The U.S. House killed a resolution to impeach President Trump. A Republican motion to table the measure passed with a 232-147 vote. This outcome followed a sharp divide among Democrats on the floor.
Rep. Al Green brought the resolution forward to hold the President accountable. Renee Good, Alex Pretti, Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, and Johan Sebastian Duran Guerrero were killed, he said. These deaths occurred this year involving federal immigration agents. Green forced a vote despite losing his primary in his Houston-area district. He will leave Congress this coming January. Last year, the House censured him for interrupting the President as well.
House leadership did not whip the vote for their members. They announced in a joint statement that they would vote “present” on the motion. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said that “none of the serious work” for impeachment has been done. He stated that impeachment requires a comprehensive investigative process and thousands of documents. Jeffries noted the need for exacting scrutiny of the facts and key witnesses. “None of that serious work has been done,” he stated, according to Fox News, “with the Republican majority focused solely on rubber stamping Donald Trump’s extreme agenda.” This quote appeared in a statement from Democratic leadership.
Eighteen House Democrats voted with Republicans to block the articles of impeachment. These lawmakers included Reps. Josh Riley, Jared Golden, and Henry Cuellar. They joined 213 Republicans and Rep. Kevin Kiley to table the measure. Another 46 Democrats and Rep. Thomas Massie voted “present” on the motion. Nearly 150 Democrats voted against tabling the resolution. They bucked their leadership ahead of the midterms. Worries among some Democrats include the possibility that impeaching Trump would only animate the president’s supporters to get to the polls. Flipping the House in the midterms could become tougher for Democrats due to this.
Green criticized Jeffries and other Democrats who failed to vote to impeach Trump during his own remarks to reporters. The vote exposed a rift within the Democratic conference. The split highlights the tension between the anti-Trump base and the strategic focus on moderate voters. The House has now moved past this specific attempt to remove the President. The resolution will not proceed to a full floor vote on impeachment articles. The focus now shifts to the upcoming November elections.
