Last edited Tue Jun 16, 2026, 11:42 AM - Edit history (1)
For six years, Trump has pushed Republicans to unimpeach him and wipe the slate clean. Now, the House speaker considers this twisted goal a “priority.”
For six years, Trump has pushed Republicans to “expunge†his first-term impeachments and wipe the slate clean in order to address his hurt feelings.
This year, it might actually happen — because Speaker Mike Johnson considers this twisted goal a “priority.â€
www.ms.now/rachel-maddo...
— Steve Benen (@stevebenen.com) 2026-06-12T17:43:24.818Z
https://www.ms.now/rachel-maddow-show/maddowblog/republicans-trump-impeachments-expunge
As is too often the case, GOP leaders’ focus apparently lies elsewhere. The Wall Street Journal reported:
President Trump and his allies have discussed pushing lawmakers to pass a resolution aimed at voiding his first-term impeachments, according to people familiar with the matter.
The resolution would allow Trump to claim a symbolic victory on a matter that has dogged him since his first term, part of a broader effort to burnish his presidential legacy. It would have little legal significance, however, because the Constitution provides no procedure for undoing an impeachment, according to experts.
This is not simply a matter of backroom chatter and whispers from Capitol Hill hallways. Trump explicitly told the Journal, in reference to the efforts to “
expunge” the record, “It should be done because I did nothing wrong.”......
History buffs may recall that a related effort happened nearly two centuries ago. Lawmakers censured President Andrew Jackson in 1834, only to have his allies “expunge” the censure from the record in 1837 after control of the Senate switched party hands.
The point at the time was for partisans to say that the congressional action happened, but for the sake of the historical record, it didn’t really count. Trump and his acolytes appear to have similar intentions now.
Indeed, as recently as two months ago, Republican Rep. Darrell Issa of California introduced a measure to undo both of the president’s impeachments, which coincided with assorted items Trump posted on his social media platform endorsing the broader effort. The same week, as part of an effort that appeared quite coordinated, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard used her office to also take aim at the legitimacy of Trump’s first impeachment.
Just so we’re all clear, this is entirely about Trump’s ego and hurt feelings. There is no mechanism in place that allows for a president to be unimpeached. But Trump sees this as a stain on his record, and he’s eager to have sycophantic GOP members do his bidding, rewrite the recent past, symbolically wipe the slate clean and make him feel better about himself.
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