In an interview with MSNBC Sunday, Democratic Representative Al Green of Texas made the case for the impeachment of President Donald Trump, Mediaite reports.
The Democrat began by arguing that it is not enough to want to defeat Trump at the polls, suggesting that the Democrats need to make an effort to impeach the president’s “philosophy.”
“It is one thing to want to defeat the president at the polls. But it’s another thing to understand that we have to impeach the philosophy that he’s perpetrating upon society,” Green said.
The Texas Democrat has long called for impeachment, but many of his Democratic colleagues have resisted the urge to move forward with an inquiry, with some arguing that the effort would be futile since the GOP-controlled Senate would likely acquit the president.
According to Green, however, the inquiry would be worth pursuing whether the Senate convicts Trump or not. Even if it does not, the Democrat suggested, Trump will be forced to run in 2020 as an “impeached president,” which could lead to wealthy Republican donors abandoning his campaign.
“If he is not defeated in the Senate, he will still run as an impeached president and there will be a good many people who won’t want to hold fundraisers with him.”
“A good many people who won’t want to be in his company because he would become persona non grata to a good many of these wealthy people benefiting from his bigotry,” he added.
Green also explained why he frequently uses the term “beneficial bigot” to refer to the president. The Representative said that Trump benefits the donor class by giving them tax cuts, and the clergy by appointing conservative judges, which is why they are willing to tolerate his “bigotry.”
“When you tolerate bigotry, you perpetuate bigotry,” he added.
Some Democrats in the House have been calling for the impeachment of President Trump for months, but the calls intensified following former special counsel Robert Mueller’s testimony before Congress.
According to CNN , of the 235 Democrats in the House, at least 120 have made it clear that they would support an impeachment inquiry.
This has put additional pressure on House leadership, Speaker Nancy Pelosi in particular. Pelosi has long argued against impeachment, insisting that the Democrats focus on other issues while launching more investigations.
most Democrats, in the House and in the country, want to ban assault weapons and impeach President Trump
but given poor odds of success, Speaker Pelosi and other party leaders don’t think either effort is worth it right now
my @CNBC column https://t.co/3n23hJOQ3D
— John Harwood (@JohnJHarwood) August 9, 2019
As The Hill reported, House Judiciary Chairman Jerry Nadler appears to be taking a more aggressive approach. In recent interviews and public appearances, Nadler described the investigation his panel is conducting as a “formal” impeachment inquiry.
However, as the publication notes, Nadler’s heightened rhetoric does not mean that there have been changes in the process, and the party’s strategy remains the same. Going forward, according to lawmakers and aides, the Democratic Party will seek to maintain a balance between protecting the House and challenging the president.