Congressman Darrell Issa is on a mission to right what he sees as a serious wrong: the impeachments of former President Donald Trump. He’s introduced a resolution, H.Res.1211, that aims to completely wipe away both times Trump was impeached by the House of Representatives, as if those charges never even existed. Issa believes these impeachments were unfair, politically motivated attacks built on shaky ground and outright false claims by Democrats who were determined to tarnish Trump’s reputation. He sees impeachment as a kind of indictment, and just like someone deserves to clear their name after a wrongful accusation, he feels Trump deserves a chance to heal his reputation. Issa understands that the Constitution doesn’t lay out a clear path for undoing an impeachment, but he’s convinced that going back to Congress and having a vote is the only way to officially declare that the process was flawed and the accusations were baseless. He hopes this effort will shine a light on what he calls the “misconduct in the process” that led to these impeachments.
Issa’s resolution takes a close look at the 2019 impeachment, arguing that it was built on unreliable information and political bias. He points to recently declassified documents, which he claims reveal that the anonymous whistleblower whose complaint started the whole inquiry lacked direct knowledge. Furthermore, he says this whistleblower was aided by other officials who he believes had political agendas. The resolution also asserts that House investigators mishandled or misrepresented evidence and denied Trump a fair chance to confront his accusers. To bolster this claim, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, according to an earlier press release, declassified documents that she says exposed a “coordinated effort” within the intelligence community to create a conspiracy designed to impeach Trump. Issa unequivocally states that Democrats “broke every House rule” in their pursuit of impeachment, and a source close to his office even mentioned that some prominent Democrats privately admit that new information reveals how poorly the House acted, calling it an example of what’s gone wrong in Washington.
When it comes to the 2021 impeachment, Issa’s resolution argues that it was rushed and procedurally flawed. He highlights that the House swiftly moved from introducing the measure to passing it in just two days, without a full process of gathering evidence. While there was a short hearing with constitutional experts, the resolution emphasizes that the measure moved forward without any factual witnesses or a thorough investigation, effectively denying Trump his basic right to due process. Issa passionately states that Trump was impeached for what he considers a false accusation of “insurrection,” and he believes this high crime charge was completely unfounded. He’s not the first to attempt to reverse these impeachments; similar resolutions were introduced in 2022 and 2023, but they never gained traction and ultimately died in Congress. Issa believes his current resolution is stronger, arguing that those previous efforts “didn’t have what we have”—a “compelling case” that the wrongdoing lies with the accusers who, he claims, used information they knew to be false.
This time, Issa’s effort has significant support from key figures within the Republican Party. House Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan, a prominent Republican, has explicitly endorsed Issa’s resolution, stating that “Democrats weaponized impeachment against President Trump with politically motivated charges.” Jordan applauds Issa for taking the lead in what he calls a fight to remove this “sham” from the official record. Beyond Jordan, Issa’s resolution has garnered strong support from a long list of over 20 other House Republicans, including names like Claudia Tenney, Scott Fitzgerald, Russell Fry, and Tim Burchett, indicating a united front within a significant portion of the party. This broad backing suggests a serious push to revisit these historical impeachment votes.
Issa’s resolution also reignites an important constitutional debate: can the House really go back and invalidate an impeachment it has already passed? Those who support the resolution argue that since the Constitution grants the House the “sole Power of Impeachment,” it naturally has the authority to manage its own records and, therefore, can vote to expunge past actions. They see it as a way for the House to self-correct and acknowledge previous mistakes. However, critics, including some legal experts, disagree. They argue that while the House can certainly express disapproval or add notes to its records, it cannot genuinely erase the fact that an impeachment occurred or undo a constitutional process once it’s complete. For these critics, such efforts are largely symbolic, serving more as a political statement than a true legal reversal.
Issa’s ultimate goal is not just about a legal technicality; it’s about justice and clearing a name. He explains that their aim is “to show that it’s false and it was maliciously false and as a result it should no longer stand as a legitimate accusation.” He draws a parallel to a newspaper retraction: if a false accusation is front-page news, then the retraction should receive just as much, if not more, attention. His hope is that the legitimate retraction of these impeachments will finally receive the same level of public attention and awareness that the original “false accusations” did. He believes that when someone has been wrongly accused, whether it’s days or years later, there should be an equal commitment to publicly correcting the record.