Al Green says Trump’s ‘harm to society’ are new grounds for impeachment
Democrats could have their chance to impeach Mr Trump if they take control of the House this November
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Democratic congressman Al Green has said the damage to American society caused by Donald Trump could be “irreparable” — and is grounds for his impeachment.
Mr Green, who has previously drafted articles of impeachment against the president, made the argument on Hill.Tv in an obvious rebuke to Mr Trump’s campaign promise to “Make America Great Again”.
“What he has done to this society is harmful and in some cases it may be irreparable – to tell police officers that you don’t have to be nice, when you’re arresting someone,” Mr Green said.
“These are the kinds of things that can cause long term harm to society,” he continued.
Mr Green said that the firing of former FBI Director James Comey was itself an impeachable offence, and highlighted the president’s response to the the violent acts of white supremacists in Charlottesville, Virginia, last year as showing his character. Mr Green continued to note that the president’s frequent derision of immigrants is harming the US.
“I think this kind of behaviour is impeachable — as a matter of fact, I’m confident it is,” he said.
Mr Green had previously drafted articles of impeachment against Mr Trump, but had been met with resistance from House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, who leads the Democrats in the House.
That is nothing to say of the fact that Democrats could not on their own force the House to impeach Mr Trump, a Republican, since the GOP currently commands a majority hold over the House of Representatives.
Democrats who favour impeaching Mr Trump could, however, have a chance following the November midterm elections, if they are able to capitalize on what appears to be general support for Democrats.
But Democrats would need to also take control of the Senate if they want to remove Mr Trump from office through those measures. The likelihood of Democrats doing so at this point appears to be rather slim.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments