United States President Donald Trump has successfully fended off an impeachment attempt in the House of Representatives as a resolution introduced by Representative Al Green, aimed at impeaching Trump over recent military strikes on Iran, was overwhelmingly tabled with a vote of 344 to 79.Â
A significant bloc of Democrats, including House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, joined all 216 House Republicans to defeat the measure, reflecting caution following Trump’s two prior impeachment failures.
In contrast, 79 House Democrats, mainly progressives from safe districts, voted to keep the resolution alive, including outspoken advocates like Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who has pushed for impeachment in the wake of the Iran strikes.Â
This development comes closely on the heels of Israel’s surprise air war which was launched on June 13, hitting Iranian nuclear sites where it said Tehran was trying to develop an atomic bomb and killing top military commanders in the worst blow to the Islamic Republic since the 1980s war with Iraq.
Iran, which says its uranium enrichment programme is for peaceful purposes and denies trying to build nuclear weapons, retaliated with a series of missile barrages on Israeli cities.
This escalation in regional tensions also witnessed US military intervention after Trump, on June 21, ordered strikes on three nuclear sites in Iran â Fordow, Natanz, and, Isfahan â prior to congressionally-mandated authorisation for the use of military force.
Earlier on Tuesday, both Iran and Israel signalled that the air war between the two nations had concluded, at least for now, after Trump scolded them for violating a ceasefire he announced at 0500 GMT.
This prompted Green to force a quick vote on his five-page measure, which argued that Trump “disregarded the doctrine of separation of powers by usurping Congress’s power to declare war”.
This move was met with private fury by many House Democrats.
Lawmakers vented that the vote was “premature” and “unhelpful,” describing it as a “completely unserious and selfish move” that put them in a difficult political position, Axios reported.
Several Democrats expressed frustration, stating that there was “a lot” of anger about the vote and that “most people think it’s unhelpful.” They highlighted the challenge of balancing the demands of grassroots activists pushing for impeachment with the broader, more moderate electorate. “
It puts people in a difficult situation,” one House Democrat commented, while another fumed, “There are a lot of other things we should be focused on right now.”
Concerns were also raised about the legal and strategic merits of Green’s resolution.
Some lawmakers argued that the measure was weak, even more so than a prior impeachment attempt by Representative Shri Thanedar that was withdrawn last month due to fierce blowback.
“What a message to China and Russia â after we take military action, we try to impeach the president,” said Representative Jared Moskowitz.
Another Democrat questioned the potential for courts to uphold the impeachment, noting the “fiercely contested” nature of constitutional war powers.
Despite the widespread criticism from his own party, Representative Green told Axios he had “not one scintilla of regret” about forcing the vote, asserting it was a matter of “conscience.”
Green emphasised his belief that “no one person should have the power to take over 300 million people to war without consulting with Congress”.
