TO CLOSE

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said she shared the view of the House Judiciary Chair that the United States was in a "constitutional crisis" because the Trump government refused to comply with the subpoenas to appear issued by the committees of the House. (May 9)
AP, AP

WASHINGTON – A few hours after the presidency, Nancy Pelosi accused Donald Trump of plunging the country into a "constitutional crisis". She was challenged by Progressive Democrats to take immediate action to remove the President.

"I think the impeachment is the solution to a constitutional crisis," said Representative Al Green, D-Texas, who had joined Representative Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., And progressive activists at an event pro-impeachment outside the US Capitol on Thursday.

"There is no definitive definition of the constitutional crisis … but when the President of the United States denies Congress the opportunity to carry out its legal oversight and is concerned about it, you have a crisis. "said Mr Green.

Activists, including some from MoveOn, have claimed more than 10 million signatures for an online petition aimed at deposing Trump. At a press conference a stone's throw from the Capitol, they waved placards on which was written "Trump Must Go" and chanted: "I'm excited, I can not stand it anymore!

Several speakers repeated the description of a "constitutional crisis" by Pelosi and urged her to act. Earlier Thursday, Pelosi had agreed with New York Representative Jerrold Nadler, chairman of the Judiciary Committee of the House, that the country was going through a "constitutional crisis".

Pelosi has long claimed that dismissal was a source of division and that it would only succeed if the Republicans joined us. In an exclusive interview with USA TODAY in March, she said it would be "a gift for the president".

Following the release of the report of the special advocate Robert Mueller on Russia's interference in the 2016 election, the Trump government has blocked congressional demands for investigations and testimony, which which provoked an escalation of tensions between the two branches of government.

Pelosi did not rule out the impeachment, but said Democrats should first and foremost investigate Mueller's findings. If the facts lead to impeachment, "this is where we have to go," said the speaker.

Representatives Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich. (Right) and Al Green, D-Texas, hold a USB key at a press conference on May 9, 2019 outside the United States Capitol. The organizers said the disc contained 10 million signatures on a petition calling on Congress to initiate impeachment proceedings against President Donald Trump. (Photo: SAUL LOEB, AFP / Getty Images)

"It is so important that we push back completely and very strongly against this president who does not respect the United States Constitution," said Tlaib. "People at home understand it, they understand it, it's not a political strategy for them, it's their livelihood, it's our country." and our own democracy. "

Green and Tlaib are supporters of the House who have begun impeachment proceedings against Trump. They Last month, he introduced a resolution calling on the House Judiciary Committee to determine whether to remove Trump. The measure has seven Democratic co-sponsors, including progressive freshmen Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts, Ilhan Omar and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York.

Democratic leaders, however, have been reluctant to follow this path, fearing that they will turn against them and reinforce Trump's base.

Representative Al Green, D-Texas, speaks at a press conference on May 9, 2019, in a coalition of groups urging Congress to initiate impeachment proceedings against President Donald Trump . (Photo: SAUL LOEB, AFP / Getty Images)

But green, who was among the first to ask for Trump's dismissal, said: "I will not allow political opportunism to override the moral imperative."

Green stated that he had already submitted two favored resolutions on impeachment and was threatening to do another one if the Judiciary Committee of the House did not act.

"I have made the solemn commitment that this president will face an impeachment in the House of Representatives," he said.

Mueller's 448-page report described multiple contacts between Russian agents and Trump associates during the 2016 campaign, but investigators had found no evidence of a criminal plot. The report documented a series of Trump actions to derail the special advocate 's investigation, although it was not possible to determine whether he was there. had illegally sought to obstruct justice.

Some Republicans have warned that democratic pressure for an indictment could turn against them politically.

The United Kingdom's representative, Peter King, who voted against the dismissal of then-Democratic President Bill Clinton in the late 1990s, called the effort "terrible."

But, he said Thursday, "politically, it could help Republicans say it's excessive."

Contributor: Eliza Collins

Read more: Download the USA TODAY app

Read or share this story: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2019/05/09/nancy-pelosi-gets-pressure-fired-up-activists-impeach-trump/1151921001/