A Democrat Just Filed Articles of Impeachment Against Trump

After first circulating a proposition in June, California congressman Brad Sherman has officially made the first step toward ousting President Trump, filing articles of impeachment Wednesday, the Hill reports.

Sherman, a Democrat, introduced the measure on the House floor, citing the ongoing investigation into the Trump campaign's alleged collusion with Russia, and the abrupt firing of former FBI director James Comey in May, the Los Angeles Times reports. Though Texas representative Al Green—the bill's only co-sponsor—publicly called for Trump's impeachment back in May, Sherman's filing is the first official move to evict the president from the Oval Office.

The articles argue that Trump's conversations with Comey—urging him to drop his investigation into former national security adviser Mike Flynn—and his subsequent dismissal constitute obstruction of justice. That meets the threshold, Sherman argues, of the "high crimes and misdemeanors" the Constitution says are necessary to impeach a president.

"Every day Democrats, Republicans, and the entire world are shocked by the latest example of America's amateur President," Sherman wrote in a statement. "But the Constitution does not provide for the removal of a president for impulsive, ignorant incompetence. It does provide for the removal of a president for high crimes and misdemeanors."

Sherman's bid is a long shot, and many of his Democratic colleagues in the House are reluctant to jump onboard. There's virtually no chance Sherman's resolution could garner enough support from the Republican-controlled House to make it to the Senate—something the representative said he's well aware of. More than looking to legitimately drag Trump out of the White House, Sherman said he's trying to fire a warning shot, hoping it might convince the president to reign in his "ignorance," "refusal to learn," and "lack of impulse control."

"I have slight hope [the articles] will inspire an 'intervention' in the White House," he wrote in a statement. "If impeachment is real, if they actually see articles, perhaps we will see incompetency replaced by care. Perhaps uncontrollable impulses will be controlled. And perhaps the danger our nation faces will be ameliorated."

While Sherman might not have much backing in the House, he's got support from the public: According to a recent Public Policy Polling survey, nearly half of American voters want Trump impeached.

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