Vote on Green’s impeachment resolution against Trump highlights divisions among Democrats

The vote count on Congressman Al Green’s, D-Texas, impeachment resolution against U.S. President Donald Trump highlighted how divided Democrats are over how they should address the problems they have with the current administration. This issue has now entered the Democratic gubernatorial primary in Florida.

Members of the U.S. House of Representatives voted 364 to 58 in favor of tabling the resolution. All the votes against tabling the resolution, along with the four “present” votes, came from Democrats.

Green attended Florida A&M University from 1966 to 1971.

According to Newsweek, “while obstruction of justice impeachment articles have previously been filed against Trump by multiple Democrats, the articles put forward by Green Wednesday focused instead on the president's alleged discrimination and creation of a culture of a division. Those issues, argued Green, are not being given the attention in Congress that they warrant.”

The Hill also reported that “Green’s articles of impeachment also cited Trump’s personal attacks against fellow [Congressional Black Caucus (CBC)] member, Rep. Frederica Wilson (D-Fla.). Trump called Wilson “wacky” on Twitter after she criticized his handling of a conversation with the family of Sgt. La David Johnson, who was killed during an October ambush in Niger.”

Most of the CBC members opposed tabling the resolution by Green. CBC Chair Cedric Richmond (D-La.), James Clyburn (D-S.C.), and Wilson were among them. The Hill reported that “Reps. Alma Adams (N.C.), Karen Bass (Calif.), Joyce Beatty (Ohio), Yvette Clarke (N.Y.), Lacy Clay (Mo.), Danny K. Davis (Ill.), Dwight Evans (Pa.), [Marcia Fudge (Ohio)], Alcee Hastings (Fla.), Sheila Jackson Lee (Texas), Robin Kelly (Ill.), Brenda Lawrence (Mich.), Barbara Lee (Calif.), John Lewis (Ga.), Gwen Moore (Wis.), Bobby Rush (Ill.), Bennie Thompson (Miss.), [Maxine Waters (Calif.)] and Bonnie Watson Coleman (N.J.) made up the remaining CBC members who voted against tabling Green’s resolution.”

The four CBC members from Florida were split over the resolution. Al Lawson and Val Demings joined the majority of Democratic representatives in voting to table the resolution while Hastings and Wilson voted against the motion.

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Democratic Whip Hoyer (D-Md.) released a statement after the vote that said: “Now is not the time to consider articles of impeachment.”

Lawson, a FAMU alumnus, has spoken out against many of the actions by Trump that were included in the resolution. Earlier this year, he co-sponsored a censure resolution in the against the president for his comments blaming “both sides” for the violence in Charlottesville, Virginia and excusing the behavior of participants in the August 11-12 ‘Unite the Right’ rally.

Tallahassee Mayor Andrew Gillum, who is seeking the Democratic gubernatorial nomination in Florida, recently became the first candidate in the race to public support impeaching Trump. A Facebook video by Gillum called for Trump to be impeached for “obstruction of justice,” but did not mention the specific charges in Green’s resolution as a basis for impeachment.

Gillum has received the endorsement of the two Florida CBC members who voted against tabling Green’s resolution: Hastings, another FAMU alumnus, and Wilson.

The frontrunner in the primary race, former U.S. Rep. Gwen Graham, hasn’t made a public statement about whether she supports impeaching Trump. She has the endorsement Rep. John Lewis, who also voted against tabling Green’s resolution.