Rashida Tlaib Submits Trump Impeachment Resolution: How The Process Works

Freshman Democratic Rep. Rashida Tlaib introduced an impeachment resolution Wednesday afternoon asking Congress to inquire whether President Donald Trump has committed any impeachable offenses.

"Resolved, that the Committee on the Judiciary shall inquire whether the House should impeach Donald John Trump, President of the United States of America," the letter reads.

In a floor speech Wednesday, Tlaib said the resolution "creates a transparent process to ensure that the protection of our democracy, to ensure that we don't have a lawless society that results in irreparable harm to the American people,” the Detroit News reported.

"Doing nothing when we are seeing blatant disregard of the United States Constitution to our ethical norms is dangerous. No one, Madam Speaker, including the President of United States, is above the law,” she added.

Earlier this week, Tlaib sent a letter to her Democratic colleagues, asking them to support the resolution. The letter was circulated among a targeted set of members who in the past had shown interest in a similar resolution.

"We all swore to protect our nation, and that begins with making sure that no one, including the President of the United States, is acting above the law. I urge your support in recommending that the House Committee on Judiciary begin hearings, take depositions, and issue subpoenas to answer this question that is fundamental to the rule of law and the preservation of our democracy," the letter read, CNN reported.

However, only one member, Rep. Al Green of Texas, signed on as a co-sponsor.

"Just Al Green and I," Tlaib said in the floor speech, adding that she did not think anyone else would support the resolution.

When asked about her failure to get more Democrats to sign on the resolution in a press conference outside the Capitol, Tlaib said, "For many of my colleagues, not one told me not to. And that's important to know. Not one single person told me not to do this -- and I think that speaks volumes, more than whether or not they signed on."

Impeachment refers to removing the president before the end of his or her term. A president can be impeached only if enough lawmakers vote against the POTUS on the basis of the crimes committed including treason and bribery.

The resolution will be first forwarded to the House Judiciary Committee, where the chairman will take a decision whether it should be taken into consideration and vote on it. If approved, the resolution will go to the full house for consideration. If the resolution gets a majority in the House, it is then forwarded to the Senate. The chief justice of the Supreme Court oversees the trial in the Senate and a set of lawmakers from the House act as persecutors. The president will be impeached if two-thirds of the senators find him guilty.

Earlier Wednesday, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi appeared to dismiss Tlaib’s move and said she would not support it unless the “evidence is so conclusive that the Republicans will understand.” She also added that instead of impeachment, Democrats should focus on issues such as rising health-care costs, Detroit Free Press reported.

"I've made it really clear on impeachment. Everybody can do whatever they want to do but that's not a place where we are right now. Right now, we are talking about health care; we are talking about climate and building the infrastructure of America in a green way. Just like we promised in the campaign. That is what we are spending our time on,” Pelosi said.