The day before former FBI Director James Comey testifies before Congress about his interactions with President Donald Trump regarding his probe of Russia's interference in the 2016 campaign, a House Democrat plans to draft articles of impeachment.
Texas Rep. Al Green, who was the first House Democrat to call for the President's impeachment on the House floor last month, plans to move forward with the next legislative step at a Wednesday news conference on Capitol Hill.
"This is obstruction of justice," Green said in a statement Tuesday evening. "This will continue to be obstruction of justice regardless of testimony given by Mr. James Comey. This will remain obstruction of justice regardless of the findings of any investigation.
Top Democratic leaders on Capitol Hill have specifically urged members to not raise the specter of impeachment, arguing that they need to allow investigations already underway to uncover more details about the president and his team's actions.
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, appearing on ABC's "The View" on Monday, didn't seem to want to utter the "I" word.
"When that word comes up I always say to my colleagues in the Congress, my constituents, and people across the country what I said before: anything you do has to be based on data, evidence, facts," Pelosi said. "So you can speculate but it's got to be the law and the facts and how they match up."
Green did not give Pelosi or others any advance warning that he decided to move ahead with formally introducing the charges in the House, according to two senior House Democratic leadership aides.
The Texas Democrat revealed that after his public call for impeachment he received threatening voicemails and messages and told CNN the United States Capitol Police was investigating them.
During his May speech on the House floor, Green noted "this is about my position. This is about what I believe. And this is where I stand. I will not be moved. The President must be impeached."
He also explained that this was the beginning of the process, "For those who do not know, impeachment does not mean that the President would be found guilty. It simply means that the House of Representatives will bring charges against the President. It's similar to an indictment but not quite the same thing."
