Congressman Al Green filed articles of impeachment against President Donald Trump on Tuesday, “for high crimes and misdemeanors,” three days after Trump ordered a military strike on Iran’s nuclear sites.
The House then quickly voted to kill the resolution in a 344-79 vote with the help of 128 Democrats, according to Politico.
The resolution accused Trump of “abuse of presidential powers by disregarding the separation of powers—devolving American democracy into authoritarianism by unconstitutionally usurping Congress’s power to declare war.”
“H.R. 537 has been filed because I believe that the President of the United States has committed an impeachable act,” the Texas Democrat announced from the floor of the House, adding that the resolution addresses the abuse of presidential powers.
Just over a week ago, Israel launched an unprecedented military strike on Iran, claiming Tehran was within days of having a nuclear weapon. Iran quickly retaliated, firing ballistic missiles at Israel. Trump, insisting that Iran was building a nuclear bomb, despite what his own intelligence officials were telling him, ordered a U.S. military attack Saturday on three Iranian nuclear sites.
Then, on Monday, the President proclaimed he had brokered a ceasefire between the two warring nations, but the bombings continued, with each side blaming the other for not honoring the truce. Trump then demanded in a profane-laden rant to reporters that Israel and Iran abide by the deal. A shaky ceasefire is now in place.
“In starting his illegal and unconstitutional war with Iran without the constitutionally-mandated consent of Congress or appropriate notice to Congress, President Trump acted in direct violation of the War Powers Clause of the Constitution,” Green said in the impeachment resolution.
Other Democrats agree with Green and have also called for Trump’s impeachment. Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez traded insults with the president online Tuesday, contending his bombings in Iran are grounds for removing him from office. Trump, as usual, called her names in a post on his Truth Social platform and dared her and her colleagues in Congress to try to impeach him.
“She and her Democrat friends have just hit the Lowest Poll Numbers in Congressional History, so go ahead and try Impeaching me, again, MAKE MY DAY!” Trump taunted, using a line out of actor-director Clint Eastwood’s “Dirty Harry” movies. Trump has also called the New York congresswoman “a silly girl” in prior posts.
Ocasio-Cortez fired back at Trump in her own post Tuesday.
“Mr. President, don’t take your anger out on me – I’m just a silly girl,” she said on X.
“Take it out on whoever convinced you to betray the American people and our Constitution by illegally bombing Iran and dragging us into war. It only took you 5 months to break almost every promise you made.”
Ocasio-Cortez and Green have both been fierce critics of Trump and his administration. And Green has filed articles of impeachment against Trump many times before, including last month, according to The Hill.
“I did not come to Congress to be a bystander while a president abuses power and devolves American democracy into authoritarianism with himself as an authoritarian president. President Trump’s unauthorized bombing of Iran constitutes a de facto declaration of war,” Green wrote in a statement Tuesday. “No president has the right to drag this nation into war without the authorization of the people’s representatives.”
He also called Trump’s “authoritarian actions” a “warning sign” and said he’s a “threat to democracy.”
A White House spokesperson defended Trump’s attack on Iran, calling it a “peace through strength” strategy, The Hill also reported.
