduct as well as her character, outdoing each other in blaming and smearing the victim. They have also effectively communicated that anyone deemed somehow to stand in the way of Stephen Miller’s will triumphing can be declared a “domestic terrorist” – and treated like the law no longer protected them at all.

(snip)

Lies that go unopposed tend to stick, and the rewriting of the history of January 6 demonstrates that Trumpists will be relentless in making everyone repeat them, as they become part of a political loyalty test. Impeachment is one way of creating a truthful record. Impeachment cannot simply be stopped by the House speaker. Kelly has announced that she wants to charge Noem with willfully obstructing congressional oversight, with directing unconstitutional actions, and with abusing her office for personal benefit.

(snip)

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/jan/11/kristi-noem-homeland-security-trump
2 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
Highlight: NoneDon't highlight anything 5 newestHighlight 5 most recent replies
A congresswoman wants to impeach Kristi Noem. She's right to do so Jan-Werner Mller (Original Post) Uncle Joe 12 hrs ago OP
Uuhhh, she needs to be charged with Murder One FakeNoose 3 hrs ago #1
she's running for durbin's seat. mopinko 1 hr ago #2
Latest Discussions»Editorials & Other Articles»A congresswoman wants to ...