On the surface, Rep. Al Green’s effort to impeach Donald Trump failed today in the House by a vote of 237-140-47. The motion to impeach Trump has been filed, but look under the hood and you will make progress toward impeaching Trump.
The voters present were almost all House Democrats, and one of the Democrats who voted no had a very good reason.
Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-MD), a ranking member of the House Judiciary Committee, explained what the plan was for Green’s articles of impeachment regarding Trump:
Congressman Green introduced an impeachment resolution focused on two of President Trump’s recent egregious attacks on the Constitution, a small portion of the vast and growing inventory of such violations committed by President Trump and members of his Cabinet, including Secretary Pete Hegseth, Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., and Secretary Kristi Noem.
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Impeachment is a critical and essential means of political and constitutional self-defense that the Framers gave to the people to use when a lawless President or other high-ranking official commits serious and dangerous crimes and misdemeanors against the people.
We are in a period where several members of the Trump administration are engaging in illegal actions that potentially constitute serious crimes. Members outraged by these infractions have begun filing impeachment resolutions regarding particular actions and events that bother them most. There is certainly no shortage of such attacks on the Constitution and citizens.
In the face of administration lawlessness, the right thing to do at this point is not to vote for this impeachment resolution but to refer it to the Judiciary Committee.
Al Green’s effort to impeach Trump is part of Democrats’ broader push for future impeachments if Democrats win back the House.
Continue reading below for Raskin’s explanation