The latest political theater in Washington just took a sharp turn off the progressive cliff as a solo crusader’s bid to impeach President Donald Trump got squashed flatter than a pancake at a county fair.
On Thursday, December 11, 2025, a bold but doomed effort by Rep. Al Green, D-Texas, to force an impeachment vote against Trump was decisively tabled by a bipartisan coalition of 23 Democrats and House Republicans, ending with a 237-140 tally and 47 Democrats voting "present", as Fox News reports.
Rep. Green, never one to shy away from the spotlight, introduced a privileged resolution on Wednesday night to push two articles of impeachment, a maneuver that compels action within two legislative days.
By Thursday, Republicans moved swiftly to table the measure, effectively halting any debate before it could even start.
Surprisingly, 23 Democrats, including moderates like Reps. Tom Suozzi, D-N.Y., and Jared Golden, D-Maine, crossed the aisle to join the GOP in burying the resolution.
Meanwhile, 47 Democrats, including heavyweights like House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., and Minority Whip Katherine Clark, D-Mass., opted for a "present" vote, a polite way of saying, "We’re not touching this hot potato."
Rep. Green is no stranger to this fight, having filed impeachment articles against Trump multiple times over the past year.
His latest charges accuse Trump of abuse of power, including a fiery claim that the president called for the "execution" of six congressional Democrats over a controversial video urging military members to defy unlawful orders.
The second article slams Trump for allegedly creating a toxic political environment where lawmakers and judges face threats, undermining judicial independence with sharp rhetoric against federal judges.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, along with Minority Whip Katherine Clark and Democratic Caucus Chairman Pete Aguilar, issued a joint statement that reads like a masterclass in sidestepping.
"Impeachment is a sacred constitutional vehicle designed to hold a corrupt executive accountable for abuse of power, breaking the law and violating the public trust. The effort traditionally requires a comprehensive investigative process, the collection and review of thousands of documents, an exacting scrutiny of the facts, the examination of dozens of key witnesses, Congressional hearings, sustained public organizing and the marshaling of the forces of democracy to build a broad national consensus," they stated.
"None of that serious work has been done, with the Republican majority focused solely on rubber stamping Donald Trump’s extreme agenda. Accordingly, we will be voting ‘present’ on today’s motion to table the impeachment resolution as we continue our fight to make life more affordable for everyday Americans," they added. Let’s unpack that—while they nod to the gravity of impeachment, they’re essentially saying Green’s solo act lacks the homework to justify a real battle, especially when the GOP-controlled Senate would likely laugh it out of the room.
Most Democrats, while openly critical of Trump’s style and policies, seem to have little stomach for what many see as a symbolic gesture doomed to fail.
Even Jeffries, when pressed on December 1, 2025, about unrelated controversies, dodged the impeachment question, saying, "Republicans will never allow articles of impeachment to be brought to the floor of the House of Representatives. And we know that's the case, because Donald Trump will order them not to do it." Translation: why waste energy on a fight that’s dead on arrival when there are bigger fish to fry, like affordability issues?
At the end of the day, this episode reveals a House divided not just by party, but by strategy—Green’s lone-wolf tactics clashing with a party leadership more focused on practical wins than progressive grandstanding. While Trump’s rhetoric continues to stir the pot, the bipartisan vote to table this measure shows that even some Democrats aren’t ready to jump on the impeachment train without a stronger case. It’s a rare moment of unity in a polarized Congress, even if it’s just to say, "Not today."
