House Democrat vows to force a vote on impeachment, but will it make any difference?
Texas Rep. Al Green said Tuesday that he will bring articles of impeachment against President Trump to a vote on Wednesday, the latest step in an impeachment effort that does not yet have broad Democratic support and is unlikely to succeed in the Republican-led House.
“Tomorrow we will bring Articles of Impeachment to the floor of the Congress of the United States of America for a vote,” Green said Tuesday morning on the House floor, announcing that “three prominent Democrats” have asked to meet with him to discuss impeachment.
A handful of Democrats introduced articles of impeachment against Trump in November, the first official step in the process. They accused him of obstructing justice, violating the Constitution’s foreign and domestic emoluments clause, undermining the federal judiciary system and threatening the freedom of the press.
“I will tell them that impeachment is not about Democrats, that it’s not about Republicans. I will tell them that it is about democracy,” Green said of the Democrats he plans to meet with in his office. “It is about government of the people, by the people, for the people. I will tell them it is about the republic, it is about what (Benjamin) Franklin said, ‘We have a republic if we can keep it.’"
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The process of impeaching an American president and removing him from office is complex and challenging. Most top Democrats have dismissed talk of impeachment. House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi said last month that impeaching Trump would be a waste of time and energy, according to those who attended her event at Hearst. Earlier in November, she told CNN that “it’s not someplace that I think we should go,” when asked about impeachment proceedings.
It is highly unlikely that the majority of House representatives will vote to impeach Trump, as is needed to pass the matter to the Senate for a two-thirds vote that would remove the president. That’s because Republicans control the House and Democrats are split, with many believing it is premature to discuss impeachment as special counsel Robert Mueller investigates possible collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia in the 2016 election.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, in an interview with the Daily Beast last month, advised Democrats to wait before moving forward with impeachment proceedings.
“There may be a time. It is premature. And to call for [impeachment] now you might blow your shot when it has a better chance of happening,” he said, according to the Daily Beast. “It is serious, serious, serious. And so… [pause]… you wait.”
Information was gathered from this article.
Copyright The Gayly – December 5, 2017 @ 2:55 p.m. CST.