House Rejects Latest Effort to Impeach President Trump; Many Democrats Vote ‘Present’

WASHINGTON — The House on Wednesday overwhelmingly voted to table articles of impeachment against President Donald Trump, with dozens of Democrats declining to support the resolution filed by Rep. Al Green, D-Texas.

The final vote was 237-140 to kill the measure, with 47 members — nearly all Democrats — voting “present.”

Green’s resolution contained two articles accusing Trump of abuse of power. The first alleged the president called for the “execution” of six congressional Democrats after they released a video urging military members to refuse unlawful orders. Trump had described the lawmakers’ actions as “seditious behavior” punishable by death, prompting the FBI to open an inquiry into the Democrats, who defended their statements.

The second article accused Trump of fostering a climate of threats against lawmakers and federal judges and making “vituperative comments” that endangered judicial independence.

In a joint statement, three Democrats who voted “present” said impeachment is a “sacred constitutional vehicle” that traditionally requires extensive investigation, document review, witness testimony, public hearings and broad national consensus.

“None of that serious work has been done, with the Republican majority focused solely on rubber-stamping Donald Trump’s extreme agenda,” the lawmakers said. “Accordingly, we will be voting ‘present’ on today’s motion to table the impeachment resolution as we continue our fight to make life more affordable for everyday Americans.”

Among the Democrats who supported tabling the measure were Reps. Tom Suozzi of New York, Josh Riley of New York, Jared Golden of Maine, Jimmy Panetta of California, Chrissy Houlahan of Pennsylvania, Maggie Goodlander of New Hampshire, Sharice Davids of Kansas, Don Davis of North Carolina and Shomari Figures of Alabama.

Green has introduced articles of impeachment against Trump multiple times over the past year and was removed from the House chamber during the president’s joint address to Congress in March after repeatedly interrupting the speech.

Even if the resolution had advanced in the Democratic-controlled House, it faced certain defeat in the Republican-led Senate.

House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., has repeatedly sidestepped questions about supporting impeachment this year, emphasizing instead the need for bipartisan investigations into administration actions.

--REAL AMERICA'S VOICE

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