Unfortunately, train derailments in the United States are not uncommon. According to the Federal Railroad Administration, there are roughly 1,000 derailments each year, including 1,049 in 2022, though they vary significantly in terms of severity, cost, and public hazards.
As best as I can tell, politicians have not generally responded to any of these modern derailments by going after the U. S. secretary of Transportation, but in the wake of the Norfolk Southern freight train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, earlier this month, a striking number of Republicans have decided to blame the disaster on Pete Buttigieg.
For reasons that remain a little hazy, Republican Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida, for example, has called for the cabinet secretary to resign. For Rep. Warren Davidson, that might not be quite enough: Appearing on a conservative outlet called Real America’s Voice, the GOP congressman from Ohio went a little further:
With this in mind, it’s apparently time to update the big list of who Republicans might try to impeach.
President Joe Biden: The incumbent Democrat hasn’t actually committed any high crimes, but Republicans have spent nearly all of his term talking about impeaching him. Such chatter grew louder last fall.
Attorney General Merrick Garland: Several GOP lawmakers have raised the prospect of impeaching the nation’s chief law enforcement official. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene even introduced a pending impeachment resolution against Garland, as did Rep. Scott Perry, who also unveiled a similar resolution against the attorney general.
Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas: There are currently two impeachment resolutions targeting the DHS secretary, and the cabinet agency recently hired outside counsel to prepare for potential impeachment proceedings.
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