A group of House Democrats on Wednesday introduced five articles of impeachment accusing President Donald Trump of obstructing justice, violating the foreign emoluments clause, undermining the freedom of the press, and other constitutional breaches.
“The time has come to make clear to the American people and to this president that [Trump’s] train of injuries to our Constitution must be brought to an end through impeachment,” said Rep. Steve Cohen (D-TN), who introduced the articles alongside Al Green of Texas, Luis Gutierrez of Illinois, Brad Sherman of California, Marcia Fudge of Ohio, and John Yarmuth of Kentucky.
“Given the magnitude of the constitutional crisis, there’s no reason for delay,” Cohen added, calling for hearings to begin immediately.
Rep. Steve Cohen: “We believe that President Trump has violated the Constitution and we’ve introduced five articles of impeachment.” pic.twitter.com/GmA1bQGE7r
— Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) November 15, 2017
House Democrats’ push to remove Trump from office comes as polls continue to show that a majority of Democrats and a growing number of American voters overall support impeachment. Additionally, as Common Dreams has reported, billionaire environmentalist Tom Steyer’s petition calling for Trump’s impeachment has garnered over a million signatures.
“When I see a crime, I call 911, I don’t stop to build consensus among my neighbors,” Gutierrez concluded on Twitter after the articles were introduced. “If a crime is committed, you convene a grand jury, and in this case that is the House Judiciary Committee and we need to get started.”
A resolution calling for impeachment hearings. pic.twitter.com/JNJAshC5bf
— Luis V. Gutierrez (@RepGutierrez) November 15, 2017
Help us Prepare for Trump’s Day One
Trump is busy getting ready for Day One of his presidency – but so is Truthout.
Trump has made it no secret that he is planning a demolition-style attack on both specific communities and democracy as a whole, beginning on his first day in office. With over 25 executive orders and directives queued up for January 20, he’s promised to “launch the largest deportation program in American history,” roll back anti-discrimination protections for transgender students, and implement a “drill, drill, drill” approach to ramp up oil and gas extraction.
Organizations like Truthout are also being threatened by legislation like HR 9495, the “nonprofit killer bill” that would allow the Treasury Secretary to declare any nonprofit a “terrorist-supporting organization” and strip its tax-exempt status without due process. Progressive media like Truthout that has courageously focused on reporting on Israel’s genocide in Gaza are in the bill’s crosshairs.
As journalists, we have a responsibility to look at hard realities and communicate them to you. We hope that you, like us, can use this information to prepare for what’s to come.
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In addition to covering the widespread onslaught of draconian policy, we’re shoring up our resources for what might come next for progressive media: bad-faith lawsuits from far-right ghouls, legislation that seeks to strip us of our ability to receive tax-deductible donations, and further throttling of our reach on social media platforms owned by Trump’s sycophants.
We’re preparing right now for Trump’s Day One: building a brave coalition of movement media; reaching out to the activists, academics, and thinkers we trust to shine a light on the inner workings of authoritarianism; and planning to use journalism as a tool to equip movements to protect the people, lands, and principles most vulnerable to Trump’s destruction.
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