Jamie Raskin clashes with Republican lawmaker over Trump, Democratic agenda

Konner Metz, Baltimore Sun on Nov 5, 2026

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U.S. Rep. Jamie Raskin, who is poised to lead the House Judiciary Committee after Democrats won control of the chamber, clashed with a Republican colleague on CNN Wednesday over President Donald Trump’s impeachments and the direction of the new Congress.

Raskin, a Maryland Democrat who currently serves as the committee’s ranking member, is expected to take the chairmanship, giving him a powerful platform to investigate the Trump administration. The committee also has subpoena power, which could allow Democrats to compel testimony and documents as they investigate the administration.

The back-and-forth began when Crenshaw said it was “hard to believe the Democrats aren’t going to want to impeach Trump” for a third time, calling impeachment a “pastime.”

Raskin pushed back, saying defending the Constitution was not a pastime. “When he commits high crimes and misdemeanors, he’s subjecting himself…” Raskin said before the two men spoke over each other and he could not finish his thought.

The discussion turned to energy costs and data centers, an issue that has become a political flashpoint as the technology industry’s growing demand for electricity raises concerns about higher utility bills.

Crenshaw criticized Senate Democrats for blocking the Ratepayer Protection Act, a measure Raskin supported in the House. The bill, which passed the House 417-3 in September, would require states to consider adopting standards that make large electricity users — including data centers with particularly high power demands — responsible for the additional costs associated with power generation.

The representatives also clashed over legislation to restrict stock trading by members of Congress and their families.

“Why did the Senate Democrats block the Stop Insider Trading Act then?” Crenshaw responded. “I bet they’re willing to work with Trump on this after the midterms.”

The House passed the Stop Insider Trading Act in July, with Raskin among the members voting in favor. The bill would prohibit lawmakers, their spouses and dependent children from buying publicly traded stocks and require advance public notice of planned sales. But the measure stalled in the Senate in September.

“Wait, you think Donald Trump wants to stop insider trading in the executive branch?” asked Raskin, an outspoken critic of the president. Crenshaw said he thinks the president would vote for it, adding that Raskin was “missing (his) point” that Democrats blocked progress in Congress as a midterm strategy.

“You’re missing the point — you guys lost the election because you missed the point,” Raskin said, criticizing Republicans’ defense of the war in Iran, which he called “unconstitutional.”

The interview ended with the two lawmakers continuing to talk over one another. Raskin dismissed Crenshaw’s argument as “nonsense,” while Crenshaw questioned whether the Maryland Democrat understood how the Senate worked.

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