Transcripts For CSPAN U.S. House Of Representatives House Debate On Impeachment Inquiry Rules 20240713

Whether sufficient grounds exist for the house of representatives to exercise its constitutional power to impeach donald john trump, president of the United States of america. Section 2. Open and transparent investigative proceedings by the Permanent Select Committee on intelligence for the purpose of continuing the investigation described in the first section of this resolution, the Permanent Select Committee on intelligence referred to in this resolution as the Permanent Select Committee is authorized to conduct proceedings pursuant to this resolution as follows. One, the chair of the Permanent Select Committee shall designate and open hearing or hearings pursuant to this section. Two, notwithstanding clause 2j2 of rule 11 of the rules of the house of representatives, upon recognition by the chair for such purpose during any hearing pursuant to paragraph 1, the chair and ranking minority member of the Permanent Select Committee shall be permitted to question witnesses for equal specified periods of longer than five minutes as determined by the chair. The Time Available for each period of questioning under this paragraph shall be equal for the chair and ranking minority member. The chair maconner if recognition for multiple periods of such question bug each such period of questioning shall in the exceed 90 minutes in thing a refwat. Only the chair and ranking minority member or the Permanent Select Committee employee if yielded to by the chair or ranking minority member may question witnesses during such periods of questioning. At the conclusion of questioning, pursuant to this paragraph the Committee Shall proceed with questioning under the fiveminute rule pursuant to clause 2j2a of rule 11. Three, to allow for full evaluation of minority witness requests, the ranking minority member may submit to the chair in writing any requests for witness testimony relevant to the investigation described in the first section of this resolution within 72 hours after notice is given for the first hearing designated pursuant paragraph 1. Any such requests shall be accompanied by a detailed written justification of the relevance of the testimony of each requested witness to the investigation described in the first section of this resolution. 4a. The ranking minority member of the Permanent Select Committee is authorized for the concurrence of the chair to require as deemed necessary to the investigation, i, by subpoena or otherwise, one, the attendance and testimony of any person, including at a take of deposition and two, the production of books, records, correspondence, memoranda, papers, and document, and ii, by interrogatory, the furnishing of information, b, in the case the chair declines to concur in a proposed action of the ranking minority member pursuant to subparagraph a, the ranking minority member shall have the right to refer to the committee or decision the question whether such authority shall be so exercise and the chair shall convene the committee promptly to consider such decision ubject to clause 2 of rule 11. Subpoenas and interrogatories so authorized may be signed by the ranking minority member and my be served by any person designated by the ranking minority member. Five, the chair is authorized to make publicly available in electronic form the transcript and depositions by the Permanent Select Committee in furtherance of the investigation described in the first section of this resolution with appropriate redaxes for classified and other sensitive information. Six the Permanent Select Committee is directed to issue a report setting forth its findings and any recommendations and append anything information and materials the Permanent Select Committee may deem appropriate with respect to the investigation described in the first section of this resolution. The chair shall transmit such reports and dependencies along with any supplemental minority, additional or dissenting slews filed pursuant to clause 21 of rule 11 and make such report publicly available in electronic form with appropriate redaxes to protect classify and other sensitive information. The report required by this paragraph shall be prepared in consultuation the chairs of the committee on Foreign Affairs and the committee on oversight and reform. Section 3. Transmission of additional materials. The chair of the Permanent Select Committee or the chair of any other committee having custody of records or other materials relating to the inquiry referenced in the first section of this resolution is authorized in consultation with the ranking minority member to transfer such records or materials to the committee on the judiciary. Section 4. Impeachment inquiry procedures in the committee on the judiciary. A. The house authorizes the committee on the judiciary to conduct proceedings relating to the impeachment inquiry referenced in the first section of this resolution, pursuant to the procedures submitted for printing in the congressional record by the chair of the committee on rules, including such procedures as to follow the participation of the president and his counsel. B, the committee on the judiciary is authorized to promulgate additional procedures as it deems necessary for the fair and efficient conduct of Committee Hearings held pursuant to this resolution provided that the additional procedures are not inconsistent with the procedures referenced in subsection a, the rules committee and the rues of the house. C1. The ranking minority member of the committee or the committee on the judiciary is authorized with the concurrence of the chair they have judiciary to require as deemed necessary to the investigation a, by subpoena or otherwise, i, the attendance and testimony of any person including at a taking of a deposition and ii, the production of books, records, correspondence, memoranda, papers, and documents, and b, by interrogatory the fun furnishing of information. Two, in the case that the chair declines to concur in a proposed action of the ranking minority member pursuant to paragraph 1, the ranking minority member shall have the right to refer to the committee for decision the question whether such authority shall be so exercised and the chair shall convene the committee promptly to render that decision. Such notice procedures for Committee Meeting under clause 2a and b of rule 11. Subpoenas and interrogatories so authorized may be signed by the ranking minority member and may be served by any person designated by the ranking minority member. May make e d recommendations as it deems proper. The speaker the gentleman from massachusetts is recognized for one hour. Mr. Mcfwoverb madam speaker, for the purposes of debate only, i yield the customary 30 minutes to the gentleman from oklahoma, mr. Cole, pending which i yield myself such time as i may consume and let me say, madam speaker, i appreciate the professionalism that my friend from oklahoma has demonstrated through the this process. We dont see eyetoeye on this impeachment inquiry but he has already conducted himself with integrity and defended this constitution. During consideration of this resolution, all time yielded is for the purposes of debate only. I i ask unanimous consent that all members be given five legislative days to revise and extend their remarks. The speaker without objection. Mr. Mcgovern madam speaker, on wednesday afternoon, the rules committee marked up and favorably reported House Resolution 660, directing certain committees to continue their ongoing investigations as part of the existing house of representatives inquiry into whether sufficient grounds exist for the house of representatives to exercise its constitutional power to impeach donald john trump, president of the United States of america. Madam speaker, this is a sad day for our country. Over 230 years ago, when the founders of our country wrote the constitution they entrusted us with the gift of selfgovernment. But they knew the persistence of this gift was not assured. It may be taken for granted today but having just shaken off a tyrant, the founders knew better. They understood that the very foundations of our country are dependent on safeguarding against one brampling of government encroaching on the others. Thats what the idea of checks and balances is all about. Within that system, the framers gave only this congress the power, if need be, to impeach a president over possible wrongdoing. This fact, that no one is above the law is what separate this is country from so many others. Because of its seriousness, the impeachment process has been rarely used for president s. For just the fourth time now nations history, congress is now investigating whether to impeach a president of the United States. Our authority to do so under article 2, section 4 of the constitution of the United States and the rules of the house of representatives is clear. The court have recently agreed. For all the disagreements i have with President Trump, for all his policies, his tweets and rhetoric that i deeply disagree with, i never wanted our country to reach this point. I do not take any pleasure in the need for this resolution. We are not here in some partisan exercise. We are here because the facts compel us to be here. There is serious evidence that President Trump may have violated the constitution. This is about protecting our National Security and safeguarding our elections. Thats why the Intelligence Committee has been gathering evidence and hearing testimony. Like any investigation, reasonable confidentiality has been paramount. Witnesses should not be able to coordinate testimony in advance. The truth must be allowed to prevail. Republicans have been a part of every single proceeding conducted so far. Republicans conducting these depositions along with their staffs have had an opportunity to question each and every witness. Now, madam speaker, we are entering the publicfacing phase of this process. I commend the investigative committees and their staffs for the professional man for the which they have conducted themselves. Id also like to commend the courageous Public Servants that have bravely come forward to tell the truth. Without their courage, this possible wrongdoing would never have seen the light of day. The public should not be left in the dark. They should see the facts about the president s conduct firsthand. Thats why i introduced this resolution. It establishes the next steps of this inquiry, including establishing the procedure for publicfacing hearings conducted by the Intelligence Committee and the process for transferring evidence to the Judiciary Committee. Its about transparency and its about due process for the president. Some on the other side will never be satisfied with any process that uncovers the truth of what the president did. Madam speaker, none of us knows whether or not President Trump will be impeached or convicted. Only the facts and how we respond to them will dictate the outcome. I truly believe that 100 years from now, historians will look back at this moment and judge us by the decisions we make here today. This moment calls for more than politics. It calls for people concerned not about the reactions of partisans today, but of the consequences of an action decades from now. If we dont hold this president accountable, we could be ceding our ability to hold any president accountable. At the end of the day this resolution isnt about donald trump. It isnt about any of us. Its about our constitution. Its about our country. So i urge my colleagues to not just think about the political pressures of the moment, these will pass. Please consider the heavy responsibility you have today to this institution, the constitution, and to our country. I reserve the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman reserves. For what purpose does the gentleman from oklahoma rise . Mr. Cole madam speaker, i want to thank the gentleman from massachusetts, mr. Mcgovern, for yielding me the customary 30 minutes and i yield myself such time as i may consume. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman is recognized. Mr. Cole i want to begin by thanking my friend for his kind words and the professionalism with which he handled last nights hearing. Before i begin, madam speaker, i would ask the chairman if hed withdraw his resolution at which time i will ask unanimous consent for the house immediately proceed to the consideration of h. R. 668 instead. Which provides for consideration of House Resolution 660 under a rule. Madam speaker, this would in no way prevent the consideration of the resolution before us today. However, it would provide us with an opportunity for all members to participate in the process. I pro my proposed rule would provide for four hours of yen debate on h r. 660, allow for amendments under an open process, and provide for a motion to recommit. On an issue as important as this, one hour ever debate on a resolution written in the dark of night and marked up in a process where no republican amendments were accepted is simply insufficient. Additionally, it would allow all members to offer amendments to improve the process to get to the truth, which im sure is the goal of all my colleagues on both sides of the aisle. With that i ask the chairman to accept my request. The speaker pro tempore the yield. An mr. Cole i yield to my friend. Mr. Mcgovern no, i do not. Mr. Cole i ask unanimous consent that the debate time on huelings 660 be expanded to four hours the speaker pro tempore the the gentleman has yielded for debate only. The gentleman from massachusetts would have to yield for that request. Mr. Cole i want to begin by echoing my friends words. Its a sad day for all of us. For me personally, im sure for all my colleagues on the rules committee, and for the institution as a whole. Todays resolution sets forth a process for impeaching the president of the United States. Its not a fair process, its not an open process. Its not a transparent process. But instead its limited and a closed process with a preordained outcome. Impeachment of the president is one of the most consequential acts that the house of representatives can do. It should only be done after the fullest consideration and yet over the last month, without a vote and only the speakers say so, the committees have been engaged in a closed impeachment inquiry in what amounts to nothing more than partisan fishing expedition. At least today the majoritys admitting what we have known all along. That the house was not following an appropriate process for impeachment. But i do not think the process was setting forth in this resolution is fair, either. Its not fair to the president of the United States. Its not fair to the house of representatives. Its not fair to the American People. The process laid out in the resolution before us is different from the process used for both president nixon in 1974 and president clinton in 1998. Todays resolution provides fewer process protections and fewer protections for minority rights than what we have seen in previous impeachment efforts. At our markup yesterday, republicans tried to change that. We tried to offer constructive amendments that made the process more fair. That would give rights to the minority, that would give rights to the accused. And that would ensure due process for everyone. Republicans offered 17 amendments and not one, not one, madam speaker, was accepted. Not one. We offered amendments that would align the subpoena powers in this resolution with the subpoena powers used for president clinton. Unlike the clinton inquiry, todays resolution does not provide for coequal subpoenas power. Instead, it grants the minority the right to subpoena witnesses and materials only with the concurrence of the chair. With no such limitation on the rights of the chair to issue subpoenas. We offered amendments that would change that, but the majority rejected both of them each of them in turn. We offered an amendment that would allow all members the right to fully accepts Committee Records. This is commonsense. If you are doing something as serious as impeaching the president , then members should have the right to see what records the committee produced so that they will know what ey are voting on if the on, yet the majority 7 spreekted that. And also respected that. And to allow the president and his counsel in proceedings on the Intelligence Committee, oversight committee, and Foreign Affairs committee. This right was granted to president clinton in 1998, yet its not present here. The majority, again, rejected the amendment. I think the difference is clear. Todays resolution fails to give the minority the same rights as were present during the clinton impeachment, and it fails to offer the same due process protections that were given to president s nixon and clinton. And in the latter case, i note those rights were given by a Republican House to a democratic president. Todays resolution shows a Democratic House failing to give these same protections to a republican president. Madam speaker, the unfairness is clear. This is not a fair process, nor was it ever intended to be. It was preordained from the beginning. Without due process, and without a fair process, the respect for minority rights, i do not believe the American People will regard this process as legitimate. A legitimate process is one that offers protections for everyone involved. Without those protections, this will be seen as just another partisan exercise, one the majority has been pushing since the very first days of the 116th congress. We can do better than that, madam speaker. The rules committee should have done better than this. But since the rules committee didnt, the house must. With that, madam speaker, i urge opposition to the measure and reserve the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman reserves. The gentleman from massachusetts. Madam speaker, let me just say briefly that this resolution provides better protections for the president than what president s nixon and clinton received. Just like under nixon and clinton in the Judiciary Committee, the president s counsel can submit additional testimony or evidence for the committee to consider. The president and his counsel can attempt all hearings and raise objections, they can question any witness. This going beyond nixon and clinton, this resolution allows the president s counsel to ask questions at the presentation of evidence. Under our procedures, the ranking minority member of the Judiciary Committee and Intelligence Committee may issue subpoenas if authorized by a committee vote. These are the same subpoena powers that the ranking minority member was given during clinton and nixon. It allows for greater Member Participation than under past procedures including a robust process for the minority to propose witnesses and issue subpoenas if authorized by committees. And let me just say, i think the fact of the matter is i dont think there is any process that we can propose that republicans who prefer to circle the wagons around this president and prevent us from getting to truth would accept. I ask unanimous consent to nsert into the record h. Res. 81 from the 115th congress, the clinton itch peachment inquiry resolution that contains the same minority subpoena powers as the resolution. I ask unanimous consent to insert in the record h. Res. 803, the nixon impeachment inquiry resolution which contains the same minority subpoena powers as this resolution. The speaker pro tempore without objection. Mr. Mcgovern having said that, madam speaker, yield one continue mint to the gentleman from new mexico, the assistant speaker, mr. Lujan. Mr. Lujan madam speaker, i rise today in support of the resolution on the floor. We are here today because of the rule of law. This resolution, the inquiry, is quong upholding the oath is congress upholding the oath we pledged to the constitution. We are here because of the president , his actions. His jeopardizing our National Security for his own political gain. We are here because we know the white house an the president and the president admitted that President Trump used the power of the presidency to pressure and strong arm the president of a foreign country for his political gain. He called it a favor. Do us a favor, he said. But it wasnt a favor. It was a coordinated attempt to undermine the rule of law. Because of those Actions Congress is compelled to be here, to uphold the rule of law. To make sure americans hear the truth. To say that no one, not even a president , can abuse the system without fair and just consequences. I yield back. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman yields back. The gentleman from oklahoma. Mr. Cole thank you, madam speaker. I yield two minutes to the distinguished Ranking Member of the house Intelligence Committee, my good friend, mr. Nunes from california. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman is recognized for two minutes. Mr. Nunes i want to thank the gentleman. We are not here to run a show trial in an effort to impeach the president of the United States. Its clear that since the democrats took control of the house of representatives they have always intended to transform the Intelligence Committee into the Impeachment Committee. Every one of their actions from the staff they hire to the trump conspiracy theories they investigate, their willful negligent of our basic oversight duties demonstrates this has been their plan from day one. Now this is further confirmed by the adoption of these rules which simply gives the house approval for the Intelligence Committee democrats to continue pursuing their bizarre, obsession with overturning the results of the last president ial election. Nevertheless, after spending three years trying to manufacture a crime they can attribute to President Trump, they have come up empty. First they insisted the president is a russian agent. Then they claimed hes a money launderer and a tax cheat cheat and fraudulent businessman. Now they have decided they dont like the way he talks to foreign leaders. But they have no evidence and no argument to support impeachment. All they have is the unconditional cooperation of the media and their advance to advance their priposster russ narrative. Preposster preposterous narrative. What we are seeing among democrats on the Intelligence Committee down in the scif right now is like a colt. These are a a cult. These are a group of people loyally following their leader as he bounce from one outlantish conspiracy to another and the media are the cult followers, permanently stationed outside the committee spaces pretending to take everything seriously because they, too, support the goal of removing the president from office. The speaker pro tempore the gentlemans time has expired. Mr. Cole i yield 15 seconds to close. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman virginia tech. R. Nunes after today, the house Intelligence Committee ceases to exist. Oversight is not being done. Pledged pledged full Impeachment Committee in the basement of the capitol. Think about that, america. I yield back the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. The gentleman from massachusetts. Mr. Mcgovern madam speaker, im proud to yield one minute to the gentleman from maryland, distinguished member of the rules committee, mr. Raskin. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman is recognized for one minute. Mr. Raskin thank you. Madam speaker, the house impeachment inquiry discovered a substantial body of evidence that the president of the United States has violated the constitution by placing his political interests above the interests of the country, thereby putting both our democracy and the nations security in jeopardy. In light of this evidence, the house of representatives must fully investigate. We have sworn a sacred oath to uphold and defend the constitution of thence against all enemies foreign and domestic. Well honor or oath by countering all high crimes and misdemeanors committed against the American People and our constitution. Todays resolution sets the table for the next phase of the inquiry. This phase includes open hearings led by the Intelligence Committee to allow the American People to hear from witness who is have personal knowledge of the president s actions. Relevant materials will then be transferred to the Judiciary Committee so we may fulfill our solemn and time honored duty to determine whether to recommended articles of impeachment. The group has conducted hearings in a bipartisan way giving professional staff counsel for both the majority and minority equal time to question witnesses and equal opportunities for members of the majority and he minority to question them, too. Despite mr. Mcgovern an additional 20 seconds. Mr. Raskin we will afford the president all the due process protection that is were afforded to his predecessors in a similar situation that includes the ability to attend hearings, question witnesses, and submit evidence. As recently as friday, the federal courts have reaffirmed the house is the sole judge of impeachment and we set the rules here. These rules are fair and strong and well make sure we can and will defend the constitution of the United States. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from oklahoma. Mr. Cole thank you, madam speaker. I yield two minutes to my good friend, the distinguished Ranking Member of the House Oversight committee, mr. Jordan from ohio. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman is recognized for two minutes. Mr. Jordan i thank the gentleman. Madam speaker, trying to put a ribbon on a sham process doesnt make it any less of a sham. Never forget how this whole thing started. Democrats are trying to impeach the president of the United States 13 months before an election based on an anonymous whistleblower with no firsthand knowledge who has a bias against the president , who worked worked with Vice President biden the day after the now famous phone call between President Trump and president zelensky. Writes a memo. In the memo he uses term like this call was scary, frightening. What does he do . Waits 18 days before he files a complaint. Who is the first person he goes to see . First people he goes to see . Chairman schiffs staff. Chairman schiffs staff. 435 members of congress. Only one individual, one member of this body knows who this person is who started this whole darn crazy process. Chairman schiff. Whats this resolution do . Gives even more power to run this secret proceeding in a bunker in the basement of the capitol. This resolution continues the unfair and partisan process. Just two days ago, two days ago we were prevented from having the witness answer our questions in one of these depositions. This resolutions going to give more power to the person who made that decision in the bunker in the basement of the capitol. We are less than 13 months before the next election. Americans understand that this is unfair. Americans get fairness. They instinctively know this is unfair and partisan process. They will see how unfair and partisan it is today when the vote happens on the floor of this house. We can do a lot better than this. We can do a lot better than this and the American People see through t i urge a no vote on this resolution. I thank the gentleman on the rules committee for his work and leadership. With that i yield back. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from massachusetts. Mr. Mcgovern i would like to ask unanimous consent to insert in the record a New York Times rt article army officer who heard ukraine call reported concerns. Which colonel alexander vindman, an army officer on the call, said, i quote, i do not think it was proper to demand a Foreign Government investigate a u. S. Citizen, end quote this. Would all undermine u. S. National security. The speaker pro tempore without objection. Mr. Mcgovern i would like to yield one minute to the gentleman from south carolina, the majority whip, mr. Clyburn. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman is recognized for one minute. Mr. Clyburn thank you, madam speaker. Mr. Clyburn over the last month, the impeachment inquiry has built a powerful body of evidence around President Trumps call with Prime Minister zelensky of ukraine when he told the leader, id like you to do us a favor though. We learned so much about that call and what followed it because some dedicated Public Servants demonstrated their patriotism to this great country by coming forward and testifying and giving us the information as hey know it. These brave patriots have been radical, eer, unelected bureaucrats. Theyve been called that by a group of people who thomas payne would call summer soldiers and sunshine patriots. He warned us that these people ould come forward in a crisis, but deserve the thanks of man and woman, yet we have this conflict with us, the hard they are conflict the more glrs you the triumph. We are here today because brave, dedicated Public Servants and patriots are standing up for their country. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from oklahoma. Mr. Cole thank you very much, madam speaker. I recognize my good friend and fellow member of the rule committees, distinguished gentleman from texas, mr. Burgess, for two minutes. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman is recognized for two minutes. Mr. Burgess i thank the gentleman for yielding. Yesterday, rules committee reported an impeachment resolution that was hastily drafted, without republican input, and just 24 hours notice for review. Last night we offered on the republican side 17 amendments. Unsurprisingly, none were adopt. Despite assurances that all members will have access to materials supporting the articles of impeachment, to date, chairman schiff has ignored 27 bipartisans with to view ambassador volckers transcript. But pursuant to clause to rule 11, clause 2e2, Committee Records are the property of the house. Members of the house should have access. Last night the rule committees was stated that perhaps republicans were not requesting the information at the right times. We have to ask, stwhen right time to view, ask to view our own house records . Republicans requested an authorizing vote and now we will have one. However, process has not been open and transparent. And it diverts from precedent set in the two most recent president ial impeachment investigations. As a result this investigation will be conducted with no minority input. A president ial impeachment investigation is a national draw mafment all members must take this constitutionally vested power seriously and americans deserve to be represented in this process. Unfortunately, neither serious nor equal consideration nor fully access to records appear to be criteria under which the democrats are willing to conduct this investigation. That is a shame and it renders this process a sham. I yield back. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman yields back. The gentleman from massachusetts. Mr. Mcgovern im proud to yield one minute to the gentlewoman from pennsylvania, a distinguished member of the rule committees, ms. Scanlon. The speaker pro tempore the gentlelady is recognized. Take no joy in ake no joy contempt contemplating the impeachment of a president because in contemplating it we must acknowledge a threat to our country. We have tried to work within our means to get to the bottom of allegations of misconduct. Committees have called witnesses and requested evidence only to be stonewalled. The president s defend verse tried distract the American People by falsely claiming to have been excluding excluded from the investigation while their stunts and smears have hindered the process. This resolution outlines ground rulers in house as we move forward, granting the same or greater Due Process Rights to the president and the minority as they themselves drafted when they were in the majority. We will have open hearings. They can question witnesses. They can propose subpoenas. They can present evidence. I am proud to sponsor this resolution. Our constitution requires it and our democracy depends on it. With that, i yield back. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from oklahoma. The gentleman from oklahoma. Mr. Cole thank you very much, madam speaker. I yield two minutes to my good friend, the distinguished republican Ranking Member on the house Judiciary Committee from the state of georgia, mr. Collins. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman is recognized for two minutes. Mr. Collins no matter what is said by the other side today this is a dark day and a cloud has fallen on this house. It has been falling for 10 months and it is showing itself today. What we are seeing is this. If the gentleman who is a friend of mine from the rule committees would actually want to talk about are these the same rulesed a as clinton and nickson we would have had a much longer period of debate buzz he knows and i know it is no. There are similarity, some better, some not but they are not the same. Lets get that out of the way first. The problem im having here is the resolution before us today is not about transparency. Its about control. Its not about fairness, its about winning. Its about following the facts, this resolution is about delivering results. You know how i know this . Because the resolution gives no proper way for how these abilities are transferring of documents from the Intel Committee to Judiciary Committee will happen. Doesnt given a time frame. Ive heard a lot of discussion today about maybe we didnt know how to properly ask last night in rules committee. I guarantee you my staff and i know how to use the rules to ask for information. We were told yesterday by a committee, one of the committee, that we wouldnt cr we couldnt have access because the parliamentarian said we couldnt. Its false and needs to stop. This house is developing and shredding procedures every day. If members on the minority or majority cannot have the right that they are given we are in a sad situation. In fact, the haste to put this together they didnt even exempt as was done in clinson and nixon, rule 112e, they didnt exempt it out. We were so hurried to impeach this president , we dont really give a darn about the rules. But heres my biggest concern, Ranking Member of the Judiciary Committee, i have a question. Weve been here 200plus years as a committee and our committee has been neutered. Our committee who handled impeachment, were the reason in that committee, thats our jurisdiction, we have been completely sidelined. Our chairman and others have been sidelined so i have opinion sidelined. It is so bad they had to have the rules committee write the president ial due process and give it to us. This is not right. I wish mr. Cole i yield the gentleman 15 seconds. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman is recognized. Mr. Collins i do not know what happened to our committee but we still exist. Due process only kicks in in jew dish for the president , it does not kick in in the closed door, secret hear offings adam schiff. That is a travesty, no one should vote for. This he curtain is coming down on this house because the majority has no idea about process and procedure. Theyre simply after the president. I yield back. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from massachusetts. Mr. Mcgovern i get iting, my friends on the other side of the aisle want to talk about process. Not one of them wans to talk thebt president s conduct and that speaks volumes. At this time i would like to yield one minute to the mr. Eman from florida, hastings. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman is recognized. Mr. Hastings thank you, chairman. I thank Ranking Member cole for the man for the which you all are shepherding us through this difficult process. Madam speaker, its time for the American People to see how the administration put our National Security on the Auction Block in exchange for political favors. At the heart of this scandal is the white houses decision to slam the brakes on nearly 400 million of military aid for ukraine. Military aid for a vital partner. Military aid that was desperately needed to beat back russian aggression. Military aid that was key to our own National Security and essential in keeping an adversary at bay. We know what our ukrainian friends thought about this they were horrified. The facts are clear. Our top National Security expert viewed it as a grave and dangerous mistake. As we have seen time and time again, from the trump administration, decision plays right into Vladimir Putins hands. Mr. Mcgovern i yield the gentleman 20 seconds. Mr. Hastings i support pushing ahead with this inquiry because i swore an oath to defend the constitution against americas enemies. The American People deserve the facts about how this abuse of power betrayed our National Security and put our country at risk. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman yields back. The gentleman from oklahoma. Mr. Cole thank you very much, madam speaker. Before i proceed i yield myself such time as i may consume to quickly resfond my friend, mr. Mcgovernor. Were debating process here because thats what this is. This is a process resolution to impeach the president of the United States. Didnt accept a single amendment last night. Didnt confer with us when you did it, thats why were talking process. An unfair process. With that, i yield to my good friend and fellow member of the rule committees, the disting wished gentlelady from arizona, ms. Lesko. The speaker pro tempore the gentlelady is recognized for two minutes. Mrs. Lesko thank you, madam speaker. I thank representative cole for yielding. This impeachment process is a total sham. This resolution which speaks to he which seeks to legitimize it misleads the American Public. Section of this bill is titled the open and transparent investigative proceedings by the Permanent Select Committee on intelligence but the process set forth in this resolution is far from open and far from transparent. In fact, it is the exact opposite. The resolution continues the closed door meetings that blocked entry to members of congress and prohibits the president s Due Process Rights. And it nearly it merely authorizes duh does not require chairman schiff to make transcripts public. Last night republicans offered 17 amendments to add some fairness into this the process but democrats rejected them all. I had an treatment ensure minority witnesses could call an equal number of witnesses as the majority. Democrats said no. I had amendment to require the intel chairman to turn over exculpatory materials to the Judiciary Committee. Democrats shot it down. I had an amendment to give Ranking Members of the Ranking Members the same authority as chairmen to submit materials to the Judiciary Committee, democrats rejected that too. The process set forth by this resolution violates basic standards of fairness. I urge on o opposition to this resolution and i yield back the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore the gentlelady yields back. The gentleman from massachusetts. Mr. Mcgovern i yield myself 10 seconds. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman is recognized. Mr. Mcgovern the gentlelady wants to talk about a sham process. Lets talk about a sham process. Instead of respecting the Constitutional Authority of the house of representatives, the white house has obstructed our with held key ith documents, prevented witnesses from testifies, tried to disparage members of congress, i yield myself five seconds. And they disparaged member of congress who are trying to full their re fulfill their responsibilities. Article 1 of the constitution gives the house the right to investigate the president and we are taking our responsibility seriously. Madam speaker, id like to yield one minute to the gentleman from new york, the chame of the democratic caucus, mr. Jeff reese. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman is recognized for one minute. Eff reese mr. Jeffries the house impeachment inquiry about is about abuse of power. Its about betrayal. Its about corruption, its about National Security, its about the undermifpke our elections, its about the its about defending our democracy for the people. The house is a separate and coequal branch of government. We dont work for this president or any president. We work for the American People. We have a constitutional responsibility to serve as a check and balance on an out of control executive branch. Our job is to ask difficult questions on behalf of the American People. What we are doing right here is consistent with the words of James Madison who in federalist 51 said the house should be a rival to the executive branch. Why did madison use the word sflivel the founders didnt want a king they didnt want a dictator, they didnt want a monarch, they wanted a democracy and that is exactly what we are defending right now, no one is above the law. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from oklahoma. Mr. Cole thank you very much, madam speaker. I yield two minutes to my good friend, the distinguished conference chair for the republican party, ms. Chaney from wyoming. The speaker pro tempore the gentlelady is recognized for two minutes. Ms. Cheney thank you very much, thank you to the republican leader of the rules committee for yielding to me. We have heard a desperation almost on the part of my colleague on the other side of the aisle that the nation take this body seriously then they need to start acting like they take themselves seriously, madam speaker. When we are here, when we are here talking about this grave and solemn obligation we have addressing impeachment. We know what a serious process would look like. We have seen it before. We have seen members on both sides of the aisle in the past when we have been engaged in the impeachment of a president act in a way that is serious, reflects the dignity of this body and the importance of this constitution. Thats the opposite of what we have seen so far. No matter what my colleagues say about this legislation, no matter what my colleagues say about the process they have been engaged in to date, it is absolutely the case it has been a secret process that has denied rights to the minority. That has involved sleeking selectively things that the majority would like to have leaked in which rights of absolutely have been denied and they cannot fix that. They cannot fix what has been a tainted record and process by now suddenly pretending they are opening it up. Let me say one other thing, every time i hear my colleagues on the other side of the aisle talk about efforts to somehow undermine National Security for political gain, i cant help but think about what they are doing precisely this morning. When we are facing the threats we are facing as a nation and my colleagues on the other side of the aisle, Speaker Pelosi and chairman schiff and others, take what is arguably the single most important National Security committee in this body, the house Intelligence Committee, and they tell the house Intelligence Committee, turn away from those threats. Do not focus on oversight. Do not focus on the challenges we face. Instead we are going to consume you in a political partisan process to impeach the president of the United States. Madam speaker, my colleagues on the democratic side of the aisle will be held accountable by history for what they are doing. The speaker pro tempore the gentlemans time has expired. Mr. Cole yield an additional 15 seconds. Ms. Chfment heney they have absolutely no right to talk about threats to this nation. If they are diverting the full attention, resources, and focus of the house Intelligence Committee on to a sham political process run by chairman schiff and Speaker Pelosi. I urge my colleagues to oppose this resolution. I yield back. The speaker pro tempore the gentleladys time has expired. The gentleman from massachusetts. Mr. Mcgovern madam speaker, i am slighted to yield one minute to the i am delighted to yield one minute to the gentlewoman from florida, ms. Shalala. The speaker pro tempore the gentlelady is recognized for one minute. Ms. Shalala having been through this before, i know how painful impeachment investigations can be. I also know that i am not alone in saying that supporting this continuing inquiry is not a decision that any of us makes lightly. None of us has ever hoped to consider investigating our own president for compromising our National Security and obstructing justice. Regardless of political ideology, we all understand our constitutional duty. Its with profound sadness and disappointment that we have to continue this investigation. The accusations the house is investigating goes straight to the heart of our constitution. Our constitution endows us with not only the authority but also the duty to hold our colleagues in the federal government accountable if they fail to act to the best interests of our nation. I dont think anyone here believes domestic politics should interfere with Foreign Policy. I hope we will all vote to continue this investigation simply so that we can be clear on all the facts. More than anything i am confident that all of us possess a capacity for fairness and a commitment to doing what is right for the country we love. I yield back. The speaker pro tempore the gentleladys time has expired. The gentleman from oklahoma. Mr. Cole thank you, very much, madam speaker. I yield one minute to my good friend, the distinguished republican Ranking Member on the house ways and means committee, mr. Brady from texas. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman is recognized for one minute. Mr. Brady thank you, madam speaker. The impeachment removal of the president is a serious matter. At its heart it lets a small partisan group in washington overturn the will of the entire American People. Above all, americans believe in fairness. When accuseer a right to due process this. Sham impeachment offers neither. Its secret. Its partisan. Its being conducted behind closed doors to hide information from the American People. All with one goal in mind, take down President Trump by any means necessary. I will not legitimatize this unprecedented and unfair charade with this vote today. Speaker pelosi, chairman schiff long going abandoned the due process and fairness guaranteed during the clinton itch peoplement. I know because i was here in congress. There is simply no cause for this impeachment inquiry, none. It is shameful to create a constitutional crisis for purely partisan reasons. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from massachusetts. Mr. Mcgovern madam speaker, im proud to yield two minutes to the gentleman from california, the distinguished chairman of the select committee on intelligence, mr. Schiff. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman is recognized for two minutes. Mr. Schiff madam speaker, i rise in strong support of House Resolution 660. I rise in strong support but i do not take any pleasure in the events that have made this process necessary. I rise in strong support of the resolution but i do so with an understanding that the task before us is a solemn one. How each member of this chamber approaches the vote this morning and the days and weeks ahead may be the most Important Service as members of congress we will ever pay to the country and constitution that we all love and have pledged to defend. For the past several weeks the Intelligence Committee, the oversight committee, and the Foreign Affairs committee have engaged in an intensive investigation. That work, which has been conducted with equal opportunities for both parties to question witnesses, has added a great deal to our understanding of the president s conduct as evident in the july 25 call record and the events that both preceded and followed that call. That work has necessarily occurred behind closed doors because we have had the task of finding the facts ourselves without the benefit of the investigation that the Justice Department declined to undertake. Despite attempts to obstruct, we have interviewed numerous witnesses. We have provided important testimony about the efforts to secure political favors from ukraine who have provided important testimony about the efforts to secure political favorites from ukraine. We have reviewed Text Messages monkey players which show how securing political investigations was placed at the forefront of our Foreign Policy towards ukraine. This resolution sets the stage for the next phase of our investigation, one in which the American People have the opportunity to hear from the witnesses firsthand. We will continue to conduct this inquiry with the seriousness of purpose that our task deserves because it is our duty and because no one is above the law. Madam speaker, i urge passage of the resolution and i yield back. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. The gentleman from oklahoma. Mr. Cole thank you, madam speaker. I yield one minute to my good friend from the great state of texas, mr. Babin. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman is recognized for one minute. Mr. Babin thank you. What began with a rallying cry of we are going to impeach the expletive deleted to a crowd of liberal activists and Young Children by my colleague from michigan on the very first day of this new congress is now the majoritys flagship initiative. What a shame and what a waste of time in the peoples house. My view, our president was doing his job, ensuring if taxpayer dollars from my constituents and yours was going to the other side of the world it would be paired with a commitment to crack down on corruption at all levels. No matter whos someones daddy is or what their political ambitions are. I think we all know this was inevitable. From the moment donald j. Trump was elected, the ends of harassment and impeachment have been waiting for the means. They think they have found them. They are wrong. There is, however, one small measure we can take as one house to bring a bring a shred of dignity to these proceedings. We can stand and be counted one by one and announce our yea or nay with a vote by call of the role. To that end, madam speaker, i have a parliamentary inquiry. The speaker pro tempore the gentleladys time has expired. The gentleman from massachusetts. Mr. Mcgovern madam speaker, im proud to yield one minute to the gentlewoman from california, the speaker, ms. Pelosi. The speaker pro tempore the gentlelady is recognized for one minute. I thank the gentleman for yielding. Madam speaker, thank you for the recognition. I want to begin my remarks by some of the most beautiful words in our countrys history. We, the people, of the United States in order to form a more perfect union, establish justice, ensure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and to our posterity to ordain and establish this constitution of the United States. It goes on immediately to establish article 1, the legislative branch, article 2, the executive branch, article 3, the judiciary. The genius of the constitution, a separation of powers. Three coequal branches of government to be a check and balance on each other. And its that that we take the oath of office. We gather here on that opening day with our families gathered round to proudly raise our hands to protect and defend the constitution of the United States. That is exactly what we are doing today. Sadly this is not any cause for any comfort. This is something that is very solemn, that is something prayerful. And that we had to gather so much information to take us to this next step. Again, this is a solemn occasion. Nobody, i doubt anybody in this place, or anybody that you know, comes to congress to take the oath of office, comes to congress to impeach the president of the United States. Unless his actions are jeopardizing our honoring our oath of office. Im grateful to our Committee Chairs for all the careful and thoughtful investigation they have been doing as this inquiry has proceeded. Today the house takes the next step forward as we establish the procedures for open hearings, conducted by the house Intelligence Committee, so that the public can see the facts for themselves. This resolution ensures transparency, advancing Public Disclosure of depositions transcripts, and outlying the procedures for the transfer of evidence to the Judiciary Committee to use in its proceedings. It enables effective public hearings setting out procedures for the questioning of witnesses and continuing the precedent of giving the minority the same rights in questioning witnesses as the majority. Which has been true at every step of this inquiry despite what you might hear. It provides the president and his counsel opportunities to participate, including presenting his case, submitting requests for testimony, attending hearings, raising objections to testimony given, crossexamining witnesses, and more and contrary to what you heard today, we have give more we give more opportunity to the his case than was given to other president s before. Thank you, mr. Chairman, for making that point so clearly. These actions, this process, these open hearings, seeking the truth and making it available to the American People, will inform congress on the very difficult decisions we will have to make in the future as to whether to impeach the president. That decision has not been made. Thats what the i choirry will investigate inquiry will investigate and then we can make the decision based on the truth. I dont know why the republicans are afraid of the truth. Every member should support allowing the American People to hear the facts for themselves. This that is really what this vote is about. It is about the truth. What is at stake . What is at stake in all of this is nothing less than our democracy. I proudly stand next to the flag and i thank the gentleman from new york for providing it for us. This flag, so many have fought and died for this flag, which stands for our democracy. When Benjamin Franklin came out of independence hall, you heard this over and over, on day our 17, 1787, the constitution was adopted, he came out of independence hall, people said to him, dr. Franklin, what do we have a monarchy or a republic . And he said, as you know, he said, a republic, if we can keep it. If we can keep it. D this constitution is the blueprint for our republic and not a monarchy. But when we have a president who says article 2 says i can do whatever i want, that is in defiance of the separation of powers. Thats not what our constitution says. So what is at stake . Is our democratcy. What are we fighting for . Defending our democracy for the people. You know in the early days of our revolution, thomas paine said, the times have found us. The times found our founders to declare independence from a monarchy, to fight a war of independence, write our founding documents and thank god they made them amendable so we can always be expanding freedom. And the genius, again that genius of that constitution was the separation of power. Any jew surping of that power is a violation of our oath of office. So proudly, you all, we all raised our hands to protect and defend what the constitution of the United States. Thats what this vote is about. Today we think the time found our founders, the times found others in the course of our history to protect our democracy, to keep our country united. The times have found each and every one of nuss this room and in our country. To Pay Attention to how we protect and defend the constitution of the United States. Honoring the vision of our founders who declared independence from a monarch and established a country contrary to that principle. Honoring men and women in uniform who fight for our freedom and for our democracy and honoring the aspirations of our children so that no president , whoever he or she may be in the future, could decide that article 2 says they can do whatever they want. Again, let us honor our oath of office, let us defend our democracy, let vuss a good vote today and have clarity, clarity as to how we proceed, why we proceed, and again, doing so in a way that hon norse constitution. We must honor the constitution and how we do this. We must respect the institution we serve. And we must heed the further words of our founders, e plure bus ewe numb frommark one. They didnt know how many we would be, or how different we would be, but they knew we needed to always be unify. Hopefully as we go forward with this, the clarity of purpose, the clarity of procedure, a clarity of fact, a clarity of truth about the truth, its about the constitution, we will do so in a way that brings people together that is healing rather than dividing and that is how we will honor our oath of office. I urge an aye vote and yield back the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore the entlelady yields back. The gentleman from oklahoma. Mr. Cole thank you, madam speaker. I yield two minutes to my good friend, the distinguished gentleman from texas, the ranking republican member on the house Foreign Affairs committee, mr. Mccaul. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman is recognized for two minutes. Mr. Mccaul id also argue that afrl 1 does not say you can do whatever you want to do. The constitution says that and our Founding Fathers said that as well. For 38 days i have objected to this impeachment probe because it denies due process. Fundamental transparency and basic fairness to republicans, the white house, and the American People. From day one, democrats have ignored the rules and 45 years of historic impeachment precedent. Without any authorization, adam schiff has conducted a secret probe outside of his committees jurisdiction. He has blocked us from calling our own witnesses. His witnesses are being interviewed behind closed doors in the most secretive room in the United States capitol. That is not democracy. Hes muzzled republicans. Ive been in the room. Placing a gag order on depositions while leaking cherrypicked facts to the press. He refuses to even allow us to read the transcripts without being babysat by a democrat staffer. Hes refused to let us hear from the most important witness who brought this entire thing, the whistleblower. Hes barred white House Counsel from any participation. And now, 38 days into the deems rush to impeachment, Speaker Pelosi claim she is wants to establish rules and transparency. You cannot make your game fair by allowing the opposing team onto the field at the twominute warning. The bipartisan precedents from nixon and clinton still must be followed and they are not being followed under this resolution. The white House Counsel remains shut out of this process. This is unacceptable. Only three times in our nations hiry has congress exercised its great power of impeachment. Our Founding Fathers in federalist papers number 65, Alexander Hamilton, warned us of abusing this power because they saw a future congress mr. Cole i yield the gentleman 5 seconds. They foresaw a congress at one point in history abusing this process for partisan political gain. So instead of overturning an entire election with a partisan weapon, we should just allow the American People to vote. With that, i yield back. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from massachusetts. Mr. Mcgovern im proud to yield one minute to the gentlewoman from california, a distinguished member of the rules committee, mrs. Torres. The speaker pro tempore the gentlelady is recognized for one minute. Madam speaker, i rise in strong support of h. R. 660. Impeachment is not something that we take lightly. But when the president endangers our National Security, he gives us no other choice. We now know from trumps own call record that he pressured a Foreign Government to interfere in our elections and investigate his political opponent. We now know that trump potentially sought to apply leverage on ukraine. First, with a coveted white house meeting. Second, by with holding Security Assistance to fend off russian aggression. Todays resolution allows us to prevent these fact to present these facts in a clear, professional, and fair way. I urge passage of h. R. 660, so the American People can learn the truth. I yield back. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from oklahoma. Mr. Cole thank you very much, madam speaker. I yield 30 seconds to my good friend, the distinguished gentleman from arizona, mr. Biggs. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman is recognized for 30 seconds. Mr. Biggs thank you. Ive heard today how much my colleagues on the other side wish to make this an open an transparent process and this is for we the people. And i would really like to believe that. Yet after they introduced the resolution they have another weeks full of hearings behind closed doors and schedule another weeks full of hearings behind closed doors. If this is about transparency, eep it up. If you want the American People to see it, open it up. Give members access to the transcripts. Let the immediate wra into the room. Let us participate fail failing to do so i denies transparencies and belies what youre saying. Mr. Mcgovern im proud to yield one minute to the gentleman from california, mr. Desull nay. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman is recognized for one minute. Mr. Desaulnier from the start of this inquiry, the white house has obstructed the house of representatives. The white house has completely ignore dudely authorized subpoenas and has tried to prevent witnesses from testifying. The white house has also directed other agencies to do the same. The department of state, the department of energy, department of defense, the office of management and budget, all have refused to produce a single document in response to valid subpoenas. This is an unprecedented coverup and the white house and its defenders in congress have tried to justify it with baseless procedural claims that contradict the constitution and historic precedent. History will judge us all. After today, there are no more excuses for those who want to focus on process instead of substance. After today, there are no more excuses for those who want to ignore the facts and instead defending the constitution and there are no more excuse frs those who turn a blind eye by the president and pressures foreign actors to interfere with our democracy. Yield i yield back the balance of my time. Mr. Cole i have a speaker on the wark im a i think im going to reserve. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from massachusetts. Mr. Mcgovern i yield one minute to the gentleman from new york, mr. Morrelle. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman is recognized for one minute. Mr. Morrelle i rise in strong support of House Resolution 660. I am deeply troubled that this process has become necessary at all. But we have no choice, we must continue to investigate alarming allegations of misconduct by the president. We continue with a public process through which all americans will have the ability to access and assess the evidence. This has been and will continue to be a fair and sober inquiry. Members on both sides will continue to have the opportunity to question witnesses, seek evidence, and we refute testimony presented in these proceedings the president will have strong protections as we weigh the evidence in our deliberations. Our only goal is uncovering the truth. Did the president pressure ukrainian leaders with a threat of with holding Critical Military assistance in order to serve his political interests . Has the president endangered american interests abrd by engaging in domestic political intrigue . These are serious issues, not of politics but of National Security. This inquirly sour solemn obligation but it is our obligation nonetheless. I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this resolution so we uphold our oath to the constitution an preserve a transparent process. The speaker pro tempore the gentlemans time has expired. Mr. Cole thank you very much, madam speaker of i yield three minutes to the distinguished whip of the House Republican conference, my good friend from louisiana, mr. Scalise. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman is recognized for three minutes. Mr. Scalise thank you, madam speaker. I thank my colleague, mr. Cole, for yielding. Madam speaker, i rise in strong opposition to this resolution. Unfortunately, weve seen since the day that President Trump was inaugurated there have been some people that made it public that they wanted to impeach him. Not because of high crimes and misdemeanors, which is the constitutional standard, but just because they dont agree with the results of the 2016 election. That, madam speaker is not why you impeach a president. There is precedent. This has only happened three times in the history of our country. Every time it not only started with a full vote of the house duh it also started with actual fairness. Were not getting that fairness today. When you look through this resolution, in multiple places, it gives Veto Authority by the chair to literally reject any witness thats brought forward by the minority. So no rights for the minority unless the chair so designates. In fact, in this resolution, it allows the chair to veto even the ability for the president to have Legal Counsel in the room. If the chair chooses. At his whim. They can kick out the president s Legal Counsel. This is uns predened. Its not only unprecedented, this is soviet style rules. Maybe in the soviet union you do things like this where only you make the rules. Where you reject the ability for the perp youre accusing to even be in the room. To question whats going on. For anybody else to call witnesses when only one person has the right to call witnesses. And as we saw just the other day, the chairman was literally directing the witness to not answer certain questions by the republicans. What kind of fairness is that . Maybe you think its fair fns you can run roughshod over somebody because youve got the votes but thats not how impeachment was supposed to go. In fact, stander hamilton himself, during the debate on the constitution, in the federalist paper, Alexander Hamilton warned of days like this and i quote, the greatest danger is that the decision on impeachment will be regulated more by the comparative strength of parties than by the real demonstrations of innocence or guilt. Alexander hamilton warned about days like today. This is not what we should be doing. Clearly. When you ask the American People who know theyre paying higher drug prices and they see theres legislation, bipartisan legislation, to lower drug prices that wont come to this floor because of the infatuation with impeachment. We dont have a bill to formally pay our troops and make sure they have the tools they need to defend this country because theres so much an infatuation with impeachment. Madam speaker, when you look through this resolution an you see how onesided, how sovietstyle this is running, this is the United States of america. Dont run a sham process, a tainted process, like this resolution ensures. It ought to be rejected. I encourage burn rejection of this and yield back the balance f my time. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from massachusetts. Mr. Mcgovern madam speaker, i yield two minutes to the gentleman from new york, the distinguished chairman of the committee on judiciary, mr. Nadler. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman is recognized for two minutes. Mr. Nadler thank you, madam speaker. I support this resolution because it is the solemn duty of the congress to investigate the serious allegations against the president. I support this resolution because it is indefensible for any official to demand that an ally, one depending on our support in a struggle with russia, investigate his or her political adversaries. I support this resolution because no person, republican or democrat, should be permitted to jeopardize americas security and reputation for selfserving political purposes. I support this resolution because after a fair and thorough inquiry the allegations against President Trump are found to be true, they would represent the ofound offense against the constitution and people of this country. I support this resolution because i believe it is the duty of this house to vindicate the constitution and to make it Crystal Clear to future president s that such conduct, if proven, is an affront to the great public trust placed in him or her. I support this resolution not because i want the allegations to be true, they sadden me deeply, but because if they are true, the constitution demands that we take action. I support this resolution because it lays the groundwork for open hearings. The house and the American Public must see all the evidence for themselves. I support this resolution because i know we must overcome this difficult moment for the nation. This resolution is necessary to ensure that our Constitutional Order remains intact for future generations. I support this resolution because we have no choice. I yield back. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. The gentleman from oklahoma. Mr. Cole thank you, madam speaker. I am going to reserve my time as we are waiting for a speaker to come. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman reserves. The gentleman from massachusetts. Mr. Mcgovern madam speaker, i am proud to yield two minutes to the gentleman from new york, the distinguished chairman of the committee on Foreign Affairs, mr. Engel. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman is recognized for two minutes. I thank the gentleman and rise to support moving forward to the next open phase of this impeachment inquiry so that the American People can hear from witnesses, see the evidence, and understand the troubling story of whats taken place in this administration. As chairman of the Foreign Affairs committee, my priorities are supporting american diplomats and diplomacy. Working with partners and allies and ensuring our Foreign Policy advances americas interests. This administration has unfortunately undermined all those priorities since its first day. But in the last month, we have learned more and more about just how deem deep this goes. The facts how deep this goes. The facts are clear, the white house launched the shadow Foreign Policy that circumvented and undermined our normal diplomatic channels. A distinguished career ambassador was publicly smeared and pushed aside. Critical military aid for ukraine, a valued partner locked in a life or death struggle against russia, was blocked. The goal, not some Foreign Policy priority, not an effort to make our country safer or stronger, quite the opposite. As delaying these resources hurt ukraine and directly benefited putin. Why then, to pressure a Foreign Government to interfere in our 2020 elections, its what the framers feared most. The president s own words say it best from the record of the call with president zelensky as he sought the tools to push back against russia. Mr. Trumps answer, id like you to do us a favor, though. Since that damning piece of evidence came to light, the intelligence oversight and Foreign Affairs committees have worked to fill in the pieces of the puzzle, thanks to the courage of Public Servants who obeyed the law and testified even in the face of bullying and intimidation from the administration. Of ugly baseless smears from the president s allies. I condemn the shameful efforts to identify and harass the whistleblower whose life may be jeopardized for coming forward to tell the truth. The speaker pro tempore the gentlemans time has expired. Mr. Engel i salute all those patriots and my fellow chairs. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from oklahoma. The gentleman from oklahoma. The gentleman reserves. The gentleman from massachusetts. Mr. Mcgovern madam speaker, i yield one minute to the gentlewoman from california, the distinguished chairwoman of the committee on Financial Services, ms. Waters. The speaker pro tempore the gentlelady is recognized for one minute. Ms. Waters thank you, chairman mcgovern. I rise in support of h. Res. 660 and the process that set forth within by which the impeachment inquiry will continue to be conducted. To be clear, contrary to what these desperate republicans have claimed, the constitution imposes no requirement that a procedural resolution such as h. Res. 660, should be voted on by the house. Claiming otherwise is but a fabrication meant to distract from the mountain of growing evidence that demonstrates this president abused his power for personal benefit. However, while not necessary, this resolution provides for impartial procedures similar to those used during the past impeachment proceedings because republicans requested a formal procedural vote, i expect nothing less than their full support for h. Res. 60. Anything less would be shameful. As chairwoman of the Financial Services committee, we have been conducting credible investigations into the conduct of this administration. And this work will continue in the manner outlined by h. Res. Of 6 o 660. I look forward to democrats and republicans alike prioritizing country over party. Voting in favor of the speaker pro tempore the gentlelady the gentleman from massachusetts. The gentleman from massachusetts is recognized. Mr. Mcgovern madam speaker, yield one minute to the gentleman from california, mr. Swalwell. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman is recognized for one minute. Mr. Swal well i would like mr. Swalwell i would like you to do us a favor, though. President trump said those 10 words before asking the ukrainian president to investigate a potential political opponent. For the past month the Intelligence Committee has led an investigation into what happened around that phone call. In this early investigative stage, we have heard powerful corroborating evidence that President Trump led an extortion, shakedown scheme over the ukrainians, leveraging 391 million of taxpayer dollars to have a foreign power assist him in his upcoming campaign. Just as powerful as the evidence we heard is the courage of the people who have come forward to provide it, de filing lawless white house orders to obstruct and instead adhering to lawful congressional subpoenas. The evidence, however, is not a conclusion. At this stage we must move now to a public process with due process protections for the president to secure and test that evidence. When our founders designed the constitution, they considered a lawless president and how to hold that person accountable. James madison said, the constitution needed a provision for defending the community against lawlessness. The speaker pro tempore the gentlemans time has expired. Mr. Swalwell now we must yield back. The speaker pro tempore members are reminded to engage from engaging in personalities towards the president. The gentleman from oklahoma. Mr. Cole i would like to would like to inquire from my friend if he has additional speakers. Mr. Mcgovern we do. I yield 30 seconds the speaker pro tempore the gentleman will suspend. Mr. Cole i reserve my time. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman reserves. The gentleman from massachusetts. Mr. Mcgovern happy to yield 30 seconds to the gentleman from colorado. Mr. Neguse. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman is recognized for 30 seconds. Mr. Into guse mr. Neguse madam speaker, today is a serious and solemn day for our country. The houses impeachment inquiry has exposed the truth and uncovered significant evidence that the president abused his power. To honor the oath to defend the constitution that each of us took, we must move forward with this impeachment inquiry. For as Thomas Jefferson once said hundreds of years ago, a sacred respect for the constitutional law is the vital principle, the sustaining energy of a free government. Let us honor the constitution and defend it today by voting yes on this resolution. The speaker pro tempore the gentlemans time has expired. The gentleman from oklahoma. Mr. Cole thank you, madam speaker. I continue to reserve my time. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman reserves. The gentleman from massachusetts. Mr. Mcgovern madam speaker, im happy to yield 30 seconds to the gentleman from pennsylvania, mr. Boyle. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman is recognized for 30 steckeds. Mr. Boyle madam speaker, i did not come here to launch an impeachment process. However, the facts demand it. A republic, if you can keep it. What we decide today will say more about us than it says about the conduct of the president. I yield back. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman yields back. The gentleman from oklahoma. Mr. Cole thank you, madam speaker. I continue to reserve. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman reserves. The gentleman from massachusetts. Mr. Mcgovern i yield, madam speaker, 30 seconds to the gentleman from rhode island, mr. Cicilline. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman is recognized for 30 seconds. Mr. Cicilline madam speaker, on opening day we take an oath of office. We take aboath not to a king, president , but to protect and defend the constitution. It is our solemn duty. In fact this resolution sets forth the procedures for the next phase of our impeachment inquirery. We know substantial evidence has been presented that the abused his power, undermined our National Security, and undermined the integrity of our elections. We are duty bound to proceed. It is a sad day, but not because congress has the courage to stand up for our democracy but because the president s conduct has forced this action. I urge my colleagues to approve this resolution. The speaker pro tempore the gentlemans time has expired. The gentleman from oklahoma. Mr. Cole thank you, madam speaker. I continue to reserve. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman reserves. The gentleman from massachusetts. Mr. Mcgovern im prepared to close. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from oklahoma. Mr. Cole madam speaker, if i yield myself such time as i may consume. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman is recognized. Mr. Cole thank you, madam speaker. Madam speaker, if we defeat the previous question i will amend the resolution to ensure transparency for the American People. My amendment will do three very simple things. First, it will require the chairman of the Permanent Select Committee on intelligence to publicly release the transcripts of all depositions and interviews in a timely manner to allow any necessary redactions to protect classified or sensitive information. My colleagues on the other side have been operating in secret and behind closed doors. They have been violating standing house rules by preventing member access to documents, let alone sharing anything with the people that elected them to serve. Second, my amendment requires the intel chairman to transfer all all records or materials, including exculpatory records or materials to the Judiciary Committee. The chairmans instructed to again make the necessary redactions to protect any classified or sensitive information. In contrast the democratic majoritys resolution lets the chairman choose what information he will share. Finally, my amendment requires the Intelligence Committees records and reports, as well as any material received from any other committee involved, be made available at least 72 hours prior to the Judiciary Committee considering any articles of impeachment or other recommendations. The resolution before us today does absolutely nothing to guarantee that the American People will see this vital information. The procedures my democratic colleagues set up for this impeachment inquiry are fundamentally unfair and fundamentally partisan. They reject due process. They reject minority rights. And they reject adequate Public Disclosure. The American People will not respect the process thats not fair, madam speaker. I urge the house to reject this measure and i urge the house to insist on bipartisan procedures that respect the rights of the minority and the right of due process. With that, madam speaker, i yield one minute to the distinguished republican leader, mr. Mccarthy of california. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman is recognized. Mr. Mccarthy i thank the entleman for yielding. Madam speaker, elections have consequences. Our fellow americans used their vote to choose who will work for them. So i ask youall a simple question. Especially to my colleagues. Is that what is happening here today . Are we gathered these final moments before we depart for a week to fund our government . To pay our troops . Are we gathered today to prove a new trade deal . Are we gathered to debate the critical National Security ssues regarding china or iran . That answer would be unanimously no. We are not working for the American People. Those items would resemble the achievements of a productive congress. A congress that truly works for the people. But you know what this Congress Counts . This Congress Records more subpoenas than laws, thats the legacy. It is not just devoid of solutions for the American People, it is now abusing its power to discredit democracy. By using secret interviews and selective leaks to portray the president s legitimate actions as an impeachable offense. Democrats are continuing their Permanent Campaign to undermine his legitimacy. For the last three years, they have predetermined the president s guilt. They have never accepted the voters choice to make him president. So for 37 days and counting, they have run an unprecedent, undemocratic, and unfair investigation. This resolution today only makes it worse. Ive heard members on the other side say they promise rights to the president but only if he does does what they want. Thats equivalent of saying in the First Amendment, you have the right to the freedom of speech but you can only say the words i agree with. Thats what you call due process. The amendment offered by my colleague, mr. Cole, would help correct some of the transparency concerns we have witnessed over the last few weeks. But today is more than the fairness of an impeachment process. It is ability the integrity of our electoral process. Democrats are trying to impeach the president because they are scared they cannot defeat him at the ballot box. Thats not my words, thats the words of my colleagues from the other side of the aisle that have offered impeachment three different times. This impeachment is not only an attempt to undo the last election. It is an aterpt to influence the next one as well. This is not what democrats promised when they entered the majority 11 months ago. In this chamber, we heard from our speaker while we all sat here. We heard what the speaker said when she talked about words of optimism and cooperation. It was said we would Work Together to make america stronger, more secure and more prosperous. We were told our mission was to return the power to the people. In fact, our new colleagues on the other side of the aisle were sent to washington with a mandate to do just that. So whats happening . Nothing like that today. Not long ago, democrats recognized that a partisan impeachment would put poll toimbings people and harm our nation. That exact same speaker that talked about cooperation that talked about promised the American People that they would do different, they would be different if you justed if we trusted you with the majority. You have failed in that promise. That speaker said impeachment is so divisive to the country that unless theres something so compelling and overwhelming and bipartisan, the word bipartisan, i do not think we should go down that path because it divides the country. What has changed since those ords have been spoken . Alexander hamilton wrote, there will always be the greatest danger that the decision to use impeachment power would be driven by partisan animosity. Instead to have real demonstrations of innocent or guilt, the sham impeachment by democrats have proven hamilton right and betrays the speakers own words. I know emotions are high. I know members would even run for positions of chair simply on the fact that they would be a better chair for impeachment right after the election. But when we all stood that day and listened to the words of the speaker of cooperation, we all raised our hand to uphold the constitution. Tomorrow is november 1. Were one year away from an election. Not just for this house but for the highest office of presidency. Why do you not trust the people . Why do you not allow the people to have a voice . Why in a process that america lends their voice to all of us, to deny us to speak for them . Has animosity risen that high . Is hamilton proven correct again . There is a moment and time you should rise to the occasion. This is that moment. This is the moment that history will write, history will ask you when you cast this vote, when you cast the vote to justify something that has gone on behind closed doors, i want you to ask the historian and answer the question, what do you know that happened there . Have you read anything that took place that you just justified . What do you believe the definition of due process is . What do you think the First Amendment is . You have the right to have a voice or only the words that you agree with . You may get elected in a primary but in a general election youre elected to represent the people of america, not to deny their voice. This house is so much better than what is transforming today. I believe everyone who runs for this office runs to solve a problem. But when you go back to the American Public with the achievement of more subpoenas than laws that is not why you ran. That is not why we are here. Thats why i agree with my colleague, mr. Cole, that believes in the power of the people, people before politics. That we believe and know we can do better. That we believe the speaker when she said about cooperation, we believed her when she said if you trusted them with the majority they would be different. I guess its only fitting you take this vote on halloween. Yield back. The speaker pro tempore members are directed to address their remarks to the chair. The gentleman from oklahoma has one minute remaining. Mr. Cole with that, i yield back the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from massachusetts. Mr. Mcgovern i yield myself the balance of he time. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman is recognized. Thatcgovern let me assure the minority leader that this democratic majory can legislate an also hold our responsibilities to hold this president to account. Because it is our job. We took aboath to do that. In terms of our legislative accomplishments, they they are second to none. When you were in the majority you shut the government down. Today, the education and Labor Committee reported out the higher ed bill. We passed a bill to deal with gun violence. We passed the dream act. We raised the minimum wage. Were working on a bill to lower prescription drugs. We passed a bill to protect our elections so russia doesnt interfere in our elections ever again. So madam speaker, i want to say to my colleagues that i am proud of the process we are following here today that brought us this resolution. Madam speaker, past congresses under the impeachments of president s nixon and clinton found it prudent to have a resolution in place laying out the path forward. Thats what we are doing here today. This resolution before us today is based on precedent. It includes protections for President Trump. The president s counsel is given the right to ask questions when the evidence is presented. The rules here expressly provide his counsel the chance to be invited to offer concluding a concluding presentation. Neither of these things were guaranteed to president nickson and president clinton. It lays out a clear path forward so that the American People know what to expect going forward. Madam speaker, the obstruction from this white house is uns pretented. It is stunning. We dont know whether President Trump will be impeached. But the allegations are as serious as it gets. Endangering National Security for political gain. Madam speaker, history is testing us and i worry based on what we have heard from the other side today that some may be failing that test. There are no kings and queens in america. That is what separate this is country from so many other nations. No one is above the law. Let me repeat that. No one is above the law. I urge my colleagues to support this resolution. With testimony from the top of ukraine. Find the procedures for the hearing on our website cspan. Org impeachment and watch our live all day coverage on cspan3, cspan. Org on your computer or mobile device, or listen live on the free cspan radio app. Cspans journal live every day with news and policy issues that impact you. Coming up wednesday morning, we are getting your reaction ahead of the first impeachment inquiry hearing. Join the discussion all morning with phone calls, facebook comments, Text Messages and tweets. Watch cspans washington journal live on wednesday. President trump spoke at the Economic Club of new york. The president discussed a wide range of economic issues, including unemployment, job creation and china. The Economic Club of new york president introduced the president. Barbara good afternoon and welcome, everyone. I am barbara van allen,