Politics
JUST IN: Dem Rep. Pushing Trump Impeachment Regrets It After Jaw-Dropping Scandal Resurfaces
Sins of the past have come back to haunt a Democratic lawmaker trying to impeach President Donald Trump.
Congressman Shri Thanedar (D-MI), who recently announced his intention to run for governor of Michigan in 2026, is a multimillionaire who profited from a series of corporate pharmaceutical acquisitions. He is, by his account, emblematic of the American Dream: an Indian-born naturalized citizen who, through hard work, determination, and a little bit of luck, landed himself a U.S. House seat in 2020.
However, Thanedar’s road to success was apparently paved over the graves of lab animals who were left to starve in cages after his New Jersey testing facility, AniClin Preclinical Services, declared bankruptcy in April of 2010 and vacated its property.
At the time, animal welfare groups teamed up to rescue various dogs, monkeys, and other specimens after learning that they were trapped behind the gates of a former company property months after it closed up shop. Reports from the time state that up to 118 beagles and 55 primates were left stranded inside the facility, where lab workers locked out of the building had been jumping the fence to provide what limited food and water they could carry with them.
It wasn’t until July 4th that year when the animal activists were able to rescue the remaining dogs and monkeys inside the facility and relocate them to foster homes or adoption agencies. Video of the harrowing project by the Times Herald-Record, based in Middletown, New York, shows dozens of dogs arriving in vans as volunteers unloaded and cared for them.
In a statement, Thanedar said he had “no knowledge how well the bank took care of the animals,” referring to Bank of America and its acquisition of his pharmaceutical company, Azopharma, in bankruptcy proceedings. He told the Huffington Post his company lab followed all rules and regulations of the U.S. Department of Agriculture and other government agencies.
“No animal was harmed or subjected to any harmful conditions. No electric experiments were conducted,” he said.
Thandear, 70, has presented himself on the campaign trail as a progressive, voicing support for a $15 national minimum wage, Medicare for All, and eliminating Michigan’s tax breaks for millionaires. He is running in Michigan’s open Democratic primary. Gov. Gretchen Whitmer is term limited.
Abdul El-Sayed, another challenger in the race, has questioned Thanedar’s populist bona fides and claims he is the “real progressive” running for governor, according to the Detroit Metro Times.
Last week, Thanedar drew international headlines for introducing seven articles of impeachment against Trump. Among them were allegations that Trump is a “clear and present danger” to the U.S. and accusations of obstruction of justice, abuse of power, usurpation of power, bribery, and corruption.
“We cannot wait for more damage to be done. Congress must act,” the Democrat said in a statement at the time.
