Rep. Al Green says he intends to force the House to take a recorded vote this week on his latest impeachment resolution against President Trump.

The Texas Democrat filed House Resolution 1486 on August 24.

His office announced Monday that he would discuss the timeline for bringing it to the floor while the House is back in session from September 14 through September 17.

Green’s plan does not mean the House is preparing to impeach the president. It means he is trying to use a privileged-resolution procedure that can require the chamber to address his proposal instead of allowing it to remain in committee.

Green promoted Monday’s press conference and his impeachment allegations in this post:

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The text of H.Res. 1486 accuses the president of abusing the powers of his office through the administration’s operation of Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection.

The resolution characterizes those agencies as unaccountable and alleges that the administration was responsible for unjustified killings and coverups involving Renée Good, Alex Pretti, Lorenzo Salgado Araujo and Johan Sebastián Durán Guerrero. Those are Green’s allegations in the impeachment measure; the administration disputes them.

Green argues that the president’s conduct violated the constitutional oath to preserve, protect and defend the Constitution. The one-article resolution calls for President Trump’s impeachment and removal from office.

The measure was introduced on August 24 and referred to the House Judiciary Committee. No committee vote has advanced it to the full House.

The September 14 announcement from Green’s office said he would hold a press conference at the House Triangle outside the U.S. Capitol, discuss the timeline for impeachment and make what the office called a special announcement.

The notice identified the scheduled participants as John Bonifaz of Free Speech For People, Jessica Denson of the Removal Coalition, former Reagan administration official Bruce Fein and Women’s March senior adviser Nse Ufot.

The press conference followed Green’s August 24 filing, when he formally introduced the impeachment article and sent President Trump a letter explaining why he wanted a House vote.

Green’s letter said he would call for a recorded vote on the resolution during the September 14-17 legislative period.

He acknowledged that the House may reject it, but said a vote would still put members’ positions on the record.

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Congressional reporter Sarah Ferris posted the notice Green circulated to House colleagues and noted the political tension the vote could create for Democratic leaders before the midterm elections:

The procedural route matters.

Under Rule IX of the House Rules and Manual, a rank-and-file member may announce an intention to offer a resolution as a question of the privileges of the House. The rule covers matters affecting the House’s collective rights, safety, dignity and integrity, as well as members’ representative conduct.

The Speaker then designates a time for consideration within two legislative days, assuming the resolution qualifies. The notice must identify the form of the resolution, which gives members and House leadership advance notice of the exact measure Green plans to raise.

The chair makes the formal ruling on whether the proposal presents a valid question of privilege when the designated time arrives. If it is considered, debate time is divided between Green and party leadership or a leadership designee.

Rule IX moves the resolution onto the House schedule. Members can still table it, refer it to committee or vote on the impeachment article itself.

Republicans control the House, and no Republican co-sponsors were listed on the resolution when it was introduced. Green’s previous impeachment efforts have been tabled, referred or defeated rather than approved by the chamber.

The White House and Department of Homeland Security rejected Green’s allegations when he filed the resolution last month.

Fox News Digital reported that White House spokeswoman Lauren Bis defended ICE and CBP officers and blamed rhetoric like Green’s for an increase in assaults against federal law-enforcement personnel. DHS said its officers are trained to use the minimum force necessary, receive continuing de-escalation and use-of-force training, and focus enforcement on people charged with or convicted of crimes.

The same report noted that Green lost a Democratic primary runoff to Rep. Christian Menefee in May and is leaving Congress at the end of the term. That makes this one of his final opportunities to bring an impeachment resolution to the floor as a sitting member.

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RNC Research posted a clip from Green’s remarks and described the effort as a partisan use of House time. That is the Republican committee’s characterization, while the video shows Green presenting his own argument for the resolution:

The immediate question is therefore procedural: when Green formally gives notice or calls up the resolution, House leadership will have to decide how to handle it. A motion to table would allow members to end the effort without voting directly on the underlying impeachment article.

Until that floor action occurs, H.Res. 1486 remains a pending resolution and Green’s announced timetable remains his stated plan, not a completed House vote.

This is a Guest Post from our friends over at WLTReport. View the original article here.

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