Green’s effort to impeach Trump blocked

WASHINGTON — The House voted overwhelmingly Wednesday to block an impeachment resolution brought by Houston Democrat Al Green to remove President Donald Trump from office.

By a 364-58 vote, lawmakers approved a Republican motion to table Green’s resolution, effectively killing it. In all, only 58 Democrats — including Houston’s Sheila Jackson Lee — sided with Green. Four others, including Texans Joaquin Castro and Marc Veasey, voted “present.”

Green’s effort, citing “bigotry, hatred and hostility from the president,” was strongly opposed by House Democratic leaders, who considered it premature.

The vote put some rankand-file Democrats on the spot, caught between antipathy for the president and a desire to see multiple investigations of Trump’s alleged Russia ties run their course.

Despite the push-back from leaders in his own party, Green pressed on in what amounted to his third attempt at impeachment.

“For too long, we have allowed our civility to prevent us from confronting the invidious incivility of President Donald J. Trump,” Green wrote in a letter to colleagues on Tuesday.

Green outlined two articles of impeachment: one for “associating the presidency with white nationalism, neo-Nazism and hatred;” and another for “inciting hatred and hostility.”

Under House rules, a “privileged” resolution for impeachment triggers almost immediate consideration — generally, within two legislative days. GOP leaders had signaled in advance their intention to quickly table the measure, which they did.

With Republican majorities in the House and Senate, there remains virtually no chance Trump could be impeached, barring new developments in the House, Senate or Justice Department probes of Russian influence in the 2016 presidential election.

Most Democrats said they favored letting the congressional and special counsel investigations run their course.

House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi urged rank-and-file Democrats to kill Green’s resolution.

“Right now, congressional committees continue to be deeply engaged in investigations into the president’s actions both before and after his inauguration,” Pelosi said. “The special counsel’s investigation is moving forward, as well, and those inquiries should be allowed to continue. Now is not the time to consider articles of impeachment.”