Along with Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA), Rep. Al Green (D-TX) has been one of the most vocal proponents from day one for impeaching President Trump. He has introduced three impeachment resolutions (one per year of Trump’s presidency) and has given even more speeches and interviews explaining why he has always believed it was imperative that it be done – and the sooner the better (because elections and stuff).
With that in mind, it was a bit … odd to read today about a speech he gave on the House floor yesterday blasting House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerry Nadler (D-NY) and other House Democratic leaders for failing to include a diverse panel of impeachment witnesses and experts as the second phase of Impeachmentpalooza got underway Wednesday.
Fox News reports:
“I rise because I love my country, but I also rise today with heartfelt regrets. It hurts my heart, Mr. Speaker, to see the Judiciary Committee hearing experts on the topic of impeachment — one of the seminal issues of this Congress — hearing experts… and not one person of color among the experts,” Green told the House floor.
“What subliminal message are we sending to the world when we have experts but not one person of color? Are we saying that there are no people of color who are experts on this topic of impeachment?” Green continued. He claimed the House committee was taking advantage of black voters without affording them equal representation in the impeachment process.
“I refuse to be ignored and taken for granted. I came here to represent the people who are ignored and taken for granted. Not one person of color among the constitutional scholars,” he said. “It seems that there’s a desire among some to have the output of people of color without input from the people of color.”
Watch Green’s full speech below:
.@RepAlGreen says it’s “insulting” the @HouseJudiciary committee is hearing from an all-white panel of legal experts in their impeachment hearing today. “We cannot allow ourselves to be ignored by one party and taken for granted by another.” https://t.co/lTvnLG6XCX
— Ben Wermund (@BenjaminEW) December 4, 2019
It’s hard to know where to start with this, but I’ll give it a try.
First things first, persons of color have not been left out of the impeachment process. As I stated earlier, along with Green, Maxine Waters has led the way when it comes to ousting Trump by any means necessary. Persons of color are also on the various committees that are involved in the proceedings, and which are also involved in helping draft the articles of impeachment Pelosi called for today. So Green’s argument that people of color are being left out impeachment goings on on the grounds there were no POC as witnesses yesterday is a bit far off.
Don’t get me wrong – I am always amused and cheering during blue on blue battles, and I am definitely grabbing for the popcorn here, but Green is just way off the mark on this point.
Secondly, let’s imagine a hypothetical situation where I’m a member of Congress and am on board with impeaching whoever the president is at the time. Do you think as a woman I’m going to be miffed because all the witnesses called were men? Heck no. If they make strong arguments, I don’t care what gender or color they are.
As a side note, Hot Air’s Ed Morrissey speculates that maybe the reason there wasn’t more diversity among the Democrats’ chosen witnesses is because they had trouble finding more than three who wanted to testify:
Yesterday’s hearings had 99 problems, but a lack of ethnic diversity wasn’t one of them. One has to wonder whether Nadler stopped at three witnesses for Adam Schiff’s case because he couldn’t find four that would regurgitate Schiff’s talking points on national television.
Great point.
Via RedState
