Axios reports: House Democrats overwhelmingly joined with their Republican colleagues Tuesday against holding a vote to impeach President Trump for striking Iranian nuclear sites unilaterally.
Newsweek gives the full list of Dems voting to table the measure.
Rep. Al Green (D-Texas) forced a vote on a five-page impeachment resolution accusing Trump of “Disregarding the Separation of Powers” and “Devolving American Democracy into Authoritarianism by Unconstitutionally Usurping Congress’s Power to Declare War.”
Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, among others, has said that Trump’s actions regarding Iran were unconstitutional and grounds for impeachment. But Green was the member who called the vote for today.
“Many lawmakers argued that Green’s measure was weak on its merits — even more so than the articles of impeachment Rep. Shri Thanedar (D-Mich.) nearly forced to a vote in May, to the fury of his colleagues”What a message to China and Russia — after we take military action, we try to impeach the president,” said Rep. Jared Moskowitz (D-Fla.).
A sixth House Democrat said they were “not even clear the courts would uphold” the impeachment, noting that the debate over constitutional war powers is “fiercely contested. This kind of motion is premature … I just don’t think it’s ripe,” said a seventh.” Axios
A statement from one Representative, Zoe Lofgren: As an impeachment manager who prosecuted Donald Trump in his first trial, I know that initiating impeachment is one of the most serious actions Congress can take. It demands the utmost care, deliberation, and strategic judgment. Unfortunately, the hasty approach taken today fell short of those requirements. Donald Trump is a grave threat to America and democracy. But poorly conceived efforts like today’s resolution only set us back and will not help us protect our democracy. That’s why I voted to table the resolution this afternoon.” (KSBW News)
Needless to say, the talk of impeachment has resulted in the usual unhinged tirade from Trump.
