Democrats join Republicans to vote down impeachment of President Donald Trump
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The impeachment of Donald Trump has failed.
Congressman Al Green of Texas proposed five articles of impeachment on the floor of the House yesterday.
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,” he said.
Six House Democrats introduced new articles of impeachment, all revolving around the assertion that Trump is a danger to America.
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However the attempt failed as a majority of Democrats joined with Republicans to oppose the move.
Democratic leaders acknowledged that Mr Trump had “made statements and taken actions that are beyond the pale for most Americans”.
But they urged legislators to focus on policy issues, such as the Republican tax plan currently before them.
“Congress faces a vast set of urgent, overdue priorities for the American people,” they said.
“Democrats are firmly focused on taking real, effective steps to improve the lives of hard-working Americans and defeating Republicans’ cruel barrage of attacks on the middle class.”
Many argued 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.
White House spokesperson Raj Shah called the impeachment efforts a “disappointing” move by “extremists in Congress”.
“Their time would be better spent focusing on tax relief for American families and businesses, and working to fund our troops and veterans through the holiday season rather than threaten a government shutdown,” he said.
US President Donald Trump (L) chats with Russia’s President Vladimir Putin
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.
President Richard Nixon resigned before the House was able to vote on his articles of impeachment.
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The Republican maverick’s approval ratings have fallen to the lowest of any president at the nine month stage.
Since the Trans military ban was declared, President Trump has seen a significant decline in support.
The poll result makes him the least popular president of modern times – with all of his predecessors having higher ratings at this stage.
