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
The stakes have never been higher (and our need for your support has never been greater).
For over two decades, Truthout’s journalists have worked tirelessly to give our readers the news they need to understand and take action in an increasingly complex world. At a time when we should be reaching even more people, big tech has suppressed independent news in their algorithms and drastically reduced our traffic. Less traffic this year has meant a sharp decline in donations.
The fact that you’re reading this message gives us hope for Truthout’s future and the future of democracy. As we cover the news of today and look to the near and distant future we need your help to keep our journalists writing.
Please do what you can today to help us keep working for the coming months and beyond.