Sen. John Fetterman threw cold water on Democrats calling for President Trump to be impeached over his decision to strike Iran without congressional approval.
Mr. Fetterman, Pennsylvania Democrat, said the calls from Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York and other liberal lawmakers are “not going anywhere” and undercut “the severity of what impeachment is really reserved for.”
“You know, he’s been impeached twice, and now he’s still our president as well now, too,” Mr. Fetterman said on FOX News’ “America’s Newsroom.” “So it’s not going anywhere, and I don’t think that’s helpful.”
Mr. Fetterman has distanced himself from his party’s knee-jerk opposition to Mr. Trump, angering fellow Democrats along the way. He criticized Democrats earlier this month for not coming out against violent protests over immigration enforcement operations in Los Angeles.
Mr. Fetterman posted an image of a burning car and a protester waving a Mexican flag on X, along with his warning, “My party loses the moral high ground when we refuse to condemn setting cars on fire, destroying buildings, and assaulting law enforcement.”
The 55-year-old’s support for Israel in its war against Hamas in Gaza has tested his ties to the liberal base of the party that helped elect him.
Mr. Fetterman had drawn additional criticism for celebrating Mr. Trump’s strike against Iran, saying the decision “was entirely appropriate,” and that he has been calling for the destruction of the nuclear facilities.
On Monday, he also pushed back against the argument by Democrats and a few Republicans that Mr. Trump needed to get the green light from Congress before signing off on the strike.
“That was a very limited military exercise,” he said. “So really, it really wasn’t about unconstitutional, or it’s anything like that.”
