Democratic Congressman Drafts Articles Of Impeachment: “The Facts Are Indisputable… This Is Obstruction Of Justice”

Texas Democrat Al Green says he’s readying the paperwork to officially call for President Donald Trump’s impeachment, a notable escalation from three weeks ago, when he first called for the president’s removal on the floor of the House.

As the Hill reports, it’s unclear when Green will officially introduce the articles he’s currently drafting. It’s also unclear if he’ll have any co-sponsors, though Green has not been alone in his calls for impeaching Trump (he has somehow beaten California Democrat Maxine Waters to the punch).

But regardless of when he files them, Green’s articles have little chance of seeing the light of day in a House chamber controlled by Republicans, who have rallied behind Trump amid multiple investigations into ties between Russia and members of the president’s inner circle.

Even Democrats are wary of impeachment, having allegedly hit upon the strategy of playing up Trump’s missteps, believing it will work to their favor in the midterms. Here’s the Hill with more:

“Green’s effort comes even as Democratic leaders are treading much more lightly in their approach to the Russia-Trump saga. With Trump’s approval rating underwater – and new details in the Russia probe emerging almost daily – party leaders sense an opportunity to make huge gains at the polls in 2018 and don’t want to overplay their hand.

They’ve tamped down any talk of impeachment, calling instead for the creation of an independent, 9/11-style commission to investigate the Russia inquiry.”

Green’s criticisms focus on Trump’s firing of former FBI Director James Comey, who was leading the administration’s probe into Russia’s meddling in the 2016 elections.

“The facts are simple and indisputable. The President fired the FBI Director because the director was investigating the President’s campaign connections to Russian interference in the Presidential Election,” Green said Tuesday evening in a statement.

“This is obstruction of justice.”

That’s actually not true. The facts suggest that Trump did nothing wrong. And as CNN reported yesterday, it appears that the former FBI director has changed his mind once again and decided to stop short of accusing Trump of obstruction when he testifies before the Senate Intelligence Committee on Thursday. Don’t forget: Comey already testified that he was not pressured by the administration earlier this year.

Even Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi agreed that nobody has provided a smoking gun to justify an impeachment on the grounds of obstruction.  “The only thing that matters are the facts – the facts and the law.” And right now, there’s absolutely no evidence that the Trump campaign colluded with the Russians, or that Trump obstructed justice.

Green has rejected that argument, contending that Trump’s actions have already risen to a level demanding congressional intervention.

“This will remain obstruction of justice regardless of the findings of any investigation,” he said.

As this graphic from Statista shows, impeachment is a lengthy process and requires a simple majority from the House Judiciary Committee, the House of Representatives and a two-thirds majority of the Senate.

You will find more statistics at Statista

Still, we are sure The Democrats have the ability to wait this out for another three-and-a-half years… and odds of impeachment are ticking up very slightly once again…