Democrats aim to hold Trump accountable amid Iran ceasefire deal
Despite President Donald Trump saying that the United States and Iran have agreed to a two-week ceasefire, congressional Democrats are pushing forward to hold the president accountable.
“The president has promised to commit war crimes. He's promised to eradicate an entire civilization we have never ever seen that in the history of this country. That's why I and many other people have been talking for the last 24 hours about the 25th amendment,” Democratic Sen. Chris Murphy said on CNN Tuesday of the potential vehicle for removing the president from office.
Murphy said Trump has "lost touch with reality" -- mentioning the president’s Tuesday morning social media post in which he threatened that a "whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again."
However, hours before an 8 p.m. ET self-imposed deadline for Iran to make a deal to fully reopen the critical Strait of Hormuz or face broad strikes on its critical infrastructure, Trump said he had agreed to suspend planned bombing for two weeks if Iran agreed to reopen the strait.
"We just can't accept a president who is literally promising to destroy an entire civilization, to murder hundreds of thousands of innocent human beings. That alone should be grounds for the removal of this President," said Murphy, who was one of several lawmakers who mentioned the 25th Amendment after Trump's latest threats.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said Wednesday that Senate Democrats will once again force a vote on an Iran war powers resolution when they return from recess next week. The resolution would call on the president to terminate the use of U.S. armed forces in hostilities against Iran or any part of the Iranian government or military unless a declaration of war or authorization to use military force is enacted.
"Republicans will once again have the opportunity to join Democrats and end this reckless war of choice. The public must demand that Republicans join with us to approve a war powers act," Schumer said at a New York press conference.
Democratic Rep. Glenn Ivey and other Democrats present in Washington are expected to try force an Iran war powers resolution vote during Thursday's pro forma session, Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, the House’s top Democrat, said in a letter Wednesday. Republicans are expected to block the effort.
"A two-week ceasefire is woefully insufficient. Accordingly, we have demanded that the House come back into session immediately in order to vote on our resolution to permanently end the war in the Middle East," Jeffries wrote in the letter.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune and House Speaker Mike Johnson have not yet commented on the matter.
In a statement on Tuesday, Democratic Rep. Henry Cuellar said he would support the House’s war powers resolution when it comes up for a vote – a change after Cueller was one of four Democrats who voted against it last month.
Cueller, in a post on X, said the war powers resolution is "a reaffirmation of Congress' constitutional role and our shared responsibility to the American people."
The Senate and the House have both failed several times to advance war powers resolutions.
Republican Sen. John Curtis said last week that he won't support military operations in Iran beyond the 60-day window without congressional approval. He had previously voted with Republicans, aside from Sen. Rand Paul, to block the Iran war powers resolution from advancing, arguing Trump was within his legal authority to act.
In an April 1 op-ed for Deseret News, Curtis wrote that 60 days is a "sufficient window" for Trump to take emergency measures to combat the threat Iran poses, but that a declaration of war should be authorized by Congress for operations to continue.
There are no indications that other Republicans would change their votes on the war power resolution.
Democratic Rep. John Larson on Tuesday filed articles of impeachment to remove Trump from office – however, without Republican support, his effort is not likely to move forward and serves more as a signal of Democratic aspirations if they win back the majority in the midterm elections this fall.
A number of Senate Democrats have continued their calls for Congress to return early from their recess to "vote to end this war."
Democratic Sen. Andy Kim posted a video on Tuesday night from inside a train he was taking back to Washington -- imploring his fellow members of Congress to return as well.
"We need to have answers immediately for the American people. What Trump said earlier is unacceptable, it's dangerous, it is absolutely unhinged and we should all be concerned about him helming this war, this illegal unconstitutional war. We need Congress back in session immediately,” Kim said in the video. “I call on all my colleagues to get back so we can have a vote to end this war and stop this insanity before it goes any further."
Democratic Sen. Maria Cantwell echoed calls for congressional action.
"A return to diplomatic regional discussions will save lives and dollars and protect America's long-term interests, while President Trump’s irresponsible words and actions undermine them Congress must impose constraints on this President’s wrongheaded use of force," Cantwell said in a post on X.
For some Republicans, Trump's announcement on the ceasefire seemed to be met with cautious optimism.
Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham, a top Trump ally, said he is hopeful the "reign of terror" can be ended through diplomacy but that he is "extremely cautious regarding what is fact vs fiction."
"As I stated before, I prefer diplomacy if it leads to the right outcome regarding the Iranian terrorist regime. I appreciate the hard work of all involved in trying to find a diplomatic solution," Graham posted on X. "At this early stage, I am extremely cautious regarding what is fact vs. fiction or misrepresentation. That’s why a congressional review process like the one the Senate followed to test the Obama Iranian deal is a sound way forward. Fair and challenging questions with a full opportunity to explain, and a healthy dose of sunlight is generally the right formula to understand any matter. Simply put, kick the tires."
ABC News' John Parkinson and Lauren Peller contributed to this report.
