Former United States Vice President Kamala Harris has advised Democrats against pursuing a third impeachment of President Donald Trump if they win control of the House of Representatives in next week’s midterm elections.
Harris argued that lawmakers should concentrate on investigating the Trump administration and holding officials accountable rather than initiating another impeachment process, which she believes would consume valuable congressional time and resources.
She made the remarks during an interview with Aaron Parnas of the liberal MeidasTouch network on Tuesday.
“I think that going in the direction of impeachment is not a good idea, just to be honest with you, just because we have limited resources,” Harris said.
She added that Democrats should direct their efforts towards oversight and investigations into the administration.
“I think the energy and the resources need to be put into accountability, need to be put into investigations,” she said. “And that’s where the time should be spent.”
Harris, who served in the Senate during Trump’s first impeachment trial, also questioned whether Democrats could secure enough support to remove the president from office.
“Remember, I was in the Senate for the last go-round, and the votes aren’t there,” she said.
Under the US Constitution, the House can impeach a president with a simple majority vote. However, conviction and removal from office require the support of two-thirds of senators present for the trial.
Trump was impeached twice during his first term but was acquitted by the Senate on both occasions.
Although Harris opposed another impeachment attempt, she urged Democrats to adopt a firm approach to congressional oversight if they regain control of the House.
Commenting on the Republican Party, she said, “They’re ruthless, but they’re cruel.”
She clarified that her call for Democrats to be equally forceful was not an endorsement of cruelty.
“And when I say we should be ruthless, I don’t mean cruel, but we should be uncompromising,” Harris added.
Her position is similar to that of former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who recently described another impeachment effort against Trump as a political distraction.
“I am against impeaching Donald Trump because I think it’s a sideshow and he can’t get convicted,” Clinton said.
However, Clinton expressed support for investigating members of Trump’s administration over conduct that could potentially warrant impeachment, including War Secretary Pete Hegseth.
The debate over impeachment comes amid renewed political tensions ahead of the midterm elections, with Trump recently making comments about possible legal action against some of his political opponents.
Earlier this month, Trump told Newsmax’s Rob Finnerty that he possessed information about Clinton and former presidents Barack Obama and Joe Biden that could be used “criminally” against them.
His remarks raised questions about the possibility of legal action against political opponents if Democrats regain control of Congress and launch further investigations into his administration.
Meanwhile, divisions have emerged among House Democrats over whether to pursue another impeachment effort.
In September, the House voted 232-147 to table an impeachment resolution introduced by Democratic Representative Al Green of Texas. The measure was linked to Trump’s immigration enforcement policies.
Eighteen Democrats joined Republicans in voting to table the resolution, while 46 Democrats, including House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York, voted “present,” according to The New York Times and official House records.
Jeffries has not ruled out the possibility of future impeachment proceedings. However, Democratic leaders have focused their public messaging on economic concerns and the rising cost of living as the midterm elections approach.
Harris’s comments underscore the strategic decisions Democrats could face if they regain control of the House. The party would need to balance pressure from supporters demanding action against Trump with efforts to investigate his administration and advance its legislative priorities, particularly given the difficulty of securing the Senate votes required to remove him from office.
