Rep. Al Green (D-TX) on Monday vowed to force a vote on the articles of impeachment against President Donald Trump in the House of Representatives before the end of this month.
“The President of the United States is a racist, a bigot, a misogynist, as well as an invidious prevaricator. To say that Donald John Trump is unfit for the Office of the President of the United States is an understatement. He is unfit for public office, and if he displayed any of these behaviors in most private companies, he would be summarily terminated with haste,” Green said in a statement. “I was not told to speak out on the bigotry emanating from the White House. I was compelled to speak out. I believe there is a moral imperative to look racism, bigotry, misogyny, and hate in the face and rebuke it; to convey to our children that this type of behavior is unacceptable and that these beliefs are not welcome in the United States of America.”
Green held a press conference that he said was “imposed upon us” because of Trump’s tweets over the weekend in which he said the left-wing “squad”—Reps. Ilhan Omar (D-MN), Rashida Tlaib (D-MI), Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), and Ayanna Pressley (D-MA)—should go back to the “crime infested places from which they came.” Ocasio-Cortez (New York), Tlaib (Detroit), and Pressley (Cincinnati) were born in the United States.
“So interesting to see ‘Progressive’ Democrat Congresswomen, who originally came from countries whose governments are a complete and total catastrophe, the worst, most corrupt and inept anywhere in the world (if they even have a functioning government at all), now loudly… and viciously telling the people of the United States, the greatest and most powerful Nation on earth, how our government is to be run,” Trump tweeted over the weekend. “Why don’t they go back and help fix the totally broken and crime infested places from which they came. Then come back and show us how… it is done. These places need your help badly, you can’t leave fast enough. I’m sure that Nancy Pelosi would be very happy to quickly work out free travel arrangements!”
Green said he is going to bring articles of impeachment against Trump because he loves America and “to tolerate bigotry is to perpetuate bigotry, especially if you can do something about it.” He said he is 71 years of age and lived through the era of “go back to Africa.”
“I wasn’t born in Africa,” Green said. “I was born in Louisiana, and I plan to stay here.”
Green, who has said that Trump can be impeached for “bigotry” and conduct that is detrimental to the country, said Trump has “has demonstrated clearly that he is unfit to hold the office.”
“He has demonstrated that he has little respect for members of the opposite sex … for persons who are not of the same sex as he,” Green said, adding that Trump is “willing to say anything and everything to demean people.”
Green insisted that impeachment “does not require bipartisan support” and said there is noting in the Constitution preventing a president from being impeached multiple times. Green said if the House eventually impeaches Trump and the Senate does not convict, the House should just impeach him again.
The Texas Democrat also said he is forcing a vote on impeachment to force House members to declare their votes to the world, saying that this is a “defining moment in time for the members in this Congress.”
“We all have to go on record. There must be a record,” Green said. adding that he must allow the record to show that Democrats in the House acted when they had an “opportunity to impeach a racist bigot in league with homophobes, xenophobes,” and bigots.
Though House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) has been against impeaching Trump, Green said this impeachment vote is “for posterity” and for country and not about Pelosi. He urged lawmakers to “vote their conscience” and “not based on recommendation” from Pelosi.
Green has already brought up articles of impeachment twice. In 2017, he received 58 votes to proceed with debate. In 2018, he received 66 votes to proceed with debate.
At least 82 Democrats supported impeaching Trump before this weekend, and that number could increase after Trump’s remarks that Green said “forced” him to bring up an impeachment vote.