A notable New York Democrat who won reelection last week is warning his party not to impeach President Donald Trump again once they take over Congress in January.
Rep. Tom Suozzi, a moderate, said his party risks squandering its new political power if lawmakers prioritize impeachment and partisan investigations over the economic concerns that dominated the election.
“Democrats have got to not squander this opportunity. They won. Now what?” Suozzi said Sunday during an appearance on “Cats Roundtable.”
Suozzi, who represents a Long Island-based swing district, argued Democrats should devote most of their attention to affordability and other problems directly affecting voters.
“You’ve got to spend 75% of your time on affordability and fixing the problems we face, and 25% of your time on your constitutional mandate to do oversight,” Suozzi said.
“But it would be stupid to rush into … impeachment,” he continued. “That would be a waste of time. It would turn everybody off. Focus on solving problems that affect real people’s lives.”
Suozzi delivered a similar warning immediately after Tuesday’s election, when Democrats won control of both chambers of Congress.
“It’s not going to be worthwhile for us to just win a race and then to just go into attack mode again,” Suozzi said Wednesday.
“That’s not what the people want. They’ve rejected that. They’ve clearly said that as part of this election. So I think it would be foolhardy for Democrats to rush headlong into an impeachment process. I think that would be a tragic mistake,” he added.
Suozzi also published an op-ed Wednesday arguing that an impeachment push could overwhelm the rest of the Democratic agenda.
“Running headlong into impeachment would be politically self-destructive,” Suozzi wrote.
“Some Democrats will demand a third impeachment of Mr. Trump. That would become another partisan spectacle, drowning out the issues voters elected us to address.”
Suozzi said he would oppose impeachment proceedings driven by “political anger, revenge or retribution,” while maintaining that congressional oversight of the administration remains necessary.
Democrats will gain considerably greater investigative authority when the new Congress convenes in January.
Committee chairs will have subpoena power and are expected to investigate several areas involving Trump and his administration, including the president’s family business interests, cryptocurrency ventures, the administration’s handling of the Jeffrey Epstein files and the White House ballroom project.
Democratic lawmakers have also discussed investigations into immigration enforcement, government contracts and the administration’s handling of the Iran war.
Suozzi said oversight should continue but argued that affordability, healthcare, housing, groceries and other economic concerns should consume most of Congress’ attention.
The New York Democrat also urged his party not to interpret its midterm victories as an endorsement of a dramatic ideological shift to the left.
“We are capitalists, not socialists. We’re for safety, not lawlessness. We’re mainstream, not extreme. We’re proud, not ashamed, of America,” Suozzi said.
“I’m a new kind of old-fashioned Democrat,” he added, arguing Democrats should return to “rewarding hard work.”
Suozzi said the party should concentrate on helping Americans afford homes, raise families, maintain health insurance and retire comfortably.
He also endorsed House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries for speaker when Democrats assume control of the chamber.
“Hakeem Jeffries is a very competent, capable, talented leader. I support him,” Suozzi said.
Suozzi warned that any effort by progressive Democrats to prevent Jeffries from becoming speaker would be “a big mistake.”
The congressman was reelected Tuesday after defeating Republican Michael LiPetri in a rematch of their 2024 contest.
His district includes portions of Nassau and Queens counties and has been viewed as politically competitive, making Suozzi one of the Democrats advocating a more centrist strategy after the midterms.
Trump has already dismissed concerns that Democrats could attempt to impeach him for a third time.
The president told the Washington Examiner after the election that he was “not even a little bit” worried about impeachment and argued that pursuing it would politically damage Democrats.
Trump was impeached twice during his first term, in 2019 and 2021, and was acquitted by the Senate both times.
