Seventy-nine House Democrats voted against blocking a motion to impeach President Donald Trump for launching military strikes on Iran without seeking authorization from Congress.
The House of Representatives voted overwhelmingly āĀ 344 to 79 ā to table a resolution from Democratic Texas Rep. Al Green to impeach the president. Green, a liberalĀ firebrand who hasĀ repeatedly sought to oust Trump for allegedly abusing his power, filed articles of impeachment against the president Tuesday morning and immediately forced lawmakers to vote on his resolution.
House Democratic leadership notably joined GOP lawmakers in rejecting Greenās impeachment push. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffriesā decision to help torpedo a resolution impeaching the president follows his move to quash a similar impeachment push from Democratic Michigan Rep. Shri Thanedar in April.
Green introduced articles of impeachment at least three times against Trump during the presidentās first term, but the House moved to table all of his impeachment resolutions. The House voted to censure Green for heckling the president during his joint address to Congress in March. Ten Democratic lawmakers crossed partisan lines to formally condemn Greenās behavior.
āI believe that this country has come too far to allow a single person to declare war without conferring with the Congress of the United States of America,ā Green said during a speech on the House floor Tuesday during which he referred to Trump as an āauthoritarian presidentā and āwould-be dictator.ā
Speaker Mike Johnson, a former constitutional lawyer, has defended Trumpās authority to launch military strikes on Iran without authorization from Congress, arguing the presidentās move did not violate the Constitution.
āMany respected constitutional experts argue that the War Powers Act is itself unconstitutional. Iām persuaded by that argument,ā Johnson told reporters Tuesday at a House GOP leadership press conference. āMany more scholars believe the President is ā¦ correct to use this executive authority in exactly the manner that he did over the weekend.ā
Johnson also observed that most military operations since World War IIĀ have been executed without a declaration of war from Congress.
āPresidentĀ Biden ordered strikes on Iraq, Syria, and Yemen. President Obama launched an eight month long bombing campaign in Libya to oust Gaddafi,ā Johnson said. āPresident Clinton initiated air patrols and airstrikes in Bosnia and a bombing campaign in Yugoslavia. Every one of those actions were taken unilaterally and without prior authorization from Congress.ā
Democratic New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who has argued Trumpās military strikes were grounds for impeachment, voted to advance Greenās resolution.
Democratic Texas Rep. Jasmine Crockett, who lostĀ a bid to serve as the top Democrat on the influential House Oversight Committee Tuesday, also voted to keep Greenās impeachment resolution alive.
Two prominent House Democrats, Robert Garcia of California and Mikie Sherrill of New Jersey, did not vote. Garcia wonĀ the election conducted via secret ballot Tuesday to serve as lead Democrat on the Oversight Committee following the death of Democratic Virginia Rep. Gerry Connolly. Sherrill is the Democratic nominee for New Jerseyās 2025 gubernatorial race.
All content created by the Daily Caller News Foundation, an independent and nonpartisan newswire service, is available without charge to any legitimate news publisher that can provide a large audience. All republished articles must include our logo, our reporterās byline and their DCNF affiliation. For any questions about our guidelines or partnering with us, please contactĀ [email protected].