Twenty-six articles. One president. And a political fight that could become much bigger after the midterms.
A new impeachment battle has suddenly landed on Donald Trump’s doorstep — and the sheer size of the filing is grabbing attention in Washington.
On September 24, Rep. Steve Cohen, a Tennessee Democrat and senior member of the House Judiciary Committee, introduced 26 articles of impeachment against President Donald Trump, accusing him of alleged abuses of power, violations of his oath of office and other misconduct.
But there is an important distinction hiding inside the explosive headline:
Trump has not been impeached again.
Cohen has introduced the articles. For Trump to actually be impeached, the House would have to vote to approve one or more articles.
And that is where this story gets complicated.
26 ARTICLES — AND THEY COVER ALMOST EVERYTHING
Cohen’s filing is unusually broad.
The 26 articles address subjects ranging from elections and military action to immigration, federal spending, tariffs, pardons, the media, universities and alleged personal financial benefits from the presidency.
The first article accuses Trump of undermining democracy by sowing doubt about elections.
Another alleges an abuse of presidential power involving the U.S. military campaign in Iran without congressional approval.
Other articles address alleged extrajudicial killings in international waters near Venezuela, the deployment of military forces against U.S. cities and Trump’s executive order concerning birthright citizenship.
The filing also targets the administration’s handling of immigration enforcement, including the Alien Enemies Act and the case of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, as well as alleged defiance of federal court orders.
And Cohen did not stop there.
His list includes allegations involving the Department of Education, inspectors general, emergency tariffs, federal prosecutors, the pardon power and federal funding.
Several articles focus on the White House’s relationship with the press, including allegations concerning reporters and editorial decisions at major broadcast networks.
The final article invokes the Emoluments Clause, alleging that Trump has personally and directly profited from the presidency.
These are Cohen’s allegations and proposed articles of impeachment. Their inclusion in the filing is not itself a judicial finding or a House determination that Trump committed impeachable offenses.
That distinction matters.
