Just 10 Democrats vote with House GOP to censure Al Green for Trump speech disruption

Ten Democrat lawmakers crossed party lines to vote with the GOP in censuring Rep. Al Green (D-TX) after he disrupted President Donald Trump's address to a joint session of Congress.

The House voted to censure Green on a 224-198-2 vote less than 48 hours after Green stood up and disrupted Trump's speech, which led to his immediate removal from the chamber.

A surprising number of Democrats backed the measure with Reps. Ami Bera (CA), Ed Case (HI), Jim Costa (CA), Laura Gillen (NY), Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (WA), Jim Himes (CN), Chrissy Houlahan (PA), Marcy Kaptur (OH), Jared Moskowitz (FL) and Tom Suozzi (NY) voting to make Green the 28th member of the House ever to be censured.

This group represents a collection of centrist Democrats who focus on bipartisanship in House conduct, meaning that party allegiance was not, to them, a strong argument to save Green from consequences.

Several Democrats even cited past censures for similar circumstances as the reason they chose to stand with the GOP and censure Green.

Pointless Protest

Jim Himes, who is the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, explained that he voted to censure Green because he "voted to disapprove of Joe Wilson’s actions when he shouted at a different president, and I revere this institution, which I understand is a very unpopular position today."

Other Democrats attacked Green's attention-seeking episode, complaining that it distracted from the real issues on which Democrats are trying to focus in relation to Trump's agenda.

Suozzi took to X to say, "Instead of focusing on protecting Social Security, Medicaid, and Medicare, and instead of addressing rising costs, fixing immigration, and Ukraine, too many Americans are talking about a member of Congress being removed from the chamber. This is not helpful.”

In particular, Suozzi has been vocal in his disagreement with Green's stunt, telling CNN that the act of protest was “wrong” and “boneheaded.”

Green, for his part, has been defiant and has worn his censure like a badge of honor. He defended his conduct by saying, "With peaceful protest, you have to be prepared to suffer the consequences because you have to, as John Lewis said it, get in the way. You’ve got to be disruptive. So, you get in the way."

The congressman added, "So I indicated that I was prepared to suffer the consequences for my actions. Today we were here for me to suffer the consequences. I’m not angry with the speaker, I’m not angry with the officers, I hold no ill feelings. But I never said I agreed with what was happening."

Protest Means Big Boon for Trump

Suozzi is completely correct to complain about Green's pointless protest as a "boneheaded" move. Green's actions and the subsequent censure vote were a gift to the Trump administration.

The president is moving at a high speed, shooting out announcements by the dozen to "flood the zone" and bury the mainstream media.

Green's censure is another distracting story that will further dilute any focus that the Democrat Party can put on any one move that the Trump administration is undertaking.

However, none of that may matter to Green, who has elevated his social status among leftists who will happily applaud "resistance" no matter the practical outcome.