Schumer Takes No Action As Even Far Right Calls for Impeachment Over Trump’s “Civilization” Threat

By Sharon Zhang

This article was originally published by Truthout

As calls for Donald Trump to be impeached flooded social media after his genocidal threats toward Iran on Tuesday, the Senate’s Democratic leaders put out a statement late in the day that merely condemned Trump’s comment without any vow to take action.

In a joint statement on Tuesday afternoon, Democratic leaders Senators Chuck Schumer (New York) and Jeanne Shaheen (New Hampshire), as well as committee leaders Chris Coons (Delaware), Jack Reed (Rhode Island), and Brian Schatz (Hawaii), said they speak with “one purpose: to condemn President Trump’s threat to extinguish an entire civilization.”

Throwing in a dig at the Iranian government, the group said that attacking basic infrastructure like power, water, and bridges “would constitute a war crime, a betrayal of the values this nation was founded on, and a moral failure.” 

“President Trump’s reckless threat makes Americans less safe, further destabilizes our nation and economy, and puts at greater risk U.S. service members. It only serves to push us further away from the only viable solution to this war: a diplomatic one. The president must not follow through on this threat,” the statement concludes.

The statement was put out in response to the president’s Truth Social post this morning threatening that “a whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again” ahead of his planned strikes on Iran at 8 p.m. Eastern Time.

The statement spurred swift reaction from a slew of sources, many of whom called the statement genocidal. This includes dozens of Democratic lawmakers who called for Trump to be impeached and removed from office, including a handful of senators. It also included statements from UN officials, prominent human rights groups like Amnesty International, and numerous other experts in international law.

“25th amendment. Impeachment. I will support any avenue to remove Donald Trump from office,” said Sen. Ed Markey (D–Massachusetts). “We cannot leave this man in charge of America’s nuclear weapons as he threatens to end an entire civilization. And Congress must not fund this reckless administration.”

Democratic leaders’ statement stands in sharp contrast to the strong and immediate calls from many members, as it makes no mention of taking any form of action, whether whipping votes for a war powers vote or an impeachment push.

The statement comes amid growing resentment toward Democratic leaders for their refusal to take action as Trump has waged his war. Only 28 percent of Americans say they have a favorable view of the Democratic Party, CNN found in a poll released last week, while Schumer — the most powerful Democrat in Congress — has seen his approval ratings tumble, hitting 38 percent in March, according to Siena University.

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