House votes to censure Al Green for interrupting Trump’s speech amid bipartisan support

In a notable turn of events, Rep. Al Green from Texas has been formally censured by the U.S. House of Representatives following his loud interruptions during President Donald Trump’s address to Congress.

The decisive vote came down to 224-198 on Thursday, with all Republicans backing the censure alongside a handful of Democrats, including Ami Bera from California and Jim Costa from California.

Interestingly, Green chose to vote “present,” as did Alabama’s Rep. Shomari Figures, while the rest of his Democratic colleagues were opposed to the resolution.

House Resolution 189, spearheaded by Rep. Dan Newhouse from Washington, highlighted what was termed as a “breach of proper conduct,” particularly regarding Green’s “numerous disruptions” during the president’s speech.

Amid the chaos, Green was removed from the chamber after disregarding House Speaker Mike Johnson’s instruction to sit down and stop interrupting.

Defending his behavior, he explained to reporters afterward that his shouted comments were aimed at highlighting the lack of a “mandate” for Trump regarding cuts to Medicaid.

Green has been a staunch critic of Trump, having introduced several articles of impeachment against him in 2017 for issues ranging from the firing of FBI Director James Comey to allegations of racism and bigotry.

Recently, he even expressed intentions to introduce new impeachment articles after the president proposed a plan to take control of the Gaza Strip, calling it a “dastardly” act of “ethnic cleansing.”

Censure, as defined by the Congressional Research Service, involves a majority vote disapproving a member’s conduct, although it comes without specific penalties aside from the public shame of being reprimanded by colleagues.

As of this move, the total number of House members who have faced censure since 1832 has now risen to 28, with Green becoming a part of that rather exclusive group.

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