Washington — Texas Rep. Al Green introduced articles of impeachment against President Trump Tuesday, potentially forcing a vote on the measure this week. Such a vote would come too soon for most Democrats, since a majority of the caucus appears to oppose impeachment, for now.
But Green is seeking to capitalize on a growing sentiment for impeachment in the wake of Mr. Trump’s recent racist remarks.
Green introduced the articles immediately after the House voted to condemn Mr. Trump saying in tweets that four Democratic congresswomen should “go back” to their home countries. All are American citizens, and three of them were born in the U.S.
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Green said Tuesday that Mr. Trump is unfit for office and “enough is enough.”
“It just seemed to me that we should bring these articles before the House of Representatives, so that we could not only condemn him, but impeach him, so that he will understand that there are some boundaries because, as we speak now, there don’t appear to be boundaries, or at least it appears that the president doesn’t perceive any boundaries,” Green remarked.
Any member of the House can try to force an impeachment vote.
Green has done it twice before, unsuccessfully. Republicans controlled the House both times and tabled the measures.
CBS News’ Rebecca Kaplan notes that Green used a procedural mechanism Tuesday known as a privileged resolution. Only certain types of bills can be brought via that procedure.
The House leadership must take action on the measure within two legislative days. They have to decide whether to allow a vote on it, try to table it, or try to send it to a relevant committee.
