A Member Of Congress Is Officially Calling For Trump's Impeachment, Here's Why
Update 10:34 AM EST:
Rep. Al Green, on the floor of the House of Representatives, has called for President Trump to be impeached.
A US Congressman says he will formally call for President Donald Trump to be impeached on Wednesday.
That Congressman is Representative Al Green, the veteran Democrat who serves the ninth congressional district in Texas, an area which includes Houston.
Green tweeted on Wednesday morning that "on the flood of the Congress of the United States of America, I will call for the Impeachment of the President."
Green's tweet indicates that the 69-year-old politician plans to advocate for Trump to be impeached while speaking addressing the House.
There are reasons why Green is calling for impeachment.
Though Green says he will formally call for impeachment before his colleagues on Wednesday, the congressman had actually called for impeachment on Monday.
The Democrat said in a written statement,
President Trump is not above the law. He has committed an impeachable act and must be charged. To do otherwise would cause some Americans to lose respect for, and obedience to, our societal norms.
The main reason Green cited for impeachment was last week's firing of former FBI Director James Comey.
In addition, Green told ThinkProgress the president's possible admission that the FBI's investigation into possible ties between the Trump campaign and Russia played a role in the decision to terminate Comey.
It's worth noting how much has changed since Monday, however.
On Tuesday night, the New York Times reported that Comey had a meeting in February with the president in which the president attempted to change how Comey conducted an investigation.
The key allegation in the report is that Trump asked Comey to drop the FBI's investigation into Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn, the president's former National Security Advisor who resigned earlier this year.
CNN later corroborated the Times' report.
Because Flynn was an associate of Trump's presidential campaign, the idea of Trump approaching Comey in such a way has prompted politicians to question whether the president committed obstruction of justice.
.@RepAlGreen to @ABC: "The president is not within his rights...when it comes to obstruction of justice." https://t.co/tTVq2aJqWb pic.twitter.com/dbOh0tKMMr — ABC News Politics (@ABCPolitics) May 16, 2017
Still, despite the fact that both Republicans and Democrats have demonstrated an interest in investigating the credibility of the New York Times' report and its implications, most appear willing to wait for more facts before seriously considering further action.
Green, on the other hand, has apparently heard enough.
Citations: Congressman calls for Trump's immediate impeachment (ThinkProgress), Houston Rep. Al Green calls for Trump's impeachment as other Democrats hold off (Dallas News)
