by Lauren Victoria Burke, BlackPressUSA Newswire contributor
The U.S. House killed an effort by Texas Democrat Al Green to impeach President Donald Trump over his decision to bomb Iran without congressional authority.
The House voted 344-79 to table Rep. Green’s impeachment resolution. The 344 votes against the impeachment resolution included 128 Democrats.
On Saturday, June 21, President Trump ordered airstrikes on what The White House stated were nuclear sites in Iran. Late on June 23, President Trump called for a ceasefire. Congress returned to session on June 23.
“I rise today because our country is nearing a moment of decision,” Rep. Green said as he began his remarks. “I rise because we are at the intersection of democracy and autocracy.”
Article I, Section 8, Clause 11 of the U.S. Constitution grants Congress the sole power to declare war. Only Congress can formally authorize the U.S. to be in a state of war with another country. On Saturday night, President Trump acted with no congressional authority. Several members, including members of the Trump Administration’s national security team, reportedly were unaware that there would be an attack by U.S. armed forces on Iran.
Rep. Green moved forward with his resolution on June 24.
“In his conduct of the office of President of the United States, Donald J. Trump, in violation of his constitutional oath faithfully to execute the office of president of the United States and, to the best of his ability, preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States in violation of his constitutional duty to take care that the laws be faithfully executed, abused the powers of the presidency when he disregarded the doctrine of separation of powers by usurping Congress’ power to declare war and ordered the United States military to bomb another country without the constitutionally mandated congressional authorization or notice to Congress—cognizant of the fact that should another country’s military bomb a facility within the United States of America, it would be a de facto declaration of war against the United States of America,” Rep. Green’s impeachment resolution reads.
This morning, President Trump told reporters that he was “not happy” with Israel.
“We basically have two countries that have been fighting so long and so hard that they don’t know what the fuck they’re doing,” the President said before walking to Marine One. Though the conflict appears to be winding down. Some Democrats in Congress, including Rep. Green, continue to attempt to hold the president accountable.
(Lauren Victoria Burke is an independent investigative journalist and the owner of Black Virginia News. She is a political analyst who appears regularly on #RolandMartinUnfiltered and hosts the show Comms Class on <YouTube @LaurenVictoriaBurke>. She can be contacted at <LBurke007@gmail.com> and on twitter at @LVBurke).
