House Republicans, joined by many Democrats, swiftly crushed a Democratic bid on Wednesday to force a vote on impeaching President Donald Trump.
Rep. Al Green, D-Texas, went to the House floor to introduce two articles of impeachment against the president, claiming Trump's words, including tweets, have incited hatred and emboldened white supremacists.
"He has harmed the society of the United States; brought shame and dishonor to the office of president of the United States; sowing discord among the people of the United States by associating the majesty and dignity of the presidency with causes rooted in white supremacy, bigotry, racism, anti-Semitism, white nationalism or neo-Nazism," Green said.
Green's long-shot move in the Republican-led House quickly faltered. The House voted 364-58 to table Green's resolution, which effectively killed the measure, with 126 Democrats voting to reject the resolution as well.
The top two Democrats in the House — Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi of California and Minority Whip Steny Hoyer of Maryland — said Green's effort was premature.
“Democrats are firmly focused on taking real, effective steps to improve the lives of hard-working Americans and defeating Republicans' cruel barrage of attacks on the middle class," Pelosi and Hoyer said in a joint statement. "Now is not the time to consider articles of impeachment."
In October, Green also led an effort to force a vote on impeaching Trump that failed.
"I am absolutely convinced that this is a road worth traveling," Green said in his floor speech on Wednesday.
Green had also cited Trump for lashing out at NFL players who kneel during the National Anthem to protest police brutality and his Muslim travel ban, and for describing white supremacists who violently marched in Charlottesville, Virginia, in August as "very fine people."
