The House voted Wednesday to kill a resolution that would begin an impeachment inquiry into President Trump based on his 'racist' comments and being 'unit' for office.

The procedural vote came after Democratic Texas Rep. Al Green read into the record an article of impeachment of the president – a 'privileged' maneuver that ensured the matter would come to the floor.

The resolution went down on a vote of 332 to 95, with all Republicans voting for it and more Democrats in favor of killing the impeachment resolution than were for backing it. There was a single abstention.

Democrats backed the resolution by a vote of 137 to 95, while all 194 Republicans voted for it. Former Republican turned Independent Rep. Justin Amash of Michigan voted for it.

The action all came to a head just after Trump left the White House for a rally in North Carolina where he once again attacked four Democratic House members, following a tweet Speaker Nancy Pelosi reaffirmed on Wednesday contained 'racist' language.

After hours of uncertainty about the mechanics of how the measure would be dealt with, Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy of California, a Trump loyalist, moved to table it. Earlier Wednesday, Pelosi said she would 'deal' with it, without specifying precisely how.

Republicans were unanimous in voting for the tabling motion, while Democrats, who hold the majority, were split on an issue that has divided their caucus throughout the year.

It was immediately clear as the tally came in that there were sufficient votes to kill the resolution. Still, it for the first time showed the number of Democrats who favor moving ahead on impeachment approaching 100. Some Democrats complained in the run-up to the vote that they might favor opening up impeachment, but not before former Special Counsel Robert Mueller testifies next week.

Pelosi, who has spent months trying to tamp down an impeachment drive, kept her distance from the call for an impeachment inquiry after Green delivered a floor speech about it Tuesday night.

'We'll deal with that resolution on the floor,' Pelosi said, denying any air of concern about it.

When pressed, she mentioned a separate resolution that passed the House Tuesday that condemned Trump for having made 'racist' comments in attacking four House Democrats.

'I think we'll get rid of all this right now. We did our resolution expeditiously. We'll deal with Mr. Green's resolution,' Pelosi said – in a remark that made clear her personal desire for the issue to go away, at least for now.

The House is expected to vote Wednesday on a resolution that would begin an impeachment inquiry into President Trump

Rep. Kevin McCarthy moved to table the impeachment resolution

She had kind words for Green, calling him a 'prayerful' person, but said she wanted to stay on the current path.

'We have six committees that are working on following the facts in terms of any abuse of power, obstruction of justice and the rest that the president may have engaged in. That is the serious path that we are on – not that Rep. Green is not serious,' she said.

When first asked about the impeachment article, Pelosi indicated she hadn't realized it dealt only with Trump recent comments that she herself branded 'racist' on the House floor Tuesday.

'I haven't really actually seen his articles of impeachment that are about racism,' she said – referencing the article that guaranteed floor action.

She did not tip her hand as to what procedural strategy she would deploy to deal with the obligation under House Rules to consider the privileged matter.

'I don't know what we will do but we will deal with it on the floor,' she said.

She also spoke about the resolution House Democrats voted for unanimously voted for Tuesday to condemn Trump's 'racist' language – saying it was the most 'benign' language leaders could come up with after fending off even stronger attempts. It still got support from only four House Republicans.

'I don't know what we will do but we will deal with it on the floor,' House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said of a House impeachment article that will get privileged floor action

'We weren't saying that he was racist. We were saying that the words that he used were racist. So that was as gentle as it could be considering the inappropriateness and the disgusting nature of what the president said. So we did what our members wanted to do and had a very strong, 100 per cent vote on it,' Pelosi said.

'You have no idea the provisions that some people wanted to have in that resolution,' she said.

'You have to give him credit,' Pelosi said of Trump. 'He's a great distractor.'

The House is expected to vote Wednesday on a resolution to begin an impeachment inquiry into President Donald Trump, with the president's 'racist' attack on a quartet of Democratic legislators adding a new factor to the drive.

It would be the first vote of the new Congress on the issue since Democrats swept into power in November, following a months-long tactical debate about how to proceed and a call for caution by Pelosi.

The legislative action – with the precise details still to be determined – follows the decision of Texas Democratic Rep. Al Green to read into the record articles of impeachment against the president following the still boiling controversy over his attack on four Democratic congresswomen, whom he said should 'go back' to their countries. Three were born in the U.S.

Green called Trump 'unfit' to be president and said his conduct 'warrants impeachment, trial and removal from office.'

Pelosi said a House resolution condemning Trump's 'racist' comments was as 'gentle as it could be'

Green read his impeachment articles into the record after the House voted on mostly party lines to condemn Trump's comments.

'Yesterday there was a vote of condemnation. The president was condemned. Today, we'll have a vote to punish,' Green said on C-SPAN Wednesday.

Democratic leaders have yet to forecast how they will respond. The House could vote to table, or kill the resolution. Or it could vote to send it to the Judiciary Committee. Or it could allow a straight-up vote on Green's resolution – leaving open the possibility it could pass.

Each method would highlight a party split in different ways. A tabling motion would have pro-impeachment members voting against a leadership effort to squelch the move.

Sending it to committee could appear to be an effort to bury the proposal – although it also would provide leadership more time to take the temperature of the caucus or bring the issue back later.

Green introduced the measure shortly after the House voted to condemn Trump for tweets that four Democratic congresswomen should 'go back' to their home countries

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has cautioned members that now is not the time to begin impeaching the president, and the measure is not expected to succeed – although dozens of Democrats have come out in support of beginning an impeachment inquiry.

Asked in the Capitol Wednesday if she supports Green's resolution, Pelosi responded Wednesday: 'No I don’t. Does that come as a surprise?'

Green said Tuesday on the House floor: 'President Donald Trump's racist comments that have legitimatized and increased fear and hatred of new Americans and people of color.'

Speaker Nancy Pelosi had her words 'taken down' after she referred to the president as 'racist' in Tuesday remarks on the House floor

Texas Democrat Al Green, (left), has introduced articles of impeachment against President Donald Trump, (right), potentially forcing a vote this week on whether to remove him

U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., left, joined at right by U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., responds to base remarks by President Donald Trump after he called for four Democratic congresswomen of color to go back to their "broken" countries, as he exploited the nation's glaring racial divisions once again for political gain, during a news conference at the Capitol in Washington, Monday, July 15, 2019

He continued: 'Donald John Trump, by causing such harm to the society of the United States, is unfit to be president and warrants impeachment, trial and removal from office.'

A House leadership aide confirmed the chamber was likely to address the issue during a series of votes planned for late afternoon Monday.

Green's resolution failed during the last Congress.

Tuesday's vote to condemn Trump was 240-187 and was solidly opposed by Republicans. It came after Trump and top congressional Republicans denied he is a racist and urged GOP lawmakers to oppose the Democratic measure.

The new impeachment vote follows Trump's clash with 'the squad,' who include: Reps. Ayanna Pressley, D-Mass., Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., and Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich.

Green said Tuesday that Trump is unfit for office and 'enough is enough.'

Another faction is urging colleagues to ignore Trump's Tweets.

'We can't continue to react to this. He's going to insult some others,' said Democratic Rep. Emanuel Cleaver of Missouri. 'My suggestion to the House and the Senate and the people of the country is to forget the man's tweets. He's playing us like a Stradivarius.'

During Tuesday's vote to condemn Trump, Pelosi said: 'These comments from the White House are disgraceful and disgusting and these comments are racist.'

Trump on Sunday tweeted it was 'so interesting to see 'Progressive' Democrat Congresswomen, who originally came from countries whose governments are a complete and total catastrophe' telling the U.S. how it should be run.

He did not specifically mention Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Ilhan Omar, Ayanna Pressley or Rashida Tlaib by their names, but he later followed up with tweets about 'the squad.'

'Why don't they go back and help fix the totally broken and crime infested places from which they came,' Trump wrote. 'Then come back and show us how it is done.'

Green said on the floor: 'Donald John Trump has, by his statements, brought the high office of the President of the United States in contempt, ridicule, disgrace and disrepute, has sown discord among the people of the United States, has demonstrated that he is unfit to be President.

'And [he] has betrayed his trust as President of the United States to the manifest injury of the people of the United States, and has committed a high misdemeanor in office,' Green read from his resolution on the House floor on Tuesday night.

The House voted Tuesday to condemn Donald Trump for 'racist' tweets that targeted the 'squad' - four progressive lawmakers who are racial minorities.

The vote was 240 in favor with 187 opposed. Four Republicans and Justin Amash, the Republican lawmaker turned Independent, voted with Democrats to condemn the president.