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Texas Democrat Calls For Trump Impeachment on US House Floor
'Mr. Speaker, our democracy is at risk,' says Rep. Al Green (D-Texas)
May 17, 2017
Rep. Al Green, a Democrat from Texas, took to the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives on Wednesday morning to formally call for the impeachment of President Donald Trump.
"Mr. Speaker, I rise today with a heavy heart," Green said. "I rise today with a sense of responsibility and duty to the people who have elected me; a sense of duty to this country; a sense of duty to the Constitution of the United States of America."
"I rise today, Mr. Speaker, to call for the impeachment of the President of the United States of America, for the obstruction of justice," he declared. "I do not do this for political purposes, Mr. Speaker. I do this because I believe in the great ideals that this country stands for: liberty and justice for all...I do it because, Mr. Speaker, there is a belief in this country that no one is above the law, and that includes the president of the United States of America."
"Mr. Speaker, our democracy is at risk," Green continued, citing Trump's recent firing of FBI director James Comey along with his latest tweets. "Mr. Speaker, it is time for the American people to weigh in. Mr. Speaker, the American people are a part of this democracy."
He urged citizens to visit impeachDonaldTrumpnow.com, where a petition launched by the group Free Speech for People had 992,578 signatures as of Wednesday morning. Green also referenced recent polls showing growing public support for impeachment.
Watch Green's full speech below:
Green elaborated in a press statement:
Here are the acts committed by the president that, when combined, merit his being charged (impeached) for obstructing a lawful investigation:
- The president fired the FBI director overseeing a lawful investigation of the president's campaign ties to Russian influence in the president's 2016 election.
- The president acknowledged he considered the investigation when he fired the FBI Director.
- The president made the FBI director the subject of a threatening tweet--"James Comey better hope that there are no 'tapes' of our conversations before he starts leaking to the press."
These acts, when combined, amount to intimidation and obstruction.
The lawmaker said he has not spoken to other members of Congress about his call, though he said later on MSNBC that he plans to do so:
And he is not alone in floating the idea. Katie Bo Williams, a reporter for The Hill, tweeted Friday that Rep. Justin Amash (R-Mich.) said if the allegations in the "Comey memo"--that Trump asked the then-FBI director to end the federal investigation into former national security adviser Michael Flynn--are true, "it's grounds for impeachment."
Other senators and representatives, including Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) and Rep. John Yarmuth (D-Ky.) have also mentioned impeachment. On Tuesday evening, Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) said Trump's situation was "reaching the point where it's of Watergate size and scale;" while Sen. Angus King (I-Maine) told CNN the country may be approaching another impeachment process--a statement he later walked back.
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Rep. Al Green, a Democrat from Texas, took to the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives on Wednesday morning to formally call for the impeachment of President Donald Trump.
"Mr. Speaker, I rise today with a heavy heart," Green said. "I rise today with a sense of responsibility and duty to the people who have elected me; a sense of duty to this country; a sense of duty to the Constitution of the United States of America."
"I rise today, Mr. Speaker, to call for the impeachment of the President of the United States of America, for the obstruction of justice," he declared. "I do not do this for political purposes, Mr. Speaker. I do this because I believe in the great ideals that this country stands for: liberty and justice for all...I do it because, Mr. Speaker, there is a belief in this country that no one is above the law, and that includes the president of the United States of America."
"Mr. Speaker, our democracy is at risk," Green continued, citing Trump's recent firing of FBI director James Comey along with his latest tweets. "Mr. Speaker, it is time for the American people to weigh in. Mr. Speaker, the American people are a part of this democracy."
He urged citizens to visit impeachDonaldTrumpnow.com, where a petition launched by the group Free Speech for People had 992,578 signatures as of Wednesday morning. Green also referenced recent polls showing growing public support for impeachment.
Watch Green's full speech below:
Green elaborated in a press statement:
Here are the acts committed by the president that, when combined, merit his being charged (impeached) for obstructing a lawful investigation:
- The president fired the FBI director overseeing a lawful investigation of the president's campaign ties to Russian influence in the president's 2016 election.
- The president acknowledged he considered the investigation when he fired the FBI Director.
- The president made the FBI director the subject of a threatening tweet--"James Comey better hope that there are no 'tapes' of our conversations before he starts leaking to the press."
These acts, when combined, amount to intimidation and obstruction.
The lawmaker said he has not spoken to other members of Congress about his call, though he said later on MSNBC that he plans to do so:
And he is not alone in floating the idea. Katie Bo Williams, a reporter for The Hill, tweeted Friday that Rep. Justin Amash (R-Mich.) said if the allegations in the "Comey memo"--that Trump asked the then-FBI director to end the federal investigation into former national security adviser Michael Flynn--are true, "it's grounds for impeachment."
Other senators and representatives, including Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) and Rep. John Yarmuth (D-Ky.) have also mentioned impeachment. On Tuesday evening, Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) said Trump's situation was "reaching the point where it's of Watergate size and scale;" while Sen. Angus King (I-Maine) told CNN the country may be approaching another impeachment process--a statement he later walked back.
Deirdre Fulton
Deirdre Fulton is a former Common Dreams senior editor and staff writer. Previously she worked as an editor and writer for the Portland Phoenix and the Boston Phoenix, where she was honored by the New England Press Association and the Association of Alternative Newsweeklies. A Boston University graduate, Deirdre is a co-founder of the Maine-based Lorem Ipsum Theater Collective and the PortFringe theater festival. She writes young adult fiction in her spare time.
Rep. Al Green, a Democrat from Texas, took to the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives on Wednesday morning to formally call for the impeachment of President Donald Trump.
"Mr. Speaker, I rise today with a heavy heart," Green said. "I rise today with a sense of responsibility and duty to the people who have elected me; a sense of duty to this country; a sense of duty to the Constitution of the United States of America."
"I rise today, Mr. Speaker, to call for the impeachment of the President of the United States of America, for the obstruction of justice," he declared. "I do not do this for political purposes, Mr. Speaker. I do this because I believe in the great ideals that this country stands for: liberty and justice for all...I do it because, Mr. Speaker, there is a belief in this country that no one is above the law, and that includes the president of the United States of America."
"Mr. Speaker, our democracy is at risk," Green continued, citing Trump's recent firing of FBI director James Comey along with his latest tweets. "Mr. Speaker, it is time for the American people to weigh in. Mr. Speaker, the American people are a part of this democracy."
He urged citizens to visit impeachDonaldTrumpnow.com, where a petition launched by the group Free Speech for People had 992,578 signatures as of Wednesday morning. Green also referenced recent polls showing growing public support for impeachment.
Watch Green's full speech below:
Green elaborated in a press statement:
Here are the acts committed by the president that, when combined, merit his being charged (impeached) for obstructing a lawful investigation:
- The president fired the FBI director overseeing a lawful investigation of the president's campaign ties to Russian influence in the president's 2016 election.
- The president acknowledged he considered the investigation when he fired the FBI Director.
- The president made the FBI director the subject of a threatening tweet--"James Comey better hope that there are no 'tapes' of our conversations before he starts leaking to the press."
These acts, when combined, amount to intimidation and obstruction.
The lawmaker said he has not spoken to other members of Congress about his call, though he said later on MSNBC that he plans to do so:
And he is not alone in floating the idea. Katie Bo Williams, a reporter for The Hill, tweeted Friday that Rep. Justin Amash (R-Mich.) said if the allegations in the "Comey memo"--that Trump asked the then-FBI director to end the federal investigation into former national security adviser Michael Flynn--are true, "it's grounds for impeachment."
Other senators and representatives, including Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) and Rep. John Yarmuth (D-Ky.) have also mentioned impeachment. On Tuesday evening, Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) said Trump's situation was "reaching the point where it's of Watergate size and scale;" while Sen. Angus King (I-Maine) told CNN the country may be approaching another impeachment process--a statement he later walked back.
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