Representative Rashida Tlaib Submits Impeachment Resolution

By Theresa Whitfield

Freshman Democratic Representative Rashida Tlaib formally submitted her movement for the impeachment of President Donald Trump on March 27. This resolution garnered support from only one other person: Representative Al Green of Texas.

Green, a Democrat representative from Texas’ 9th district, also tried to push for impeachment himself.

“It’s not about Democrats, it’s about democracy; it’s not about Republicans, it’s about the republic,” Green said in early March.

Tlaib was sworn in to the 116th Congress earlier this year, becoming the first Palestinian woman to be elected into Congress, serving as representative of Michigan’s 13th congressional district. She quickly made headlines after announcing to a group of liberal activists at a bar near the Capitol that the Democratic House of Representatives would be the ones to “impeach that motherf—er,” referring to President Donald Trump, according to the Washington Post.

Many of her colleagues reacted very strongly to her vulgar language and calls for impeachment: Speaker Nancy Pelosi and many other Democrats believe that impeachment should be a last resort that comes after “exhaustive oversight and investigations,” Politico reported.

Tlaib sent a letter to a specified set of her colleagues on March 26, petitioning  them them to join her in the resolution that directs the House Judiciary Committee “to inquire whether President Trump committed impeachable offenses,” according to CNN.

In this letter, she outlines a list of offenses that she believes are grounds for impeachment. This includes possible violations of the Foreign Emoluments clause to pay “hush money” to Michael Cohen, Trump’s personal lawyer, during the 2016 presidential campaign.

Pelosi has stated to CNN that impeachment “is not an initiative of the House Caucus ” and that Trump “isn’t worth it.”  Instead, they are focusing on more important issues such as health care, climate, and building the infrastructure of America in a green way, reported CNN.

Catholic University’s College Democrats President Marie Erickson agrees with Pelosi and the Democrats with similar stances on the subject. While she “admire[s] Representative Tlaib’s commitment to holding the president accountable to the law,” she does not believe “impeachment should be the focus of House Democrats.”

While many high ranking Democrats oppose Tlaib’s resolution, other freshman representatives are eager to join in the exciting pursuit. Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Democrat representative from New York’s 14th district, has recently expressed similar views to Tlaib.

When asked last Sunday about her view on the resolution, Ocasio-Cortez said that “we hadn’t signed on when it was first introduced, but we probably will.” She agrees with Tlaib’s belief that Trump has violated the Constitution’s Emoluments clause, according to Talking Points Memo.

“It comes down to money,” Ocasio- Cortez said. “A lot of this stuff happens through back door bank accounts and stuff like that.”

While many Democrats believe that impeachment is absolutely necessary, most believe that the conversation about impeachment has been detracting focus from the real pressing issues.

“Impeachment is not the best move for uniting our country now,” said Erickson. “Also, in reality, a President Pence isn’t a compelling draw.”