‘Take up her cause': Donald Trump's emotional exchange with Ukrainian reporter
'Agreeing to supply Patriot missiles and issue a new ultimatum to Russia,' Mr Kenny said.
This comes amid an 'extraordinary exchange' between the US president and Ukrainian journalist Myroslava Petsa, with promises to take up her cause.
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'If you respect the process here, you don't go right to an impeachment vote,' the lawmaker said. 'You go through a process, and then you have an impeachment vote. So let's go through that process.' That was the roadmap that House Democrats followed in 2019 during Trump's first impeachment, over allegations he withheld military aid to pressure Ukraine to launch an investigation into political rival Joe Biden's family. Democrats voted to launch a formal impeachment investigation, took closed-door testimony and held a series of televised hearings. The second impeachment, in the wake of the January 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol, happened in a much more haphazard way as Trump was preparing to leave office. There was no lengthy House investigation or hearings before an impeachment vote. The Senate acquitted Trump in both cases. In Trump's second term, talk from some Democrats about impeaching the president began early. In February, Green gave a floor speech announcing he'd pursue articles of impeachment. Two months later, he introduced a single article accusing Trump of 'devolving democracy within the United States into authoritarianism' and detailed a lengthy list of grievances about Trump flouting the courts and attacking the judiciary. But by June, when Green finally called up his resolution, forcing an impeachment vote on the floor, the Texas Democrat swapped out the language of the resolution and replaced it with new language hitting Trump for failing to consult with Congress before striking Iran. Green's resolution failed on a 344-79 vote, with 128 Democrats joining all Republicans to table the measure. Among those who backed Green were Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, Rashida Tlaib of Michigan, and Raja Krishnamoorthi and Robin Kelly, who are both running for the Senate in Illinois. Some Democrats said the vote served only as a distraction from more pressing matters, like Republicans' megabill that was moving through Congress. But in an interview Monday night, Green said he had no regrets about forcing the impeachment vote and vowed to do it again — though he wouldn't say when or what the new articles might say. 'I can't say that he committed an impeachable offense and then not vote to impeach. I have a conscience; it's a vote of conscience. And I say to members, 'Vote your conscience,'' Green told NBC News. 'By the way, I'm going to bring articles against him again. Those were not the last.' He said he respected the views of colleagues who believe that political 'tactics supersede the Constitution.' But he felt he had no choice but to act on impeachment. 'A person who breaches the Constitution that the courts can't manage and their party won't manage, then there's but one option left,' Green added. 'And the Constitution is kind of important.' 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Democratic leaders have consistently poured cold water on the rogue impeachment efforts, arguing that Republicans — in control of the House and Senate — won't hold Trump accountable. The newly minted ranking member of the House Oversight Committee, California's Robert Garcia, said in the middle of last month's fight over Trump's 'big, beautiful bill' that Democrats should focus on stopping Trump's legislative agenda. 'We know that Donald Trump is corrupt. We know that we're going to have the ability and we're going to need to investigate his corruption. But at this moment, the priority has to be in stopping this bill. I think that's the focus,' Garcia told NBC News. Asked if Democrats will move to impeach Trump eventually, Garcia replied: 'He's going to have to be held accountable for his actions. At this moment, we've got to focus on stopping this massive bill.' At various times this year, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (New York) has dodged the question of whether he supports impeaching Trump. But Jeffries and his top Democratic lieutenants all voted to table the Green resolution. And speaking with NBC News recently, Jeffries deferred to Jamie Raskin, the top Democrat on the Judiciary Committee who has dismissed impeachment as 'not a plausible instrument' while in the minority. 'Impeachment, of course, rests with the Judiciary Committee under the leadership of Jamie Raskin. He has been very clear that this is a moment where we have to expose the corruption and abuse of power that is taking place as a result of the extreme behaviour by the Trump administration,' Jeffries said. 'Follow the facts, apply the law, and be guided by the Constitution,' he said.
