Democracy & Rule of Law · Report · File No. 261102-770
Democrats split over how hard to investigate Trump if they win Congress
With one day until the midterm election, Democrats are already arguing over whether to pursue a third impeachment of President Trump or focus on prices and the Iran war. The fight will shape the accountability agenda if they take power in January.
Every quote in this story (3) was matched word for word against its source. How we work
Democrats expect to win big on Election Day, but they are already arguing among themselves over how aggressively to investigate President Donald Trump, according to a report published Monday by The Hill 1. The disagreements cover whether to push a third impeachment, what to investigate first, and how to avoid being pulled away from the issues of high prices and the war in Iran 1.
Senators and House leaders are generally opposed to a third impeachment, the report says, because it has virtually no chance of picking up the 67 votes needed in the Senate to convict 1. A senior Senate Democratic aide said there is little "appetite" for another Trump impeachment trial in the Senate, after the earlier efforts in 2020 and 2021 failed to affect Trump politically 1.
Democrats do agree that Trump and his allies should be investigated next year, but there is little agreement on what to prioritize, according to Democratic strategists and aides 1. Some senior lawmakers warn the party cannot get so absorbed in the president's conduct that it loses sight of costs for families and ending the Iran war 1.
I don’t think we can ignore it
Whitehouse would become chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee if Democrats win the Senate 1. Leaders in Congress are also mapping out positive agendas for their first 100 hours, first 100 days and first year in the majority, according to sources familiar with internal discussions 1.
From Channel GOPImpeachment vote: Why Republicans avoided the issueHakeem Jeffries · 1.4K plays · captioned, with the source named
What Democrats want to investigate
Some Democrats want to dig further into the Jeffrey Epstein sex-trafficking scandal and whether the Justice Department violated the Epstein Files Transparency Act by withholding or improperly redacting documents 1. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, who would return to majority leader if Democrats capture the Senate, created a special Senate working group in February to examine Epstein-related information held back by the Trump Justice Department 1.
We are demanding that the Department of Justice and the FBI preserve records on what transpired behind the scenes. We want to know who was involved in the decision to hide the truth
Other Democrats want to prioritize the Defense Department and contracts linked to Donald Trump Jr. 1. Senators Elizabeth Warren, Andy Kim and Richard Blumenthal sent a letter to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth earlier this year demanding information about Pentagon decisions to give loans and contracts to companies "associated with the president's son" that may have had "conflicts of interest" 1.
Some are pushing for investigations into the Trump family's investments in the crypto industry, the president's pardon of Binance founder Changpeng Zhao, who pleaded guilty to violating money laundering law, and whether crypto investments gave foreign interests a way to influence the president 1. Others want to examine Trump's pardon record and donations made by wealthy individuals hoping for clemency 1.
We’re going to have to do voluminous oversight work because there is rampant corruption in this administration, and we need to get to the bottom of it
A Democratic strategist and former House leadership aide said leaders are looking at "everything from corporate America and their ties to the Trump administration, Epstein, immigration," and noted that Rep. Robert Garcia, who would chair the House Oversight Committee, has been outspoken about investigating conditions at Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention facilities 1. The strategist said there is little desire among House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries' leadership team to move toward another impeachment, even though some rank-and-file members want one 1.
Beyond investigations, Democrats are threatening to make it much tougher for Trump to fill federal judiciary and executive branch posts if they win the Senate, and to cut off funding for the war with Iran if Trump does not bring it to a swift conclusion 1. Sen. Brian Schatz, set to become the next Democratic whip, has warned that getting bipartisan majorities for bills to authorize and fund the Pentagon will be "extremely difficult" if the war drags on 1.
Some Democrats argue Trump still needs to face accountability for trying to overturn the 2020 election results and for mishandling classified documents after leaving office in 2021 1. Blumenthal, who would chair the Senate's Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations if Democrats win control, said Trump's "alleged crimes still have not been given justice" 1. Murphy said he wants to know more about "an $8 million donation made by RJ Reynolds to the administration that resulted one week later in flavored vapes being made legal for kids" 1.
That matters because the argument is happening one day before voters decide who controls Congress, and it signals what a Democratic majority would spend its time on in January 1. The pattern is a party trying to balance its base's demand for accountability with the cost and war messages it has run on this year 1.
The Record
Republish this story on your site or in your newsletter
Any site, blog or newsletter may run this story free of charge. Keep the credit line and its link to the original, do not sell it, and edit only for length or house style (the full terms). Photos carry their own licenses, noted under each photo on this page, so use the text alone unless a credit says otherwise.
Paste it into your editor's HTML view. The one-pixel image at the end tells our newsroom the story ran; it stores no reader data.
Sources
- The Hill, “Democrats squabbling over how to contain Trump after Election Day” (2026-11-02). thehill.com/homenews/senate/6185515-democrats-trump-investig
- PBS NewsHour, “WATCH LIVE: Trump rallies in Iowa as part of final push before Election Day” (2026-11-01). pbs.org/newshour/politics/watch-live-trump-rallies-in-iowa-a
Found an error? Tell the newsroom. Corrections are noted at the top of the story.
More from the files
Trump says he'll probably become 'Mr. Veto' if Democrats win Congress on Tuesday
In a Fox News interview aired Sunday, the president previewed two years of veto fights if Republicans lose a chamber. He also said he would likely make deals at some point.
Nixon's $2M stock claim rated mostly false; Moody backed a ban, then a weaker bill
PolitiFact says the Florida Democrat's figure about Sen. Ashley Moody's stock gains misleads voters. The record also shows Moody went from a bill banning lawmakers from owning stocks to backing one that lets them keep their shares.
Harris urges Democrats not to impeach Trump a third time if they win the House
Former Vice President Kamala Harris said impeachment is "not a good idea" and told Democrats to put their limited resources into investigations. Her comments come days before the Nov. 3 midterms, as Republicans predict Democrats will move to impeach.
Delivered free to your door*
The Morning Edition
One short email at 7 a.m. Eastern: the day's top files, one clip worth your time, and the race to watch. Plain English, large type, no clutter.
*Your inbox. Free. Unsubscribe with one click, any time.