The House of Representatives overwhelmingly moved to set aside articles of impeachment against President Donald Trump on Thursday, a vote that exposed deep rifts within the Democratic caucus regarding how to confront the administration.
The final tally to table the measure was 237 to 140. While Republicans remained united, the Democratic side fractured: 23 Democrats crossed the aisle to vote with the GOP, while 47 others—including House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and his leadership team—voted “present,” effectively stepping aside rather than supporting or killing the resolution outright.
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The resolution was introduced on Wednesday by Rep. Al Green (D-Texas), who argued that President Trump had committed an impeachable offense following his comments about Democratic lawmakers appearing in a viral video. The video in question urged military personnel to refuse “illegal orders.” Trump had suggested those lawmakers could face arrest or trial for treason, crimes he noted could be “punishable by death.”
Green’s resolution labeled the President’s rhetoric a “reckless and flagrant abuse of Presidential power.”
However, President Trump pushed back on that characterization during an interview with Fox News’ Brian Kilmeade. He clarified that he was not issuing a death threat but maintained the lawmakers were in “serious trouble” for their actions.
Thursday’s vote marked a significant rebuke of Green’s strategy by his own party leadership. Jeffries and top Democrats released a statement distancing themselves from the effort, arguing that legitimate impeachment proceedings require national consensus and comprehensive oversight hearings—neither of which had occurred.
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“None of that serious work has been done,” the leadership statement read.
Republicans were quick to seize on the failed vote as evidence of misplaced priorities. The National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) characterized the move as a symptom of “Trump Derangement Syndrome.”
“Democrats have made it clear their priority isn’t governing or helping families, it’s waging a personal war against President Trump,” said NRCC spokesman Mike Marinella.
Rep. Lisa McClain, the House Republican Conference chair, echoed the sentiment, telling the Daily Caller News Foundation that the resolution was merely an attempt to “slow down and obstruct.”
This is not the first time Rep. Green has attempted to force the issue. He filed articles of impeachment several times earlier this year, forcing a similar vote in June that was also tabled. Green has been a lightning rod for controversy in the chamber; in March, the House formally censured him for repeatedly disrupting President Trump’s address to Congress, a rebuke supported by ten of his Democratic colleagues.
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