PULSE POINTS:
❓What Happened: Rep. Yvette Clarke (D-NY) is suggesting President Donald J. Trump’s troop deployment to Los Angeles amid pro-illegal immigrant riots could be grounds for impeachment.
👥 Who’s Involved: President Trump, Rep. Yvette Clarke (D-NY), Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA), House Democratic Caucus Chairman Pete Aguilar (D-CA), and DCCC Chairwoman Suzan DelBene (D-WA).
📍 Where & When: Los Angeles, California, and Capitol Hill, Washington D.C.; statement made Tuesday, June 10, 2025.
💬 Key Quote: Clarke stated, “Well, you know, I believe it is [grounds for impeachment]. I definitely believe it is, but we’ll cross that bridge when we get to it.”
⚠️ Impact: Democrats remain divided on pursuing impeachment, with party leaders in Congress largely dismissing several earlier attempts to impeach President Trump.
IN FULL:
Rep. Yvette Clarke (D-NY), chairwoman of the Congressional Black Caucus, suggested Tuesday that President Donald J. Trump’s decision to deploy troops in response to violent pro-illegal immigrant riots in Los Angeles could warrant impeachment. Speaking during a Capitol Hill press conference, Clarke agreed when asked if Trump’s actions, described by Democrats as “lawlessness” and “unconstitutional,” could rise to the level of impeachable offenses.
“Well, you know, I believe it is. I definitely believe it is,” Clarke responded, adding, “but we’ll cross that bridge when we get to it.”
Clarke has also said that “Congressional Democrats stand in full solidarity with the residents of Los Angeles [and] our immigrant sisters and brothers,” pledging to “support every effort to oppose this President’s abuse of power.”
The protests in Los Angeles, which soon escalated into violent riots, prompted Trump to order the deployment of National Guard soldiers and later U.S. Marines to the area. This move led to a legal standoff with California Governor Gavin Newsom (D), who has filed a lawsuit and an emergency restraining order request against the administration to halt the deployment.
Defending his actions, Trump remarked, “Look, if we didn’t get involved, right now, Los Angeles would be burning… Los Angeles right now would be on fire. And we have it in great shape. I am not playing around.”
Despite Clarke’s comments, House Democratic Caucus Chairman Pete Aguilar (D-CA) indicated that impeachment is not currently on the agenda for House Democrats. “I’ve said before, from this podium, that House Democrats aren’t focused on impeachment today,” Aguilar stated.
While some Democrats have pushed for impeachment during the current session of Congress, such efforts have failed, with Republicans in control of the House. Aguilar hinted that the situation could change if Democrats regain the majority in the 2026 midterm elections under the leadership of DCCC Chairwoman Suzan DelBene (D-WA).
“There will be plenty of time, when Suzan DelBene guides us to the majority, for us to exercise oversight where we can ask some very difficult questions [about] the policies that the administration is going currently, but right now that isn’t our focus,” Aguilar concluded.
Democrat Congresswoman Yvette Clarke says Democrats “stand in full solidarity” with illegal aliens and “peaceful protesters” who are currently rioting in Los Angeles. pic.twitter.com/SWbVe0SKvW
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) June 10, 2025