It’s six months into President Donald Trump’s second term, and Democrats are calling for the president’s impeachment for at least the fourth time this year.
During a Wednesday press conference outside the Capitol building, Rep. Al Green, D-Texas, delivered a short speech demanding that the Republican president be impeached.
Waving his now-characteristic gold-headed cane in the air, Green declared, “This president is devolving democracy into an autocracy and to authoritarianism when he refuses to honor the separation of power.”
Green continued, “But I thank the God above that there’s a Constitution, and that in that Constitution, there is a remedy for a renegade president, and that remedy is impeachment.”
Sitting next to the podium were three boxes of what were described as nearly 1 million signatures demanding Trump’s impeachment. After the press conference, the boxes were delivered to the offices of Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, and Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., the leadership of the House Judiciary Committee.
Green was accompanied by a crowd of political activists, just over 20 in number, from the Women’s March and an organization known as Free Speech for People.
John Bonifaz, co-founder and president of the nonprofit Free Speech for People, spoke at the press conference.
Bonifaz said, “So, we have a message today for Donald Trump: We are not afraid of you. You are a lawless ‘wannabe’ dictator. You have committed high crimes against the state. We will hold you accountable. You must be impeached and removed from public office.”
Jessica Denson, a former Trump campaign worker who has spearheaded efforts to impeach the president, also spoke.
“I believe that the question of Donald Trump peacefully transitioning out of power in 2028 is not something that we can expect,” Denson said. “It is not a question of if Donald Trump refuses to peacefully leave office, but when.”
Green, known for his fierce opposition to Trump, made national headlines in March when he waved his cane and shouted during the president’s first speech to Congress. Although Democrat legislators were warned by party leaders not to make a scene, Green stood up four minutes into Trump’s speech and yelled, “He has no mandate.”
After refusing to sit down, the House of Representatives’ sergeant-at-arms was instructed to escort Green out of the chamber, to wild applause from the Republican side.
Green’s last attempt to impeach Trump in June over the missile strikes he ordered on Iran was quickly tabled by the House in a 344-79 vote, according to The Associated Press.