Forty-seven House Democrats—including all Democratic leadership—voted “present” Thursday when Texas Representative Al Green’s motion to impeach President Donald Trump collapsed in a 237-140 vote. An additional twenty-three Democrats joined Republicans to table the resolution.
“None of that serious work has been done,” stated California Democratic Rep. Ted Lieu following the defeat. “We can’t just impeach someone with no process, without any investigation.”
The Democratic leadership issued a joint statement: “Impeachment is a sacred constitutional vehicle designed to hold a corrupt executive accountable for abuse of power, breaking the law, and violating the public trust. The effort traditionally requires a comprehensive investigative process, the collection and review of thousands of documents, an exacting scrutiny of the facts, the examination of dozens of key witnesses, congressional hearings, sustained public organizing, and the marshaling of the forces of democracy to build a broad national consensus.”
The statement continued: “None of that serious work has been done, with the Republican majority focused solely on rubber stamping Donald Trump’s extreme agenda.”
Texas Representative Al Green originally introduced articles of impeachment for two charges: first, “Abuse of Presidential Power by Calling for the Execution of Members of Congress,” referencing Trump’s branding of the “Seditious Six” congressional Democrats who urged military servicemen to disobey supposedly “illegal” orders; and second, “Abuse of Presidential Power to Intimidate Federal Judges in Violation of the Separation of Powers and Independence of the Judiciary.”
