US House votes against impeaching Trump after he launched military strikes on Iran
The United States House of Representatives voted against impeaching president Donald Trump for abuse of power after he launched military strikes on Iran without seeking authorization from Congress.
Multiple outlets, including the Associated Press, reported that Democrat Rep. Al Green of Texas introduced a single article of impeachment against Trump. But most Democrats joined the Republican majority to table it, with 344 to 79 votes.
“I do this because no one person should have the power to take over 300 million people to walk without consulting with the Congress of the United States of America,” Green said. “I do this because I understand that the Constitution is going to be meaningful or it’s going to be meaningless.”
Another Democrat, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, on X earlier said that Trump's action against Iran was "absolutely and clearly grounds for impeachment" since it's a "grave violation of the Constitution and Congressional War Powers."
"He has impulsively risked launching a war that may ensnare us for generations," said Cortez, who's more popularly known as AOC.
This led to Trump calling AOC "stupid" and "one of the 'dumbest' people in Congress" on his social media platform, Truth Social. He also said AOC "should be forced" to take a cognitive test.
In response, AOC on X said Trump must not take his anger out on her, as she's "just a silly girl."
"Take it out on whoever convinced you to betray the American people and our Constitution by illegally bombing Iran and dragging us into war," she said. "It only took you five months to break almost every promise you made."
According to AP, the House Democratic leadership was careful not to directly criticize Green, though it also made clear that their focus was on other issues.
Rep. Pete Aguilar of California, chair of the House Democratic caucus, said lawmakers will “represent their constituents and their communities.”
“At this time, at this moment, we are focusing on what this big, ugly bill is going to do,” Aguilar said of the legislative package that combines tax breaks, spending cuts, and border security funding, which had reached Congress.
“I think anything outside of that is a distraction because this is the most important thing that we can focus on," he added.
Trump has been impeached twice, the first president in US history to have such an experience. In 2019, he withheld funds to Ukraine amid Russia's military aggression, and in 2021, he incited a mob of his supporters to attack the Capitol to stop Democrat Joe Biden's presidential election victory.
The Senate acquitted Trump on both impeachment cases, allowing him to return to power this year.
Last June 22, Trump said the US military had carried out a "very successful attack" on three Iranian nuclear sites amid the latter's war with Israel, a US ally.
On June 24, Trump said Iran and Israel had agreed to a staggered ceasefire that would bring an "official end" to their conflict.
