President Trump is A Threat to Our Republic

Floor Speech

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Mr. GREEN of Texas. Pressley).

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Mr. GREEN of Texas. Mr. Speaker, permit me to commend the gentlewoman for her very moving and powerful commentary. With her consent and permission, I would associate myself with it.

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Mr. GREEN of Texas. Mr. Speaker, and still I rise, a very proud, liberated Democrat, unbought, unbossed, and unafraid.

I rise today, Mr. Speaker, to address a question that many are posing and a question that I thought I should answer publicly so that all would understand. The question is: Why am I moving to bring impeachment again against the President of the United States of America?

The answer will be better explained when the Articles of Impeachment are presented. However, I do believe that it is necessary to give some indication today and possibly at a later time as to why this is so important, why would I do such a thing.

Mr. Speaker, I agree with Vice President Dick Cheney. I agree with him. I agree with a statement that he has made. Yes, Vice President Cheney represents the Republican Party or he did when he was Vice President, and everyone knows that I am a Democrat, but that doesn't mean that we can't agree on some of the important and great issues of our time.

One of the great issues of our time is before us now, and I would like to read the words of Vice President Cheney, words that I agree with, Mr. Speaker.

Vice President Cheney indicated--and if I may use my pointer--on September 6 of 2024 when this was published: ``In our Nation's 248-year history, there has never been an individual who is a greater threat to our Republic than Donald Trump.''

Let me pause for just a moment. I would like to highlight this language: `` . . . an individual''--one person--``who is a greater threat to our Republic''--an important statement--``than Donald Trump.'' He says in 248 years. I will come back to these in just a moment.

``He tried to steal the last election . . . '' Now, this was September of 2024, so it is the election prior to September of 2024. ``He tried to steal the last election using lies and violence to keep himself in power after the voters had rejected him. He can never be trusted with power again.'' I agree with this.

``As citizens, we each have a duty to put country above partisanship to defend our Constitution.''

Now let's walk back through this with emphasis on certain things. One individual, Donald Trump, is a greater threat to the Republic than any others. Never before has there been a person who has been a greater threat than Donald Trump.

Why is he a greater threat? Well, you first have to understand, if you don't, that we have a Republic. A Republic is government by the public, but it is done by and through representation, representatives, the House of Representatives. Representatives, the Senate. The Republic speaks through representatives. We have a Republic. He indicates that this President is a great threat to representational government, to the Republic.

Well, let's look at this: He, Donald Trump, doesn't respect the separation of powers. He believes that the judiciary should agree with him, and if the judiciary does not agree, he has as much said they should be impeached. He was so emphatic about this impeachment that the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States of America had to call him out publicly. He didn't use his name, but we all knew that he was speaking to the President at the time, President Donald Trump.

The Chief Justice of the Supreme Court reminded the President that in this country we have a history of appealing decisions of the courts. We don't impeach judges because we don't agree with their decisions. We appeal these decisions. He doesn't respect separation of powers. He owns the House of Representatives. He owns the Senate. The Senate and the House will not make a move without his consent and permission.

Mr. Speaker, as of late, however, there are some indications that some independence is starting to present itself.

Generally speaking, the President doesn't respect the separation of powers. If a Member of the House disagrees with him, he immediately calls upon the constituents of that Member to do what is necessary within the law, generally speaking, to make sure that that Member gets phone calls. He makes sure that that Member is intimidated to the extent that that Member has to reconsider whatever the disagreement was.

This is the President of the United States, the intimidator-in-chief. He prides himself on his ability to intimidate and to get persons to cooperate. He doesn't believe in the separation of powers. He disrespects the House, the Senate, and the Members who don't give him what he desires.

He is also a person who thinks that he can literally do whatever he pleases given that he has this mandate from the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court has indicated--I say ``mandate.'' The Supreme Court has given him an indication that he is above the law in certain areas. The Supreme Court didn't use the language ``above the law,'' but the Supreme Court has given him this belief that he is above the law.

The Supreme Court talked about immunity. He has taken this as an indication that he is above the law. He will do pretty much whatever he chooses.

One of the reasons that Vice President Cheney made these comments was because, as the President of the United States of America--these are my words and not Vice President Cheney's--the President incited the insurrection. There are people using other terminology. I believe it was an insurrection. It was an insurrection that took place after the election wherein he was defeated.

He incited the persons to come over to the Capitol of the United States of America, the citadel of democracy, as it is called and known. He incited them to come over here and to invade the Capitol itself.

After the invasion took place, they went through the Halls. They did some very ugly things. Aside from calling for the lynching of people, aside from having some anti-Semitic commentary on various pieces of paraphernalia, they had gallows. Aside from these things, they committed other demeaning and vile acts, such as defecating in various public places within the Congress, within the buildings.

These were some very vile and mean-spirited people who invaded the Capitol. They did this at the behest of the President of the United States of America.

After all of this was done, with the President being sworn in on January 20, 2025, after all of this had taken place at a prior election, the very first act that the President engaged in, it seems, after he had raised his hand to be sworn in, upon lowering his hand, he seemed to have rushed over to someplace where he had a document that allowed him to pardon the people who defecated in the Congress, in the buildings.

These were the people who marched through, looking for the Vice President at that time, indicating that they wanted to do harm to him. President Trump pardoned these people. It seems this was his very first act immediately after being sworn in. This is the person who is President of the United States of America.

Unfortunately, there are many people who just brush aside what happened on January 6, 2021. They just brush it aside, as though: Oh, well, that happened, but it won't happen again.

That seems to be the attitude that is preeminent among the minds of many. If he did it once, what makes us think he won't do it again? Where is the empirical evidence to support the notion he won't do it again? This is a person who incited this. He pardoned these people as one of his very first acts, if not the very first act that he engaged in, after being elected President again.

On January 20, the President was sworn in. This is when he signed the pardon for these people who came into the Capitol in a very rambunctious way and in a very demeaning way, in fact.

People died as a result of this. He instigated this. What causes people to think that he won't do it again? I believe that he will. I believe that he will find great difficulty in stepping down from office.

As a result of my belief, as a result of his not respecting the separation of powers, as a result of his not understanding that there should be some independence in the judiciary and that the judiciary is not for him to supervise, I put all of this into my collection of thoughts.

As I do so, I have to agree with Vice President Cheney. I mentioned that in our 248-year history, there has never been an individual who is a greater threat to our Republic than Donald Trump. Yes, he tried to steal the last election, the election before September 2024, when this statement was published. He tried to steal the last election using lies and violence to keep himself in power after the voters, the people of the United States of America, the voters, had rejected him. He can never be trusted with power again.

Mr. Speaker, I will bring Articles of Impeachment because what Vice President Cheney--may he rest in peace--what Vice President Cheney said on September 6, 2024, is true now. We should never have trusted him. He has been given a second chance to steal fire from the gods. We should never have allowed him to do so.

Mr. Speaker, there is a remedy. When the courts can't control him and when his party won't control him, then the only remedy left is impeachment. That is all that we have.

There are some people who would say this is not the right time. Let's address the question of timing. Dr. King said that the time is always ripe to do what is right. If the Republic is at risk, the time is always right to do what is right, to make sure the Republic is protected. I will be doing what I believe is right to protect the Republic. There were people who said to those persons who were at the Edmund Pettus Bridge on Bloody Sunday: This is not the right time to march. Don't march now. Let's do it another day.

The Honorable John Lewis, who was a Member of this House, a colleague, said: No, we march.

They did march. They marched, knowing there would be harm that they would have to suffer. They knew this. They saw the constabulary as they approached the crest of the Edmund Pettus Bridge. They knew what was going to happen, but they marched on.

If they could march on, knowing that they were going to be harmed-- and the Honorable John Lewis told me personally he thought he was going to die on that bridge. They beat them all the way back to the church where they started. These were churchgoing people. They beat them all the way back.

If they could march on, facing this kind of danger, surely, I should march on and bring Articles of Impeachment. I am not requiring or asking any Member of this House to vote with me. I ask my colleagues to vote their conscience. I ask them to do what they believe is right. I will vote my conscience. I am not going to vote to table these Articles of Impeachment.

For whatever reason, those who vote to table are indicating that they don't think it should be an actual vote or that there should be an actual vote on the articles themselves. They are saying they want to put this off. If that is their opinion, they can do that. That is not my opinion.

There needs to be a vote not only on this motion to table that will be presented, but also a vote on the actual Articles of Impeachment.

This man is a threat to our Republic. He cannot be trusted. Vice President Cheney was right then, and he is right now.

I am going to bring those Articles of Impeachment.

The public is constantly asking me: How many votes do you think you will have?

I can only assure them of one thing, Mr. Speaker: I will have one vote. This I can assure them of. I will have one vote.

Why?

It is because I believe that it is better to stand alone on some issues than to not stand at all. I will stand. I will present the articles, and when I vote, if I am the only person to do it, then I will know and posterity will know that I have done the right thing. And Still I Rise

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Mr. GREEN of Texas. And still I rise, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today proud to be a liberated Democrat, proud of what my country stands for in many of its great documents, and proud of the notion that we are a government of the people, by the people, and for the people.

I am proud to know that the pledge has in it the notion that there should be liberty and justice for all. I am proud to know that we have these words that indicate to all that all persons are created equally and endowed by the Creator with certain inalienable rights, among them life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

I am proud that we would receive and have the Statue of Liberty. The statue speaks to the world about who we are. It really symbolizes the United States of America. It is an awesome piece of work that was accorded the United States and given to us from our friends, the French. It is a piece of work, a piece of handcrafted work, that is known the world over. People recognize this as a symbol of the United States of America.

It has some words on it. Mr. Speaker, it has these words:

``Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free.''

The United States stands for freedom and for liberty and justice for all.

``The wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me.''

Bring them to us, the United States of America.

Then it goes on to say:

``I lift my lamp beside the golden door!''

Mr. Speaker, the golden door is the door that stands for opportunity and that stands for liberty and justice for all. It stands for government of the people, by the people, and for the people. That is the golden door.

For those persons who are homeless, for those persons yearning to breathe free, that is what the Statue of Liberty has stood for until recently.

The beautiful lady has these words:

``Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free.''

Now the beautiful lady, the symbol of the United States of America, hasn't been enshrined on it, but at this point, given the behavior of this President, Donald Trump, given his behavior, these words should be associated now with the Statue of Liberty: Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to be breathe free, with one exception: people of color need not apply. People of color need not apply.

The President of the United States has indicated that there are nations from which all immigration applications have been put on hold. There are 19 nations, and the interesting thing about the 19 nations, Mr. Speaker, is all, saving maybe one or two, are nations where persons of color are preeminent. This is the case in all, save one or two.

The President is giving the impression, Mr. Speaker, that if you are a person of color and an immigrant, then you are a threat to the United States of America.

This is a form of collective punishment that is unacceptable. He is causing people within this country to fear the other, the other, the people from other countries.

If you are Latino in this country, you are now suspect. Mr. Speaker, it doesn't matter where you are from. If you are a Latino in this country, then you are now suspect. If you look like you are a Latino, then you are now a suspect in the United States of America.

I remember when I was suspect, I probably still am in some quarters, but I remember when I was suspect. I remember when I was a young man in the United States of America, and generally speaking, it was thought among the minds of many, that young persons of color would commit crimes, that they were criminals, that they would steal, and that you have to watch them.

When you go into a store, Mr. Speaker, people watch you. This is when I was a younger man.

It was thought that we were somehow undesirable. In fact, I had people tell me: Go back to Africa.

They didn't even know who I was. This is what I was told as a much younger person.

I think longevity has some benefits. It causes you to understand the now because of what happened to you then.

I appreciate and understand why others are apprehensive about their being in this country now. I appreciate it because I saw what happened to me and others and how we were treated then. It was called segregation, but that was another form of invidious discrimination which was nothing more or less--maybe more, could have been more--than racism. It was all about racism.

We are returning to that past that I thought we had left behind, Mr. Speaker, when you decide that countries of color, saving one or two of these 19, that you are not desired, you need not apply, you can't apply.

What is interesting about this whole scenario is there are people from European countries who have overstayed on their visas. They are here unlawfully after having overstayed, by the President's definition, but we never hear anything about it being unlawful. I am saying unlawful. They use other language. I say undocumented immigrants, and they say other things about the persons who are here without documentation.

People who have overstayed their visas from European countries, you don't see them being pulled out of cars, generally speaking. There may be an exception, and the press will take that exception to prove a rule, but that is not the way the rules are proved. You don't see it.

You see people of color, people from south of the border, people from these 18 countries, that are being discriminated against with this policy that he is implementing.

The American public, a good many people, not all, have bought into the notion that if you are from a foreign country, you are likely to be a criminal and you are likely to hurt me.

This symbol of freedom of the United States of America should have enshrined now: People of color need not apply.

In spite of everything I just said, I love my country. I love my country. I stand for what the Constitution stands for.

The Constitution of the United States of America should be respected. I stand on the Constitution.

I believe that this President has gone too far in many areas, but I especially am concerned about the way people of color are being treated.

I have a history that I have to harken back to, and that is what advises me as to how I can conclude that people of color need not apply.

I want the President to know that he is not a king. Yes, he has control over my colleagues on the other side of the aisle. Yes, the Supreme Court seems to have become a partisan institution, unfortunately. But there are some other folk in this country that will have the last word. They are the people who are known as ``we, the people,'' known as ``we, the people'' in one of our great documents.

We, the people--we will have the last word.

Not all Americans agree with this. They are people of good will. I believe most people in this country are people of good will, and they see what is happening. I believe that they want to make a difference, and I encourage people to make a difference.

Don't do anything unlawful. I do not condone any acts of violence. I do not. But peaceful protest is a part of American history. It is as old as the Pilgrims landing at Plymouth Rock. It is as meaningful as the farmers coming to this Capitol complaining about how their farmland was being treated. It is something that is as meaningful in this country as the actual Constitution itself because it is the Constitution that gives it its meaning.

Peaceful protest, I support that. However, I also support something else other than peaceful protest, and that is for people to vote. Everybody ought to vote. I am not going to tell you who to vote for, but I am going to say this: We have a country to save. We have a country to save. You can't save your country by not participating.

It is a participatory democracy. You have every right as any other person in this country, if you hear my voice. I have no greater right to vote than any other person in this country, and neither does the President. One person, one vote, Baker v. Carr. We have a duty and responsibility and obligation to vote.

Today, I am encouraging people to vote. Vote, vote, participate. However, I have a very, very special group of people that I want to approach now with voting.

There will be Articles of Impeachment brought to the Congress of the United States of America for reasons that will be stated in the Articles of Impeachment. I am not saying to anybody that exactly what I have said today will be the Articles of Impeachment. There will be some members of the press who will distort my words and say that I want to impeach because the Statue of Liberty doesn't have certain language on it. You who are listening will know the truth. That is not true, but that is the way certain members of the press behave. That is the status quo press, as how I identify them.

But I want to say to the persons who are going to be a part of this impeachment, and that will be all of the Members of the House of Representatives, if they choose to be a part of it. People can opt out if they choose to.

I would encourage you to vote. I am not going to tell you how to vote. What I am going to suggest to you is this: I will be voting my conscience. I will be voting to protect liberty and justice for all. I will be voting to protect government of the people, by the people, for the people. I will be voting to make sure that all persons are created equal and endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, among them life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

I will be voting to protect the country I love. I hope that you will do a similar thing. If you don't vote the way I vote, just understand this: I am not expecting everybody to vote with me, but I can assure the public of one thing: I will be voting for those articles to not only come to the floor but to be voted on so that at least one person can show that we believe--this one person believes, and I will be that one person possibly. One person can show that I believe in what the country stands for, and I am willing to take a stand to support what I believe. On some issues, it is better to stand alone than not stand at all.

I pledge to bring the Articles of Impeachment to this floor before the Christmas break. I invite all to participate. Vote here and be alert so that you may understand better why I will do what I will do.

I am honored to do what I do. I am honored to serve in this House, and I am grateful to the Speaker and the minority leader for allowing me this time.

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