In a striking televised intervention, a prominent Democratic senator has accused former President Donald Trump of "stealing from the American people" and committing a litany of impeachable offences during his second term in office.
Murphy's Explosive Allegations on Meet the Press
Senator Chris Murphy of Connecticut delivered a scathing assessment during an appearance on NBC's Meet the Press on Sunday 11 January 2026. He directly contradicted senior party figures, including former Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who had previously suggested Trump's conduct had not yet reached an impeachable threshold.
"I know that this president has committed ten times more impeachable offenses in his second term as he did in his first term," Murphy stated firmly to host Kristen Welker. He attributed this judgement to simple "common sense," branding the level of corruption as "wildly corrupt" and "nuclear grade."
The Specific Claims: Cryptocurrency and Luxury Travel
Murphy pointed to two specific instances as evidence of profound self-dealing by the president. The first involves a $2 billion investment from the United Arab Emirates into the crypto firm Binance, utilising a cryptocurrency co-founded by members of the Trump family. Murphy characterised this as trading national security secrets for personal financial gain.
The second allegation concerns Trump's acceptance of a luxury private jet gifted by the Qatari government, effectively replacing the use of Air Force One. These acts, Murphy argued, exemplify a pattern of behaviour where the president's personal financial interests are prioritised over national ethics and security.
The Uphill Battle for Impeachment
Despite the forceful rhetoric, any move towards impeachment faces significant political hurdles. As per the US Constitution, impeachment must originate in the House of Representatives, where Democrats currently remain in the minority. A successful conviction would require a majority House vote followed by a two-thirds majority in the Senate.
The political reality was demonstrated in December 2025, when two dozen Democrats joined Republicans to defeat impeachment articles filed by Representative Al Green of Texas. Murphy acknowledged the House's prerogative on the matter, and it is considered unlikely any impeachment effort could reach the Senate before 2027 at the earliest.
Appetite for such a move could shift following the 2026 midterm elections, should Democrats regain control of both chambers of Congress. However, it would still represent a formidable political challenge. Trump survived two impeachment trials during and after his first term, with the second trial witnessing the most bipartisan defections in the history of US Senate impeachment proceedings.
