Democratic Representative Al Green of Texas is expected to submit articles of impeachment against President Donald Trump Wednesday in the first legislative step for any congressional bid to force a sitting president from office.
Related: Michael Moore launches TrumpiLeaks website for whistleblowers
Obstruction of justice by the president is the problem, Greensaid Tuesday. Impeachment by Congress is the solution.
Subscribe to Newsweek from $1 per week
Green first officially called for Trumps impeachment during a fiery speech on the House floor last month. He contends that the president deserves to be removed for allegedly engaging in obstruction of justice by firing former FBI Director James Comey during the agencys investigation into Russias possible meddling in the 2016 election. Hisappeal came amidrevelations of aComey memo that claimedTrump had asked him to drop an investigation into former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn.
President Donald Trump sits during a meeting with Republican congressional leadership at the White House on June 6. Texas Democratic Representative Al Greens official call for Trumps impeachment is set for Wednesday. Joshua Roberts/Reuters
This is not about the president and firing someone else. Its about him firing the FBI director, Green told NBC News after his speech. Since that congressional address, Green has said he has received racially charged death threats.
His official announcement is set to come a day before Comey himself will testify in front of the Senate Intelligence Committee on the Russia investigation and his interactions with Trump over the last few months. Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein appeared Wednesday before the same panel.
A handful of other rank-and-file Democratic lawmakers have floated the idea of impeaching Trump. But top Democratic leaders have urged their party members to refrain fromdiscussing impeachment until they see if ongoing investigationsuncover more details about the actions of the presidents team.
Meanwhile, Republicans have mostly rallied behind the president, despite tumultuous weeks for the White House, even as Trump faces accusations, among others, that he shared sensitive national security information with Russian officials and that his administration hired Flynn despite knowing he was under investigation.
For Congress to remove a sitting president from office, a majority of members of the Housewhich is now controlled by Republicansmust vote for the charges of misconduct. Then, the Senate, which the GOP also controls, has the power to try impeachment cases like a court. Two-thirds of senators must vote for conviction. Two U.S. presidents have been impeached by the House: Andrew Johnson in 1868 and Bill Clinton in 1998. Both were later acquitted at trials held by the Senate.
Greens call for impeachment comes as support to remove Trump from office is higher than his approval rating. A Politico/Morning Consult poll published this week found that nearly 43 percent of American voters support the idea of beginning the official impeachment process for Trump. Meanwhile, his approval rating dipped about six percentage points to just 36 percent over the weekend, according to a Gallup poll.
Read the original:
Trump Impeachment Process Set to Begin As Democrat Al Green Files Articles - Newsweek