EXCLUSIVE: At least 9 incoming progressive members of the House Democratic caucus are expected to support efforts to impeach President Donald Trump, continuing a push led by outgoing Rep. Al Green, D-Texas, Fox News Digital has learned.
Green and representatives from the Removal Coalition and Courage for Democracy Project discussed the effort with Fox News Digital after a Capitol Hill news conference, months after the Texas Democrat introduced articles of impeachment against Trump in August.
Green is counting on support from Reps.-elect Melat Kiros, D-Colo.; Dan Koh, D-Mass.; Chris Rabb, D-Pa.; Angela Gonzales-Torres, D-Calif.; and several other incoming Democrats to continue his impeachment efforts after he leaves Congress.
DEMOCRAT AL GREEN TO FORCE HOUSE-WIDE VOTE ON IMPEACHING TRUMP
“Impeachment is the only means for our future. We cannot deal with a president who engages in corruption,” Green told Fox News Digital. “The end is to have the president removed from office. I applaud the courageous members carrying these efforts into the next Congress.”
Green pointed to Trump’s cryptocurrency dealings as one example of what he characterized as corruption by the president.
Gonzales-Torres told Fox News Digital she intends to continue Green’s efforts while representing the more than 100,000 Los Angeles voters she said elected her to Congress.
The coalition acknowledged uncertainty over whether its impeachment efforts would succeed, noting that even if the House approved articles against Trump, the Senate could again decline to convict him, as it did in Trump’s two previous impeachment trials.
TRUMP COULD FACE IMPEACHMENT IF DEMOCRATS SEIZE HOUSE MAJORITY, GOP LEADER WARNS
However, organizers expressed confidence that growing grassroots pressure could persuade additional Democratic lawmakers to support impeachment.
“The more we articulate this effort and talk about why it is so crucial that we get rid of Trump, the more support we will have,” Keira Havens, co-founder of the Courage for Democracy Project, told Fox News Digital.
Havens acknowledged that some Democrats who oppose Trump may still reject impeachment articles because they believe the allegations lack sufficient legal grounds or that conviction would fail in the Senate.
A constitutional expert affiliated with the Courage for Democracy Project also argued that Senate impeachment procedures could provide additional avenues for removing a president, citing Rule VIII. However, the Constitution gives the House the sole power of impeachment and the Senate the sole power to try impeachments.
PROGRESSIVES FUME AT HAKEEM JEFFRIES FOR SAYING DEMOCRATS WON’T ‘GET EVEN’ WITH TRUMP
Jessica Denson, identified as the founder of the Removal Coalition, criticized Democratic lawmakers who have prioritized congressional hearings and potential prosecutions of Trump administration officials over impeaching the president himself.
Denson called those lawmakers “spineless,” arguing that grassroots pressure could eventually push them to support the coalition’s demands. The coalition told Fox News Digital that “hearings and prosecutions aren’t enough,” and enough public backlash will lead any remaining Democratic lawmaker to get behind impeachment efforts.
The effort comes as Democrats prepare to take control of the House in January, potentially giving impeachment supporters a greater opportunity to advance resolutions against Trump.
Under the Constitution, impeachment requires a simple majority in the House, while conviction and removal from office require a two-thirds majority of senators present.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
During and after the news conference, the coalition, consisting of the two advocacy organizations and incoming and outgoing lawmakers, told Fox News Digital it also intends to pursue impeachment proceedings against War Secretary Pete Hegseth.
The coalition argued that Hegseth should face impeachment alongside Trump, claiming that any wrongdoing uncovered involving the war secretary could also implicate the president.
However, a finding of wrongdoing by Hegseth would not automatically establish legal or constitutional liability for Trump.
Trump and Hegseth did not respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
