House Debate Intensifies as Democrat Introduces Impeachment Measure

WASHINGTON — House Democrats have been publicly grappling with the issue of impeaching President Donald Trump, with grassroots activists pressuring lawmakers to more aggressively confront Trump and centrist members of the party dismissing the push as futile.

During a six-week stretch this year, House Democrats twice were confronted with impeachment votes — forced by their own rank-and-file members — that had zero chance of passing, given that Republicans control the chamber.

In May, Democratic leaders convinced Rep. Shri Thanedar, D-Mich., to back off his impeachment push at the last minute. But the following month, Rep. Al Green, D-Texas, forced a failed vote to impeach Trump, exposing stark divisions among Democrats and putting the party’s vulnerable members in a difficult position ahead of next year’s midterm elections.

Before the 119th Congress is over, it’s likely there will be other pushes to impeach Trump, who survived two such efforts during his first term, even as many Democrats grow frustrated by them.

“They’re massively unhelpful, and they just fire up the base,” said one moderate House Democrat who opposed the recent impeachment efforts.

A second centrist Democrat called them a “waste of time,” and suggested that colleagues who had voted for impeachment had only done so to appease the party’s base.

“Even people that voted ‘no’ on it, they don’t really want to impeach Trump. But they have to feed the left-wing base,” said the second Democrat, who spoke anonymously to freely discuss internal party dynamics. “They don’t want to have to go home and answer questions why they didn’t vote for impeachment.”

That lawmaker said impeachment should only be pursued after holding a committee investigation and hearings — and that won’t happen until Democrats win back the majority.

“If you respect the process here, you don’t go right to an impeachment vote,” the lawmaker said. “You go through a process, and then you have an impeachment vote. So let’s go through that process.”

That was the roadmap that House Democrats followed in 2019 during Trump’s first impeachment, over allegations he withheld military aid to pressure Ukraine to launch an investigation into political rival Joe Biden’s family. Democrats voted to launch a formal impeachment investigation, took closed-door testimony and held a series of televised hearings.

The second impeachment, in the wake of the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol, happened in a much more haphazard way as Trump was preparing to leave office. There was no lengthy House investigation or hearings before an impeachment vote. The Senate acquitted Trump in both cases.

In Trump’s second term, talk from some Democrats about impeaching the president began early. In February, Green gave a floor speech announcing he’d pursue articles of impeachment. Two months later, he introduced a single article accusing Trump of “devolving democracy within the United States into authoritarianism” and detailed a lengthy list of grievances about Trump flouting the courts and attacking the judiciary.

But by June, when Green finally called up his resolution, forcing an impeachment vote on the floor, the Texas Democrat swapped out the language of the resolution and replaced it with new language hitting Trump for failing to consult with Congress before striking Iran.

Green’s resolution failed on a 344-79 vote, with 128 Democrats joining all Republicans to table the measure. Among those who backed Green were Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, Rashida Tlaib of Michigan, and Raja Krishnamoorthi and Robin Kelly, who are both running for Senate in Illinois.

Some Democrats said the vote served only as a distraction from more pressing matters, like Republicans’ megabill that was moving through Congress.

But in an interview Monday night, Green said he had no regrets about forcing the impeachment vote and vowed to do it again — though he wouldn’t say when or what the new articles might say.

“I can’t say that he committed an impeachable offense and then not vote to impeach. I have a conscience; it’s a vote of conscience. And I say to members, ‘Vote your conscience,'” Green told NBC News. “By the way, I’m going to bring articles against him again. Those were not the last.”

He said he respected the views of colleagues who believe that political “tactics supersede the Constitution.” But he felt he had no choice but to act on impeachment.

A new effort to impeach former President Donald Trump was announced on the House floor by Texas Democratic Representative Al Green. This move has intensified the already divisive political atmosphere in Washington.

The push for impeachment was a direct response to Trump’s recent suggestion that the U.S. should take control of Gaza and develop it into a luxury destination, which he referred to as the “Riviera of the Middle East.”

Representative Green condemned this rhetoric as reckless and dangerous. He argued that such statements from a figure with immense global influence are deeply troubling and cannot be ignored.

In an impassioned speech, Green stated, “Ethnic cleansing in Gaza is not a joke, especially when it emanates from the most powerful person in the world.” He emphasized that words from a former president can significantly impact international stability.

Green framed his impeachment articles as a serious attempt at accountability, not merely a symbolic act. He described the effort as driven by public demand, reflecting a broader movement from the grassroots level.

This announcement highlights the deep divisions in U.S. politics regarding Trump’s influence and foreign policy direction. Supporters believe leaders must be challenged over inflammatory remarks, while critics see the impeachment effort as politically divisive and unlikely to succeed.

Regardless of its outcome, Green’s declaration has reignited debates over presidential accountability, the power of political rhetoric, and America’s role in international conflicts. It is expected to spur further discussion in Congress and among the public.