Current Affairs

Democrats to force vote on impeachment of President Donald Trump within a week

Dec 06 2017
Written by Benjamin Butterworth

(Isaac Brekken/Getty Images)

A Democratic congressman says he intends to force the House to vote on Donald Trump’s impeachment.

Al Green of Texas says he will present articles of impeachment on the floor of the House today.

He argued that the president was “unmindful of the high duties of his high office and the dignity and properties thereof”.

(Photo JIM WATSON/AFP/Getty Images)

“For too long, we have allowed our civility to prevent us from confronting the invidious incivility of President Donald J Trump,” Green wrote in a memo to colleagues on Tuesday.

“In doing this, hatred disguised as acceptable political correctness has festered in our body politic and polluted our discourse to our detriment.

“It divides and damages the social fabric of our country in ways that obstruction of justice cannot.

“It causes unparalleled destruction to our society in the long- and short-term that will not easily heal.”

Six House Democrats introduced new articles of impeachment, all revolving around the assertion that Trump is a danger to America.

Green cited Trump’s “association” with white nationalism, neo-Nazism and his incitement of hatred and hostility as evidence that he is not fit to occupy the Oval Office.

US President Donald Trump (L) chats with Russia’s President Vladimir Putin

Some have urged caution over the impeachment, arguing that the move would be premature given the continuing investigations into his campaign and administration led by congressional committees and the special counsel Robert Mueller.

Democrats say Trump deserves to be impeached for a string of failings that have already taken place while in office.

They name his firing of FBI director James Comey, who was leading the federal investigation into Moscow’s 2016 election meddling, which Democrats say was an abuse of power.

They accuse Trump of violating the foreign emoluments clause, which bars public officials from receiving gifts from foreign governments without Congress’s consent.

He is also accused of violating the domestic emoluments clause, which bars the president from profiting from his office.

Finally, the Democrats say the president has undermined two of the country’s central institutions.

They accuse him of undermining the courts and the press in ways that threaten the health of the nation’s democracy.

“Given the magnitude of the constitutional crisis, there’s no reason for delay,” said Rep. Steve Cohen, sponsor of the resolution.

Only three presidents have been impeached by the House, though none were removed from office.

Presidents Andrew Johnson and Bill Clinton were acquitted by the Senate and President Richard Nixon resigned before the House voted on his articles of impeachment.

Alongside Green in endorsing the articles of impeachment are Democratic Reps. Luis Gutiérrez (Ill.), Steve Cohen (Tennessee), Marcia Fudge (Ohio), John Yarmuth (Ky.) and Adriano Espaillat (N.Y.).

Republicans rubbished the claims, with RNC spokesperson Michael Ahrens saying: “House Democrats lack a positive message and are completely unwilling to work across the aisle, so instead they’ve decided to support a baseless radical effort that the vast majority of Americans disagree with.”

They have vowed to vote down the impeachment proposals.

The plans come after Tony Schwartz, who ghost wrote Trump’s 1987 memoir The Art of the Deal, predicted Trump will be out of office within the year.

The author said he would be shocked if Trump remained in office beyond the end of this year.