Trump survives impeachment vote as House Democrats divide over Iran strikes

• Democrats join Republicans in 344-79 vote to quash measure.
• Seventy-nine House Democrats vote for Al Green's resolution.
• Lawmakers describe vote as "completely unserious, selfish move".
  

United States President Donald Trump survived an impeachment attempt in the House of Representatives on Tuesday, as a resolution brought forth by Representative Al Green to impeach him over recent strikes on Iran was overwhelmingly tabled. 

The 344-79 vote saw a significant number of Democrats join with Republicans to quash the measure. The vote breakdown revealed that 128 Democrats sided with all 216 House Republicans to block Green's resolution, Politico reported.

This group included much of the Democratic leadership, such as House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and House Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi, who have expressed caution regarding further impeachment efforts after Trump's two previous impeachments failed during his first term.

Conversely, 79 House Democrats, predominantly progressives from electorally safe districts, voted to keep Green's resolution alive. This contingent included prominent figures like Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who has been vocal in her calls for impeachment following the Iran strikes.

This development comes closely on the heels of Israel's surprise air war which was launched on June 13, hitting Iranian nuclear sites where it said Tehran was trying to develop an atomic bomb and killing top military commanders in the worst blow to the Islamic Republic since the 1980s war with Iraq.

Iran, which says its uranium enrichment programme is for peaceful purposes and denies trying to build nuclear weapons, retaliated with a series of missile barrages on Israeli cities.

This escalation in regional tensions also witnessed US military intervention after Trump, on June 21, ordered strikes on three nuclear sites in Iran — Fordow, Natanz, and, Isfahan — prior to congressionally-mandated authorisation for the use of military force.

Earlier on Tuesday, both Iran and Israel signalled that the air war between the two nations had concluded, at least for now, after Trump scolded them for violating a ceasefire he announced at 0500 GMT.

This prompted Green to force a quick vote on his five-page measure, which argued that Trump "disregarded the doctrine of separation of powers by usurping Congress's power to declare war".

This move was met with private fury by many House Democrats. 

Lawmakers vented that the vote was "premature" and "unhelpful," describing it as a "completely unserious and selfish move" that put them in a difficult political position, Axios reported.

Several Democrats expressed frustration, stating that there was "a lot" of anger about the vote and that "most people think it's unhelpful." They highlighted the challenge of balancing the demands of grassroots activists pushing for impeachment with the broader, more moderate electorate. "

It puts people in a difficult situation," one House Democrat commented, while another fumed, "There are a lot of other things we should be focused on right now."

Concerns were also raised about the legal and strategic merits of Green's resolution. 

Some lawmakers argued that the measure was weak, even more so than a prior impeachment attempt by Representative Shri Thanedar that was withdrawn last month due to fierce blowback. 

"What a message to China and Russia — after we take military action, we try to impeach the president," said Representative Jared Moskowitz. 

Another Democrat questioned the potential for courts to uphold the impeachment, noting the "fiercely contested" nature of constitutional war powers.

Despite the widespread criticism from his own party, Representative Green told Axios he had "not one scintilla of regret" about forcing the vote, asserting it was a matter of "conscience." 

Green emphasised his belief that "no one person should have the power to take over 300 million people to war without consulting with Congress".