Rep. Steve Cohen Files 26 Articles of Impeachment Against Trump, the Largest Single Filing on Record

Democratic Rep. Steve Cohen of Tennessee introduced 26 articles of impeachment against President Donald Trump on Thursday, September 24, 2026, the largest number of impeachment articles ever filed against a sitting president, according to Ground News' story summary. The charges span alleged extrajudicial killings in Venezuela, waging war on Iran without congressional approval, emoluments violations that Cohen says amount to "profiting personally and directly from the presidency," immigration policies, "disregard of courts," "attacks on a free press," "unlawful taxation," and the "abolishment of a congressionally mandated agency." The filing comes less than two weeks after the House voted to table a narrower impeachment resolution from Rep. Al Green focused on immigration policy and civilian killings by federal agents, a measure Democratic leaders did not endorse. Cohen, who is retiring at the end of his term, acknowledged the resolution "won't go anywhere" in the Republican-controlled House, where Trump was impeached twice during his first term and acquitted by the Senate both times.

What happened

Cohen announced the filing in a statement posted on September 24, with coverage dated September 27, 2026. The 26 articles accuse Trump of a range of alleged offenses, from the conduct of military operations against Iran without authorization from Congress to alleged corruption tied to his personal finances while in office. The resolution also targets the administration's immigration policies and what Cohen describes as defiance of the courts and hostility toward the press.

In his statement, Cohen said: "Trump is clearly the most impeachable President our country has ever endured. His continued presence in office is a danger to our democracy. That the sycophantic Republican majority in Congress is derelict in its duty does not mean that I must abandon my responsibilities." He added: "I took an independent oath to support and defend the Constitution. That commitment compels me to introduce this resolution today. When historians write about this period, and our constituents ask who stood up to President Trump's lawlessness, this resolution is the answer."

The filing is not Cohen's first. He introduced five articles of impeachment against Trump in 2017. The new resolution arrives after the House tabled Rep. Al Green's narrower impeachment resolution earlier in September, which had centered on immigration policy and civilian deaths involving federal agents. Democratic leadership declined to back Green's effort, and Cohen's own acknowledgment that his resolution will not advance in the Republican-controlled House underscores that the filing is unlikely to trigger a floor vote.

Cohen's decision to file comes as he prepares to leave Congress. He said Tennessee's new congressional map, passed in May, "diluted the black vote" by dividing his majority-Black district among three Republican-leaning districts, following a Supreme Court ruling that weakened racial gerrymandering protections under the Voting Rights Act. He announced he will not run for re-election in any of the new districts.

Why it matters

The filing sets a numerical record for impeachment articles brought against a sitting president and tests the boundaries of how minority-party members use impeachment as a tool of opposition. With Democrats in the House minority and leadership unwilling to endorse impeachment efforts, the resolution's practical effect is symbolic, but it adds to a record of repeated attempts: Cohen's five articles in 2017, Trump's two first-term impeachments and Senate acquittals, and Green's tabled resolution this month. The filing also intersects with redistricting politics, since Cohen is retiring after a map he says diluted the Black vote in his district, a claim made in the context of a Supreme Court ruling that weakened racial gerrymandering protections under the Voting Rights Act. The charges themselves, including the allegation of war on Iran without congressional approval and alleged emoluments violations, give shape to the legal and constitutional criticisms Democrats are leveling at the administration even when they lack the votes to act on them.

How it is being covered

Ground News tracks 18 sources carrying the story, with a left/centre/right split of 22/34/44 percent, and 4 of the 18 rated high in factuality. Right-leaning outlets have framed the filing through Cohen's lame-duck status: The Post Millennial described a "likely lame duck" Tennessee lawmaker throwing "the kitchen sink" at Trump with 26 articles. Left-leaning coverage has been more straightforward, with Joe.My.God. reporting the filing via Cohen's statement and Memphis ABC affiliate reporting. Ground News flags no blindspot in the coverage, meaning no side is notably ignoring the story.

What to watch

Watch whether House Democratic leadership comments on or distances itself from Cohen's resolution, as it did with Green's. Watch the House parliamentarian's handling of the filing and whether any committee takes it up, which Cohen himself does not expect. Watch the Iran war powers debate, since the allegation of unauthorized war is the charge most likely to draw separate legislative vehicles. Watch litigation and political responses to Tennessee's May congressional map, given Cohen's claim that it diluted the Black vote and his decision to retire rather than run in any of the redrawn districts. Watch whether other members co-sponsor the resolution or whether it remains a single-member effort.

By the numbers

Source snapshot