Trump pushes back at Democratic lawmaker Al Green on impeachment

President Trump on Monday defended himself against the prospect of impeachment hearings after Rep. Al Green (D-Texas), a vocal proponent of impeachment, said he’s concerned Trump will get reelected if Congress does not begin such proceedings.

In an early morning tweet, Trump appeared to quote conservative outlet One America News Network, which suggested Green said impeachment “is the only thing” that can prevent Trump’s reelection.

The congressman said in an interview with MSNBC over the weekend that he’s “concerned that if we don’t impeach this president, he will get reelected.” Green was defending his belief that Congress has a duty to act, even as some party leaders have expressed reluctance to take up impeachment.

{mosads}Trump seized on the quote from One America News Network, tweeting that it meant “Dems can’t win the election fairly.”

He asserted that a president can’t be impeached “for creating the best economy in our country’s history,” though job performance has no bearing on impeachment proceedings.

Trump separately professed his innocence of “High Crimes & Misdemeanors,” alleging that “all the crimes are on the other side.”

“And that’s what the Dems should be looking at, but they won’t,” Trump tweeted. “Nevertheless, the tables are turning!”

Also, there are “No High Crimes & Misdemeanors,” No Collusion, No Conspiracy, No Obstruction. ALL THE CRIMES ARE ON THE OTHER SIDE, and that’s what the Dems should be looking at, but they won’t. Nevertheless, the tables are turning!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 6, 2019

Trump’s claim that the “tables are turning” comes a few days after he called for an end to “costly & time consuming investigations.”

Democrats have grappled with how to approach impeachment since before retaking the majority in the House last year. Party leaders have cautioned against it, arguing it is extremely divisive and not worth doing without bipartisan support. 

But some rank-and-file members have insisted on pressing forward with removing Trump, especially in the wake of special counsel Robert Mueller’s full report, which laid out 10 instances where the president may have obstructed justice.

Green is threatening again to force another House floor vote on impeachment, and Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.), a progressive freshman who has proposed legislation requiring the House Judiciary Committee to begin examining potentially impeachable offenses, said interest in her resolution has spiked in the last week.