The United States House of Representatives voted along a mostly partisan-line vote to censure Representative Al Green (D-TX), who was removed by order of Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) from the House floor for repeated interruptions during President Donald J. Trump’s address to Congress on Tuesday. Green repeatedly refused to take his seat and shouted as President Trump began to speak, prompting Johnson to call on the House Sergeant of Arms to restore order so the address could continue.
Censure is essentially a formal reprimand by the House. As Speaker Johnson attempted to read the censorship resolution, Democrats on the floor broke out into song in an attempt to disrupt the reading of the admonishment. Three other Democrats, former Reps. Adam Schiff (D-CA), Jamaal Bowman (D-NY), and Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) have been censured over the past several years.
Green, 77, announced to the press upon his exit that he plans to introduce articles of impeachment against President Trump. He threatened the same a few weeks ago, citing Trump’s plan for Gaza. The National Pulse reported on Tuesday that Green has essentially lived off of taxpayer dollars for nearly half a century, with over 20 years in Congress, plus 27 years before that serving as a Justice of the Peace in Houston, Texas.
In 2008, Green faced allegations of sexual harassment and discrimination from a former staffer, Lucinda Daniels. Both parties later withdrew lawsuits and issued a joint statement in 2017 expressing regret over the dispute.