Democratic Representative Al Green of Texas introduced articles of impeachment against President Donald Trump to the House of Representatives on Tuesday after Trump made remarks that four Democratic lawmakers should “go back” to the countries they came from.
What We Know:
- Green held a news conference on Monday in which he used Trump’s most recent Twitter rant as an example of the kind of “high misdemeanor[s]” Trump has committed while in office. “To condemn a racist President is not enough, we must impeach him. This will be a defining vote,” said Green, who has been trying to get Trump impeached since 2017.
- In his resolution articles, Green said Trump’s recent statements “demonstrated that he is unfit to be President” and has “brought the high office of the President of the United States in contempt, ridicule, disgrace and disrepute.”
- More than 80 Democrats called for the House to open an impeachment inquiry, however, Democratic leadership told the Washington Post that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi would probably refer the articles to the House Judiciary Committee or table them. The matter is likely to cause a divide within the party.
- House Majority Leader, Steny Hoyer, said House Democratic leaders haven’t made a decision on what to do with Green’s resolution, but they have to decide by Thursday. If a decision isn’t made, Green can force a vote on the impeachment articles in two legislative days, since the resolution is privileged.
Green introduced resolutions forcing a floor vote on impeachment in 2017 and 2018. In both cases, the Republican-led House voted to table the measure, with a majority of Democrats joining Republicans to defeat it in both cases.
