The latest Democrat-led attempt to impeach President Trump was swiftly shut down on Tuesday, as the House voted overwhelmingly to table the motion before it gained any traction.
Rep. Al Green (D-TX), a backbench Democrat, spearheaded the effort—his sixth attempt to impeach Trump. Green previously introduced impeachment articles three times during Trump’s first term, citing vague claims of “high crimes and misdemeanors” in two instances and launching a third resolution in response to a controversial tweet.
Less than six months into Trump’s second term, Green has already launched three impeachment attempts. The first came in February, citing Trump’s remarks about the Gaza Strip. The second followed a similarly unsuccessful effort by Rep. Shri Thanedar (D-MI) and accused Trump of “authoritarianism” for enforcing immigration laws.
Undeterred by five previous defeats, Green made another attempt on Tuesday, this time claiming that Trump’s strikes on Iranian nuclear sites were illegal, a claim that has been widely dismissed by legal analysts and even some Democratic lawmakers.
“In his conduct of the office of President of the United States, Donald J. Trump, in violation of his constitutional oath faithfully to execute the office of President of the United States and, to the best of his ability, preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States, and in violation of his constitutional duty to take care that the laws be faithfully executed, abused the powers of the presidency when he disregarded the doctrine of separation of powers by usurping Congress’s power to declare war and ordered the United States military to bomb another country without the constitutionally mandated congressional authorization or notice to Congress — cognizant of the fact that should another country’s military bomb a facility within the United States of America, it would be a de facto declaration of war against the United States of America,” the latest impeachment resolution says.
The Houston Democrat’s latest attempt met the same outcome as his previous efforts, with the House decisively voting 344-79 to table the motion. In recent weeks, senior House Democrats have pushed back against impeachment efforts from lesser-known members, signaling that the party currently has little interest in pursuing impeachment proceedings.
Senior House Democrats have rejected impeachment efforts from some lesser-known colleagues in recent weeks, emphasizing the party’s current disinterest in pursuing impeachment proceedings. “This is such an impactful moment, and our colleagues are locking themselves in a room for 24 hours to protect and defend healthcare. We shouldn’t be talking about this proposal that is not right, not timely,” House Democratic Caucus Chair Pete Aguilar (D-CA) told reporters after another Democrat’s failed impeachment bid last month.
