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By Dan Gooding and Gabe Whisnant
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Democratic Representative Al Green of Texas said Wednesday morning that he just brought Articles of Impeachment against President Donald Trump over the alleged threat of "ethnic cleansing in Gaza."
On Tuesday, Trump said during a news conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that the United States wants to "take over" the Gaza Strip, drawing backlash from some lawmakers and praise from others.
"The movement to impeach the president has begun. I rise to announce that I will bring Articles of Impeachment against the president for dastardly deeds proposed and dastardly deeds done," Green said Wednesday on the House floor.
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Newsweek reached out to the White House for comment via email Wednesday morning.
Why It Matters
During Trump's first term, between 2017 and 2019, Green, who represents the Houston area, unsuccessfully attempted to impeach the president on three different occasions. Trump is just over two weeks into his second term, making Wednesday's filing one of the fastest impeachment efforts against a U.S. president after taking office.
What To Know
"Ethnic cleansing in Gaza is not a joke, especially when it emanates from the President of the United States, the most powerful person in the world," Green said on the House floor Wednesday. "The prime minister of Israel should be ashamed, knowing the history of his people, to stand there and allow such things to be said.
"Ethnic cleansing has been a crime against humanity, and I stand here today in the well to denounce what was said, to denounce what the president said, to denounce the complicity of the Prime Minister of Israel, and to remind people that Dr. King was right: 'Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.'"
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Following his speech, Republican Illinois Representative Mike Bost, standing in for Speaker Mike Johnson, said he wanted to remind members "to refrain from engaging in personalities towards the president."
Johnson gave a press conference in which he said the president's announcement Tuesday regarding Gaza had taken some by surprise but that others had cheered "all around the world" by those wanting a solution in the Middle East.
Impeachment proceedings are nothing new for Trump, who faced two official trials during his last term in the White House—first, in 2019, over his alleged abuse of power relating to the 2020 election and his call to Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky asking him to investigate Joe Biden. The second followed the January 6, 2021, U.S. Capitol riot.
However, Green made his first attempt in 2017 when the GOP had control of the House of Representatives and the Senate, meaning his chances of success were improbable. A second attempt, in 2019, when Democrats were back in control of the House, also went nowhere.
Trump is only the third U.S. president to be impeached, following Democrat Bill Clinton in 1998 and Andrew Johnson in 1868. While articles were brought against Richard Nixon in 1973, he resigned before a trial could take place in September 1974.
When former Biden took office in 2021, Republican Georgia Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene filed articles of impeachment the day after the inauguration, accusing him of abusing power while he was vice president under Barack Obama. This went nowhere, while another impeachment inquiry in September 2023 presented potential impeachable offenses, but a trial did not occur.
What People Are Saying
House Speaker Mike Johnson told reporters about Trump's Gaza announcement on Wednesday: "He's taken bold, decisive action to try to ensure the peace of that region. It's a bold move, certainly. Far bolder than what's been done before, but I think we've got to stand unequivocally, in an unwavering manner, with Israel, our closest friend and ally in the Middle East."
Texas Democratic Representative Pete Aguilar, when asked about Green's filing: "It's not a focus of the caucus."
What Happens Next
Green's articles of impeachment will need to be drafted, potentially sent to a committee for investigation, and then voted on by the House of Representatives. As the GOP currently holds a majority in the House, the attempt has a slim chance of making it further than today's filing.
Update 2/5/25, 1:14 p.m. ET: This article was updated with additional information.
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