At least nine incoming progressive Democrats are expected to back efforts to impeach President Donald Trump, extending a campaign led by outgoing Rep. Al Green of Texas.
Green and representatives of the Removal Coalition and Courage for Democracy Project discussed the campaign after a news conference on Capitol Hill. Green introduced articles of impeachment against Trump in August.
Green is looking to several incoming lawmakers—including Reps.-elect Melat Kiros of Colorado, Dan Koh of Massachusetts, Chris Rabb of Pennsylvania and Angela Gonzales-Torres of California—to carry on the effort after he leaves Congress.
“Impeachment is the only means for our future. We cannot deal with a president who engages in corruption,” Green said. He added that the goal was to remove Trump from office and praised lawmakers prepared to continue the campaign in the next Congress.
Green cited Trump’s cryptocurrency dealings as one example of what he described as presidential corruption.
Gonzales-Torres said she plans to continue Green’s work while representing the more than 100,000 Los Angeles voters she says sent her to Congress.
Organizers acknowledged that success is uncertain. Even if the House approved articles of impeachment, the Senate could decline to convict Trump, as it did in his two previous impeachment trials.
Still, the campaign’s supporters said grassroots pressure could persuade more Democrats to back impeachment. Keira Havens, co-founder of the Courage for Democracy Project, said she expects support to grow as advocates explain why they believe removing Trump is important.
Havens noted that some Democrats who oppose Trump may nevertheless reject impeachment, either because they believe the allegations do not meet the legal standard or because they expect the Senate would not convict him.
A constitutional expert affiliated with the project argued that Senate procedures could offer further ways to remove a president, citing Rule VIII. The Constitution, however, gives the House the sole power to impeach and the Senate the sole power to try impeachments.
Jessica Denson, founder of the Removal Coalition, criticized Democrats who have focused on congressional hearings and possible prosecutions of Trump administration officials rather than impeaching Trump himself.
Denson called those lawmakers “spineless” and argued that public pressure could eventually bring them around. The coalition said hearings and prosecutions were not enough, and predicted that backlash would push remaining Democratic lawmakers to support impeachment.
The campaign is gaining momentum as Democrats prepare to take control of the House in January, which could give impeachment supporters a better chance to advance resolutions against Trump.
The Constitution requires a simple majority in the House to impeach a president. Conviction and removal require the support of two-thirds of senators present.
The coalition also said it plans to pursue impeachment proceedings against War Secretary Pete Hegseth. Its members argued that Hegseth should face impeachment alongside Trump, saying any wrongdoing involving the secretary could also implicate the president. A finding of wrongdoing by Hegseth, however, would not automatically establish Trump’s legal or constitutional liability.
Trump and Hegseth did not respond to requests for comment.
