Elections are the heart of our democracy. Our Founding Fathers devised a simple way to remove a president if you disagree with him. Its called an election. And we have one coming up in less than a year. Lets let the people decide this next november and i yield back. Gentleman yields back. Gentleman from new york. Madam speaker, i now yield one minute to the gentle lady from michigan. Gentle lady is recognized for one minute. Thank you. I rise today in support of impeachment. I learned so much every single day from my residents at home. Their common sense and understanding of what is right and wrong is centered on why they oppose any person using the most powerful position in the world for personal gain. We honor our veterans in this chamber almost on a daily basis. But do we ever follow their lead . Where we serve the people of the United States and uphold the constitution, not as republicans or democrats, but as americans. We should learn from their sense of duty and responsibility to country and democracy. Not political party. Doing nothing here, madam speaker, is not an option. Looking away from these crimes against our country is not an option. This is about protecting the future of our nation and our democracy from corruption, abuse of power, criminal coverups, and bribery. And this, madam speaker, this vote is also for my sons and the future. Of so many generations. So i urge my colleagues to, please, vote yes on these articles of impeachment. With that, madam speaker, i yield. Gentleman from georgia. Thank you, madam speaker. At this time, i yield a minute and a half to the gentleman from pennsylvania, mr. Joyce. Madam speaker, i rise today on this dark day in the United States house of representatives to voice my opposition to the shameful impeachment process
that has occurred in the peoples house. Some of my colleagues on the other side of the aisle do not like President Trump. We know this because they proudly boasted about their intention to impeach our president before he was even sworn into office. Out of disdain for the president and for those of us who elected him, the house of representatives is considering two articles of impeachment that are so very weak that they even fail to include specific crimes. The people that i represent in South Central and Southwestern Pennsylvania know the truth. The American People know the truth. This Impeachment Circus has never been about the facts. This process has always been about seeking revenge for the president s election in 2016. And attempting to prevent him from winning again in 2020. Madam speaker, i wholeheartedly oppose this partisan and shameful effort to impeach our
democratically and dulyelected president for the sake of our nation. I urge my colleagues to join with me and vote no on the articles of impeachment. Thank you. I yield back. Gentleman yields back. Gentleman from new york. Madam speaker, all we keep hearing from the other side are are attacks on the process and questions of our motives. We do not hear, because we cannot hear because they cannot articulate a real defense of the president s actions. I now yield one minute to the gentle lady from massachusetts, ms. Presley. One minute. Madam speaker, i rise today to protect our democracy. Today, we take a stand against corruption and abuses of power. What we are doing here today is not only patriotic. It is uniquely american. America is a story of ordinary people confronting abuses of power with a steadfast pursuit
of justice. Throughout our history, the oppressed have been relegated to the margins by the powerful. And each time, we have fought back. Deliberate in our approach, cleareyed. Each generation has fought for the preservation of our democracy. And that is what brings us to the house floor today. Efficient and effective in the pursuit of our truth. Congress has done its due diligence. Today, we send a clear message. We will not tolerate abuses of power from the president of the United States of america. The future of this nation rests in our hands. It is with a heavy heart but a resolved one and because i believe our democracy is worth fighting for, i will vote to impeach donald j. Trump. And i urge my colleagues to do the same. Gentleman from georgia. Thank you, madam speaker. And, you know, again, my chairman, again, i think hears us. He just doesnt want acknowledgment. When you have nothing but a process and it was completely amok. You talk about already
debunked the facts many times. Lets do it one more time. No pressure mr. Trump or mr. Zelensky. What really just horrifies me is the continuation to say mr. Zelensky, who is supposedly a victim here, had said many times there is no pressure. He is the majority of democrats are calling him a liar. Thats deplorable. He has No Conditionality in the transcript or after that. Five meetings prove that. All highlevel meetings. No conditionality. Two of those meetings were after the ukrainians actually knew of the possibility of their aid being held. Also, after there was nothing done to get the money. Guess what . They get the money. Thats the facts. Thats what they dont want to deal with. Thats where were at today. So lets continue to see how the sham was perpetrated. Thats what many members are talking about. With that, i yield a minute and a half to the gentleman from michigan. Gentleman is recognized for a minute and a half. Thank you, madam speaker. I rise today in opposition to the articles of impeachment against President Trump. I believe all American People need to be looked in the eye by
all their representatives. Today is the culmination of the democrats threeyearlong quest to delegitimize the president. This has been in the works since november 2016. And was all but promised when the democrats took the majority. This sham process began without a formal vote in the house. And was continued over these past several months, willfully trampling on decades of bipartisan precedent. No due process. Closedoor depositions. Even though nothing in this investigation was classified. And leaking only details that fit their narrative. If this isnt partisan politics, i dont know what is. Holding our elected officials accountable is a job i take extremely seriously. But the impeachment votes today represent the worst of washington, d. C. Yet another reason my constituents are so disillusioned with the process and disappointed by the 116th
congress. Michigans First District sent me to washington to get things done. To get the government off their backs and to help rural michiganders and other people around the country keep more of their hardearned currency. Not to impeach our dulyelected president. With that, i urge my colleagues to vote against the articles of impeachment. I yield back. Gentleman yields back. Gentleman from new york. Madam speaker, i now yield one minute to the gentle lady from california. Gentle lady is recognized for one minute. Madam speaker, it is with a solemn sense of duty that i rise today in support of impeachment. As this Chamber Debates two articles of impeachment against the president for his abuse of power and obstruction of congress, i want history to know that i stood up to say that i stand for the constitution and our democracy. When my immigrant mom became a United States citizen, she took an oath and allegiance to our country and constitution. When i stood on this floor, as a new member of congress, i took
an oath to uphold and defend our constitution. The president abused his power when he used his official office and power to ask a Foreign Government to interfere in our elections. When he asked a Foreign Government for a personal favor to dig up dirt on his political opponent so he could cheat. The president got caught. And then he tried to cover it up. Today, we say no more. Today, we say we will not allow this president to abuse his power and endanger our National Security. I stand to say no one is Above The Law. Not even this president. I yield back. Gentleman from georgia. Thank you, madam speaker. I yield a minute and a half to the gentleman from pennsylvania, mr. Perry. I thank the gentleman. Since before inauguration, the press and members of this congress have been for impeachment. Members refuse to attend the inauguration. They called for impeachment. They voted for impeachment. Without any evidence. They voted for impeachment. Creating and manufacturing evidence. Recall and votes of no
confidence are not included in our constitution for a reason. Our system demands evidence of high crimes and misdemeanors. If such evidence existed, there would be an agreement in this chamber. But there is not. There is not an agreement because there is not evidence. Madison and hamilton warned us this might happen. That impeachment would veer toward political factions and thats exactly what this is. This is bitterly and nakedly partisan. My colleagues on the other side of the aisle have made a mockery of this process and this government. They despise the president and are, themselves, abusing the power of this office. All to settle the political score they were unable to resolve at the ballot box. Madam speaker, they hope that if they repeat them over and over and stay on message, you will believe their charges. Repeating things that arent true does not make them true. The call record between the two president s is clear. President trump was interested in getting to the bottom of what happened in the 2016 election. He asked the ukrainians to work with our attorney general. The ukrainians were already
getting the Military Hardware and they got the Assistance Money and the meeting they desired. These are not crimes. These are disagreements over Foreign Policy and the fact that this president is conducting it. If it werent so sad, it would be laughable, madam speaker. My colleagues are not driven by a quest for facts or truth. They are driven by their partisan animus and a timetable. These are the reckless and irresponsible act of elitists in the swamp and they underline the fabric of our republic. I urge a no vote and i yield. Gentleman from new york. Madam speaker, i would remind the gentleman that there is, in fact, extensive, direct evidence, including the president s own words and actions, which is corroborated and supported by indirect and Circumstantial Evidence. The record leaves the following key facts indisputable. President trumps personal lawyer, rudy giuliani, pushed ukraine to investigate Vice President biden and a debunked Conspiracy Theory about the 2016 elections. President trump directed u. S. Officials and president zelensky
himself to work with mr. Giuliani to fulfill his demands. President trump withheld Critical Military aid for ukraine. And President Trump stonewalled Congress Investigation to cover up his misconduct. I now yield one minute to the gentleman from illinois. Gentlemans recognized for one minute. Madam speaker, this should not be a partisan vote. This is a vote about america. Its a vote about our democracy and our oath to the constitution. We all took an oath to protect the constitution against all enemies, foreign and domestic. And we all know that what President Trump did was wrong. We all know its wrong to withhold foreign aid as a political for a political favor. We know its wrong to ignore congressional subpoenas. And we know its wrong to default to silly partisan Process Arguments rather than to rise and defend this beautiful, but all too fragile, democracy. And when those in elected power abuse their position for personal advantage, its on us to somberly uphold and defend
the responsibility that the founders bestowed on us. So when you talk about partisanship, id remind you of those great words of lincoln. When one party would inflame partisanship rather than let the nation survive, im proud to be the party that would accept partisanship rather than let the nation perish. So in this moment, the answer is clear not because we want to impeach but because we must. So when you vote in a few hours, dont vote your party. Vote your character. Thats how youre going to be judged and thats how were all going to be judged. Thank you and i yield back. Gentleman from georgia. Madam speaker, im going to ask for a time check for both. Gentleman from georgia has an hour and an hour and 44 and a half minutes. Gentleman from new york has an hour and 47 and a half minutes. Thank you, madam speaker. At this time, i yield a minute a minute and a half to the gentleman from colorado. Gentlemans recognized for a minute and a half. Madam speaker, i rise in strong opposition to this
partisan impeachment process. Make no mistake. This process did not begin with the whistleblower report. In fact, Impeachment Efforts began shortly after the president was elected. The theatrics, political posturing have ensured that this body is not actually pursuing to preserve checks and balances. Rather, this process echoes the calls by some that refuse to accept the 2016 Election Results. Neither of the articles receiving a vote justify the removal of the president from office. The first article suggests that the president suggested Foreign Government to be able to assist in an upcoming election. Ukraine received its aid without a prearranged agreement. This is unsubstantiated. Second article is premised on the obstruction occurred when the white house ignored subpoenas issued by the house. Our federal courts are the ultimate arbiters of these decisions. In fact, previous administrations, republican and democrat both, have dealt with
these issues and claimed executive privilege. Mr. Speaker madam speaker, the articles that are before this house are unsubstantiated. I intend to vote no on these articles. And i would encourage my colleagues to be able to do the same. Gentleman yields back. Gentleman from new york. Madam speaker, i now yield one minute to the gentleman from arizona. Gentlemans recognized for one minute. Madam speaker, today, i will vote to impeach President Donald Trump for abuse of power and obstruction of congress. Those still defending the president s actions are desperately grasping at straws. While living in an alternate universe where facts dont exist. To those still unwilling to search their souls, ask yourself, would you support a democratic president using Taxpayer Dollars to pressure a Foreign Government to investigate a republican political opponent . Based on false russian conspiracy theories. Of course not. Thats absurd. Any president who does that has abused the power of the presidency for personal gain. And undermined our most sacred
tradition, our elections. In a few hours, every member will make a choice. Will you fall into the ageold political trap of Thinking Blind Partisanship is all that matters . Will you vote to defend the constitution and our democracy so that the President Trump and every future president will know that they are not Above The Law . And will be held accountable for their actions. I have made my choice. I hope every member puts the defense of our nation first and joins me. I yield back. Gentleman from georgia. Thank you, madam speaker. I need to yield a minute and a half to the gentleman from nebraska. Gentleman is recognized for a minute and a half. Madam speaker, i rise today to speak out against this attempt to remove the dulyelected president of the United States. Impeachment is importantly established in our constitution. The impeachment of a president has only happened twice in our countrys 243year history. Yet, today, for highlypolitical purposes, the House Majority is trying to remove President Trump from office based on secondhand,
indirect accounts. The articles of impeachment we are voting on today offer no evidence of a crime. But instead, are purposely broad to fit the majoritys narrative. Less than one year until the next president ial election, we are being asked to override the choice of the American People. This lopsided process has been predetermined as an outcome from the very beginning. This is an unfortunate day in the history of our great country. We must hope this political game does not set a precedent of which to follow in the future. Surely, there will be disagreements between a president and congress for many years to come. Instead of unnecessarily dividing our country, as we are seeing today, we should be looking at ways to bring our country together. Thank you. I yield back. Gentleman yields back. Gentleman from new york. Madam speaker, President Trumps actions are both impeachable and criminal. Although the violation of the federal criminal statute is neither necessary, nor sufficient, to justify impeachment, President Trumps conduct violated the federal antibribery statute very clearly. Madam speaker, i now yield one minute to the gentleman from virginia. Gentlemans recognized for one minute. I thank the chairman. Madam speaker, today, ill vet to impeach President Donald Trump for abuse of power and obstruction of congress. I dont hate the president. But i love my country and i have no other choice. Voting for these articles of impeachment is the only moral course of action. The only way to honor our Oath Of Office. I have no doubt that the votes i cast today will stand the test of time. This has nothing to do with the 2016 elections. Im so disappointed that my republican friends approve of the president s abuses of power and solicitation of foreign interference in our elections. This is the very definition of the willful suspension of disbelief. They know in their hearts what the president has done is deeply wrong. They know that they would vote,
without hesitation, to impeach a democratic president who had done these things. I remind all americans the president did not rebut the many, many facts which have led to the articles of impeachment today. For the sake of our democracy, our constitution, and our country, we must do the right thing and vote to impeach President Trump. I yield back. Gentleman yields back. Gentleman from georgia. Thank you, madam speaker. I was just amazed by what the chairman just said. Why didnt we add it as an article of impeachment . The reason why, it didnt. With that, i yield a minute and a half to the gentleman from mississippi. Gentleman is recognized for a minute and a half. Thank you, maam. Article two, section four, of the United States constitution states that the president of the United States may be removed from office for treason, bribery, high crimes, and misdemeanors. As a former prosecutor, i am confident that no court would accept these articles of impeachment as having met the standards set forth by our Founding Fathers. The Impeachment Articles rely almost exclusively on hearsay and opinion testimony. And they present no direct evidence of wrongdoing. As a former district attorney, i am dismayed that the democrats have submitted articles of impeachment against a sitting president. Using Circumstantial Evidence that fails to offer proof of an impeachable offense. Additionally, the charges levied against the president in the articles of impeachment lack historical precedent. And are motivated by pure political reason. If the house of representatives passes the articles of impeachment, the democrats will have set a danger precedent. By undoing americas votes for president because a single party disagreed with the 2016 president ial Election Results. I urge my colleagues to vote no on the articles of impeachment. And i yield back. Gentleman from new york. Madam speaker, i now yield
one minute to the distinguished gentleman from california, mr. Thompson. Gentlemans recognized for one minute. Madam speak, i find no pleasure coming to the floor today to consider impeachment. I ran for congress to represent my community and to serve the country i love. As a combat veteran and having served eight years on the Intelligence Committee, i understand the threat that foreign actors can play in our elections. Every elected official must dedicate themselves to protecting our democracy. No one should invite a foreign country to interfere with our mostsacred act of voting. It was abuse of power by the president to ask a foreign nation to interfere in our election, to benefit his personal and political interest. And to condition bipartisan, congressionallyapproved aid on that interference. Unchecked, these actions could lead us down a path that will unravel the fabric of our nation. Im saddened were here today. But in the interest of defending our nation, i will vote for the articles of impeachment. I yield back to balance my time. Gentleman from georgia. Thank you, madam speaker. This time, i yield a minute and a half to the gentleman from texas. Gentlemans recognized for a minute and a half. Mr. Speaker, our founders intentionally did not embrace recalls or votes of no confidence. Rather, we demand from confidence evidence of high crimes and misdemeanors. While my colleagues are free to dislike the president and while they may reasonably view the phone call as something less than perfect. They are not free to impeach something less than a high crime and misdemeanor. In just over ten months, though, the people are free to decide and we should let them. The eyes of the world are upon us, madam speaker. The press galleries are full. Our floor is filled with members. When will we give the world Something Better than this . My colleagues act eloquent about the constitution they found under moth balls. Where is the respect for the constitution when the peoples house daily refuses to do its actual job while Shredding Federalism and limited government . Today, in mexico, a young girl will be abused by being trafficked toward our open
borders while some here yell kids in cages and play race politics in the false name of compassion. Today, in new york, a young mother will be coerced into abortion by taxpayer funded planned parenthood. Today, across america, diabetics will struggle to afford insulin due to a Healthcare System ravaged by government and insurance bureaucrats empowered in the false name of coverage. And today, our children inherit 100 million of debt an hour. Borrowed in the false name of what government can provide. In this conduct by congress, failing to do its jobs, that should be impeached. And one might ask if america would be better off taking the first 435 names out of the fund book to represent us in the United States house. Then what is on display here today. Today is not a dark day because the American People know this. America is great. Washington is broken. And were taking our country back. I yield back. Gentleman from new york. Madam speaker, i now yield one minute to the distinguished
gentle lady from california. Gentle lady is recognized for one minute. Madam speaker, i rise today with a heavy heart. I came to congress to serve the great people of sacramento and to build a Better Future for our children and grandchildren. Including my grandkids, anna and robbie. The facts before us are crystal clear. We heard testimony from 17 brave patriots who value our democracy and the constitution. They testified that President Trump threatened to withhold congressionallyapproved money in exchange for dirt on a political rival. And worse, that he continues to invite foreign powers to violate our sovereignty even today. On its face, these are impeachable offenses that represent a Clear And Present Danger to our country. Thats why the only answer is to act now. We need to stand together and stop President Trump immediately so that he cannot violate the next election. For the sake of our country and our democracy, i will vote yes
to impeach the president. And i yield back. Gentleman from georgia. Thank you, madam speaker. I yield a minute and a half to the gentleman from pennsylvania. Gentlemans recognized for a minute and a half. Thank you, madam speaker. I rise today to ask my colleagues on the other side of the aisle, how much is the trust of the American People worth . When the American People are dissatisfied with their government, the primary tool that constitution gives them to make a change is their vote. And on november 8th, 2016, americas from every part of this nation packed the polls to elect donald j. Trump to be the president of the United States. The country wanted a disruptor. A fighter. A deal maker. A president that would put america first. But, sadly, on that very same day, democrats had no plan or interest in honoring the vote of the American People. They were going to attempt, from day one, to delegitimize this
president. And, ultimately, remove him from office. Right after the president was sworn in, the Washington Post wrote, the campaign to impeach President Trump has begun. Even before he took office, a politico article headline read, could trump be impeached shortly after he takes office . So House Democrats have been planning for this day since january 2017. Its clear that facts have never mattered to the House Democrats. They never planned to work with the president. Instead, they intended only to fulfill their divisive partisan agenda. Again, i ask, how much is the trust of the American People worth . Because after the vote today, for what you think is a shortterm partisan gain, you can be sure that the American People will have lost their trust in our institution. Gentlemans time has expired. They will have lost their trust in congress. And most importantly, they will
have lost trust that their vote counts. Gentleman from new york. Madam speaker, i now yield one minute to the gentleman from california. Gentlemans recognized for one minute. Thank you, madam speaker. Impeaching a president is one of the most solemn and consequential decisions the United States congress can make. Its not an action that i, or my fellow house colleagues, take lightly. Investigations and hearings conducted by the house prove overwhelming evidence that President Trump abused his power. And endangered our National Security. President trump also issued a Blanket Order prohibiting all Executive Office Personnels from testifying, responding to subpoenas, or turning over documents. Therefore, he has obstructed the legitimate constitutional obligation of congress. The president s actions leave me no choice. President trump violated his Oath Of Office. Now, i will uphold my Oath Of Office to preserve and protect our constitution. And my promise to my constituents to carefully analyze all issues before me, i will vote in favor of both articles of impeachment against president donald john trump. I yield back. Gentleman from georgia. Thank you, madam speaker. I yield a minute and a half gentlemans recognized for minute and a half. Madam speaker, i stand before you today a disappointed man. I am disappointed in a broken and partisan process that has consumed the House Democrats. We were told this investigation was going to be bipartisan and transparent. Instead, the proceedings were held in secret, behind closed doors. With no attempt at a fair hearing. All this was done deliberately in an effort to undo the results of the 2016 election. Madam speaker, my constituents in florida want to see us get to work. They want us theyre counting on us to actually fix the surprise medical billing. To lower the cost of prescription drugs. Instead, were here a week before christmas voting to impeach the legitimate president , donald j. Trump. On the strength of nothing but rumors. Weve wasted almost a year on this process. While House Democrats chose political theater over serving the American People. This shameful vote to impeach our president will be a lasting stain on our house. And i urge all of my colleagues to vote no. I yield back. Gentleman from new york. Madam speaker, i now yield one minute to the distinguished gentleman from oregon. Gentlemans recognized for one minute. I thank the gentleman. Its clear cut. The president of the United States has violated his Oath Of Office. And betrayed the constitution and the American People. He admitted to soliciting assistance from foreign leader to interfere in the u. S. Election and aid his political reelection campaign. Thats a violation of the constitution and a betrayal of the American People and an impeachable offense. Overwhelming evidence also demonstrates the president withheld congressionally approved Taxpayer Dollars to blackmail the young, new president of ukraine. Under attack from russia. Now, the gentleman from georgia says ukraine didnt feel any pressure. Theyre being invaded by russia. Vladimir putin. You know . Trumps friend. And he withheld that aid until the whistleblower report came out. Then the aid was released. It wasnt released for any good purpose. Congress voted for that aid. The president signed the bill. That is another impeachable offense. And the Judiciary Committee has put together an extensive document, which shows that there is evidence of numerous other federal crimes, including
bribery and wire fraud. The president s actions threaten the continuation of our representative democracy. Im proudly voting for impeachment today. Gentleman from georgia. Thank you, madam speaker. I am glad to know mr. Trump was giving them lethal aid, actually something to fight back with, not what was previously given to them. And there was, again, from the president himself, no pressure put on him. Your whole case order destroys if youre coercing somebody if there was no pressure felt. But yet, we dont seem to get that part on this floor debate today. With that, i yield a minute and a half to the gentleman from montana. Gentlemans recognized for a minute and a half. Today, this chamber is pushing through the most partisan, baseless articles of impeachment in our history. House democrats Hyperpartisan Impeachment has been a sham since day one. Dri driven by those whose bitter rage against President Trump has blinded their better judgment. The fact is, theyve resolved to overturn the results of the 2016 election the day President Trump
won. Earlier this year, Speaker Pelosi said, impeachment is so divisive to the country that unless theres something to compelling and overwhelming and bipartisan, i dont think we should go down that path. None of those standards have been met. None. The Committee Hearings were a scripted, substancefree, madefortv show. They would be comedy if impeachment werent so serious and grave. Witnesses denied awareness of an impeachable offense. And because the majority has failed to make the peach the case for impeachment, there is into bipartisanship. Compelling . Overwhelming . Bipartisan . Speaker pelosi has not met her own criteria for impeachment. But here we are. Despite democrats testing and tweaking their impeachment message, the American People have rejected it. I will vote against this partisan Impeachment Sham. Lets get back to the work that
the American People sent us here. And on this sad day of an impeachment charade, i yield back the balance of my time. Gentleman from new york. Madam speaker, i now yield one minute to the gentleman from texas, mr. Gonzalez. Gentlemans recognized for one minute. Madam speaker, i rise on a sad day for america. A sad day for texas and a very sad day for the people i represent. Im not gleeful for today. I came to congress to lower the cost of prescription drugs, fight for a debtfree education, improve the cost of specialneeds children, seniors, and our veterans. I did not come to congress to impeach a sitting president. But weve been given to choice. He has eroded the foundations of our democracy and used the office of the presidency for personal and political gain. Our Founding Fathers fear that one day the power of the
presidency would stretch beyond its limits. Thus, they enshrined in the constitution, a system of checks and balances. We cannot and will not lower the ethical standards of our presidency. We cannot afford to wither like a cheap flower in bad weather watching our democracy crumble and rot from within. That is not the america the world knows and loves. And its certainly not the america we would be proud to have our future generations inherit. And that is why today i must vote to impeach the president of the United States and fulfill my oath to the constitution and i yield back. Gentleman from north dakota. Madam speaker, i yield one and a half minutes to my friend from texas, mr. Herd. Gentlemans recognized for one and a half minutes. Throughout this process, the American People have learned of bungling Foreign Policy decisions. But we have not heard evidence beyond a reasonable doubt of bribery or extortion. Allegations of these two crimes arent even mentioned in the articles of impeachment being
debated today. But today, we have seen a rushed Process Divide our country. Today, accusations have been hurled at each other. Questioning one anothers integrity. Today, a dangerous precedent will be set. Impeachment becoming a weaponized political tool. We know how this partisan process will end this evening. But what happens tomorrow . Can this chamber put down our swords and get back to work for the American People . This institution has a fabled history of passing legislation that has not only changed our country but has inspired the world. This feat has been possible because this experiment we call america has one perpetual goal. Make a more perfect union. We can contribute to this history if we recognize the simple fact that way way more unites our country than divides us. Tomorrow, can we start focusing
on that . Gentleman yields back. Gentleman from new york. Madam speaker, i now yield one minute to the gentleman from illinois, mr. Davis. Gentlemans recognized for one minute. Thank you, madam speaker. This is, indeed, a sad day for our country. This is, indeed, a sad day for america. But its a good day for our constitution. It is a sad day for our country because President Trump has defied our constitution, our rules, our requirements, and our expectations. It is clear that President Trump places himself Above The Law, above our constitution, and above the expectations of the American People. At my last town hall meeting, which was held saturday, december 15th, at Malcolm X College in chicago, someone asked a question. What is our position on impeachment . Madam speaker, every person
there rose and said impeach. When i speak, i speak for the people of the 7th district of illinois and my vote will be impeach, impeach, impeach. And i yield back the balance of my time. Gentleman from north dakota. Madam speaker, i yield two minutes to my friend from texas, mr. Gohmert. Gentlemans recognized for two minutes. Thank you. In 1998, senator schumer said, and i quote, this impeachment will be used as a routine tool to fight political battles. We thought it was, say, a prediction. It was a promise. And now, its playing out. Its exactly whats being done here. And for those that say we dont address the defenses or fact, here you go. The impeachment serves two purposes. Number one, stop the investigation by the u. S. Department of justice and ukraine into the corruption of ukraine interference into the u. S. Election in 2016. You said this was about, oh, this terrible russia collusion. Oh, then that fell through. Its about emoluments. Its about bribery. Its about extortion. Its changed. But one thing hasnt changed and that is the intent to impeach this president. Its always been there. But lets be honest. The president turning his back on ukraine. That happened in 2009 because in 2008, ukraine invaded georgia. What happened . Bush put sanctions on russia to teach em a lesson. What happened after that . Well, in march of 2009, Hilary Clinton was sent over to russia with a reset button to say bush overreacted. Were okay that you invaded
georgia. It was a green light to russia to invade ukraine. And what do you do . Oh, yeah, you send blankets and mres they can eat and be warm while the russians are killing em. That is what the Obama Administration did. This is a travesty. And were in big trouble. Because schumer was right. Now, its lowered even farther. The bar. It will be used for political battles and this countrys end is now in sight. I hope i dont leave live to see it. This is an outrage. I yield back. Gentleman from new york. I am deeply concerned that any member of the house would spout russian propaganda on the floor of the house. I now yield one minute to the gentleman from new york, mr. Higgins. The gentleman from new york is recognized. The house will come to order. The gentleman from new york will recognize thank you. The house will come to order. The house will come to order. The gentleman from new york is recognized for one minute. Thank you, mr. Chairman, madam speaker. The United States constitution is explicit. Bribery is an impeachable offense. Bribery involves the abuse of power. And the president of the United States abused the power of his office by soliciting a bribe of a foreign leader to interfere in an election that he was afraid he could not win honorably, fairly, or freely. You, president of ukraine, open investigation of my political rival, and i, president of the United States, will release 391 million in military aid and give you the stature amplifying white house meeting that you need. This is a this for that, something for something transaction. Soliciting a bribe from a foreign leader is an abuse of power and a federal crime. I yield back. Gentleman yields back. Gentleman from north dakota. Madam speaker, i yield one and a half minutes to the gentleman from florida. Gentlemans recognized. Thank you, madam speaker. I wanted to thank my republican colleagues, who have toiled honorably in defense of the constitution and rule of law under difficult circumstances, madam speaker. You know, mister madam speaker, its a darn shame that we have found ourselves in this position today. Every time i step into this chamber, im humbled to be serving in the greatest legislative body in the history of the world. However, its deeply disappointing that the hyperpartisanship that has gripped this country has made its way into this chamber. I pride myself on being a consensus builder, who works across the aisle to get things done for the American People. But when it comes to the matter of impeachment, i have no doubt
that the entire process has been politicallymotivated. There is absolutely no evidence that President Trump committed an impeachable offense, which is why i will vote no. This whole process has been a ploy to circumvent the will of the people by removing a dulyelected president of the United States. It is a National Disgrace and sets a dangerous precedent. But we are a great nation and we will survive this indignity. Lets put this ugly chapter behind us, madam speaker, and get to work. I yield back. Gentleman yields back. Gentleman from new york. Ms. Speaker, i now yield one minute to the gentleman from mississippi, mr. Thompson. Gentlemans recognized for one minute. Thank you very much, madam speaker. Madam speaker, the question that will be answered today is, will members honor their oath to uphold the constitution . Democrats are not supporting impeachment based on a Policy Disagreement or the Election Results of 2016. No one is Above The Law. The president must be held accountable. A constitutional process is not a hoax or witch hunt. President trump just opposes it. No one is Above The Law. Not even president donald j. Trump. The president abused his power. By pressuring ukraine to help his reelection campaign. Impeachment is a constitutional remedy for these actions. Trump betrayed his oath, betrayed the constitution, and undermined the integrity of our elections. Those who are against Impeachment Inquiry are willing to turn a blind eye to constitutional violations by the president. As a nation, we have no other
alternative. We must protect our constitution and the United States of america. In his own words, no intelligent person believes what he is saying. Gentlemans times expired. Gentleman from north dakota. Madam speaker, i yield one and a half minute to the gentleman from indiana. Gentleman is recognized for one and a half minutes. Madam speaker, the totality of this process is just another reminder that my colleagues across the aisle are more focused on politics than policy. The American People deserve better. Our republic deserve better. The brave men and women of our military, myself included, have fought for the freedom and democracy all around the world. Yet, today, my colleagues are eroding those freedoms through a process that ignored facts,
abused power, and was shrouded in secrecy. Those facts could not be more clear. The president committed no crime, broke no laws, and there was no quid pro quo. I look forward to doing the right thing. Representing the hoosiers in my district and voting against this impeachment charade. I stand with President Trump and look forward to passing policies that continue to move our country forward. I yield back the balance of my time. Gentleman yields back. Gentleman from new york. Madam speaker, i now yield one minute to the gentleman from oregon. Gentlemans recognized for one minute. Thank you. Thanks to the hard work of our committees, the leadership of the speaker. We found overwhelming evidence trump invited foreign interests to interfere in our elections for his personal gain. And he then took unprecedented efforts to cover it up. Obstructing congress. Im proud of the courage of new members to do their duty so that, for the first time in his privileged life, donald trump will be finally held accountable for his reckless personal behavior and business practices. I vote, proudly, for these two articles of impeachment. And then i hope the house retains control of the articles until the speaker and leader schumer can negotiate agreement on process and witnesses from mcconnell so that the next stage will be open and fair. So that donald trump will ultimately be held accountable. Gentleman yields back. Gentleman from north dakota. Madam speaker, i yield one and a half minutes to my friend from oklahoma. Gentlemans recognized for one and a half minutes. Public hearings began november 13th. Less than a month later, Speaker Pelosi announced articles of impeachment of december 5th saying that the investigation had revealed enough information
to move forward with impeachment. Lets think about that. 22day investigation. Six of those days were weekends. Where hearings werent happening and the house was not in session. Seven of those days were weekends the house was in recess. Two of those Days Congress doesnt hold hearings. So out of the 22 days, just seven day, seven days, were used to investigate, debate, and vote on the impeachment of our dulyelected leader of our country. No wonder my constituents are upset. Seven days to impeach the president of the United States. Not to mention that this sevenday investigation uncovered zero facts in support of impeachment. I spent every minute i had in there as an observer of these hearings. And all i learned is that if you hate someone so strongly, and enough people agree with you, thats grounds enough to be impeached. We ask for 12 hours of debate. The same amount of time allotted to president clintons impeachment. 12 hours of debate for possibly the biggest vote i will cast in my tenure as representative isnt asking too much. But, no, they want to get out here before christmas. So its okay to rush through the process. Im ashamed to be a part of this today even as i vote against the impeachment. My constituents are calling every day mad as hell saying we should be ashamed that this Historic Chamber has fallen so low to allow Something Like this to happen. I yield back. Gentleman yields back. Gentleman from new york. Madam speaker, i yield myself such time as i may consume. Gentlemans recognized. Madam speaker, my friend, the gentleman from georgia, has a tag line about the clock and the calendar. Madam speaker, this is not about the clock and the calendar. It is about corruption and the constitution. It is about a president who abused his power to coerce an ally to intervene in our election. And poses a continuing threat to the integrity of our next election. The president s defense is built on three pillars. And when those three filler pillars fall, the entire defense of the president collapses. First, they claim there was no quid pro quo. Well, the evidence is undisputed. President trump conditioned a white house visit and military aid on president zelenskys Public Announcement of the investigations. Ambassador William Taylor wrote at the time, quote, i think its crazy to withhold Security Assistance for help with a political campaign. Close quote. A reporter asked white house chief of staff Mick Mulvaney if there had been a quid pro quo here. And he replied, we do that all the time. Get over it. The president refused to help our ally until he got a personal, political favor. And so the First Defense falls. Second, the minority claims that the ukrainians didnt know about the hold. The evidence, again, is undisputed. Ukraine knew about the hold on the military assistance within hours of the president s july 25th call. Laura cooper of the Department Of Defense testified, under oath, that on july 25th, the State Department sent two
emails to to to the Department Of Defense notifying them that ukrainian officials were asking where is the aid . The ukrainians understood exactly what President Trump was asking. He wanted a personal, political favor before the aid was released. And so the second defense falls. Third, and finally, my republican friends say the aid was released. But the aid was released only after the president got caught. This house launched its investigation on september 9th. The hold on the aid was lifted on september 11th. This is not evidence of innocence. It is evidence of culpability. The evidence is overwhelming. And when he got caught, he did everything in his power to prevent the American People from learning the truth about his actions. By defying the congressional investigation. By ordering that all requests and demands for information be denied. With our National Security and
the integrity of our election at risk, we must act. Not because of the clock and the calendar. But to fight against corruption and for continued selfgovernment by the American People. I yield back. The balance of my time. Gentleman from north dakota. Madam speaker, i would just point out that to believe everything that was just said, you have to also believe that president zelensky a pathological liar. And with that i yield one and a half minutes to my friend from south carolina, mr. Duncan. Thank you, madam speaker. You know, we are not debating impeachment of american president today. Your minds are already made up. Impeachment looking for a crime since the inauguration. The Washington Post ran the headline the campaign to impeach President Trump has begun just 19 minutes after President Trump took the Oath Of Office. 19 minutes. Freshman congresswoman from michigan told a group of supporters we are going to impeach the mother, blank, even
shortly after he was sworn in. Has been going on for two and a half years long before any phone call between two world leaders. In fact, 71 of the democrats on the Judiciary Committee supported impeachment before the phone call. The Impeachment Sham is based on hearsay, conjecture, and opinion. You know what . He cant even get a Speeding Ticket in this country based on hearsay. But yet we are going to impeach an american president based on just that. Where are the crimes of treason, high crimes or misdemeanors committed here . Not hatred or Policy Disagreements. If memory serves me right, Congress Told the administration to withhold aid to ukraine until they got their act together, straightened out. That was in multiple ndaas voted on by both parties in this chamber. So in simplest terms we are impeaching the president for something we told him to do . Give me a break. We are wasting precious time. While they held secret depositions behind closed doors, but the American People see President Trump has not been treated fairly in this process, impeachment based on hearsay and opinion, not facts. Its a sad day in this chamber. The peoples house. I yield back. Members are again reminded to address their remarks to the chair. Gentleman from new york. Madam speaker, i would now inform you that the gentleman from california, the chair of the Intelligence Committee will now serve as my designee and will control the remainder of the time on the majority side. Does the Gentleman Yield to the gentleman from california . Hes my designee. Does the gentleman from california yield to himself . Yes, madam speaker, i yield to myself as much time is considered. I think my colleague chairman nadler, i thank him for the extraordinary job that he has done as chairman of the Judiciary Committee and throughout these difficult
proceedings. Madam speaker, my colleagues, my fellow americans, i rise to support the impeachment of president donald j. Trump. When a man unprincipled in private life, desperate in his fortune, bold in his temper, possessed of considerable talents, having the advantage of military habits, despotic in his ordinary demeanor, known to have scoffed in private at the principles of liberty. When such a man is seen to mount the hobby horse of popularity to join in the cry of danger to liberty to take every opportunity of embarrassing the general government and bringing it under suspicion to flatter and fall in with all the nonsense of the zellots of the day, it may justly be suspected that his object is to throw things into confusion that he may ride the storm and direct the whirlwind. These are the words of alexander
hamilton written in 1792. Could we find a more perfect description of the present danger emanating from 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue . The framers crafted a constitution that contemplated free and Fair Elections for the highest office in the land. But also afforded the congress with the power to remove a president who abused the powers of his office for personal gain, who compromised the public trust by betraying our nations security or who sought to undermine our democratic system by seeking foreign intervention in the conduct of our elections. I would say that the founders couldve little imagined that a single president mightve done all of these things except that the evidence has sadly proved this exactly what this president has done. Hamilton, among others, seems to have predicted the rise of donald trump with a staggering
prescience. The drafters of our constitution designed a government in which ambition was made to check ambition in which no branch of government would predominant over another, and no man would be allowed to be Above The Law including the president , especially the president , since with whom would the danger be greater than with the officer charged with being our Commander In Chief . Over the course of the last three months, we have found evidence that President Trump abused his power by pressuring the newly elected president of ukraine to announce an investigation into President Trumps political rival joe biden. With the hopes of defeating mr. Biden in the 2020 president ial election and enhancing his own prospects for reelection. He didnt even need the investigation to be undertaken. Just simply announced to the public. The smear of his opponent, the smear of his opponent would be enough to effectuate this scheme, President Trump withheld two official acts of vital importance to a nation at war with our adversary Vladimir Putins russia. The president withheld a white house meeting that ukraine desperately sought to bolster its standing on the world stage. And even more perniciously President Trump suspended hundreds of millions of dollars of military aid approved by this congress to coerce ukraine into doing his electoral dirty work. The president of the United States was willing to sacrifice our National Security by withholding support for a critical Strategic Partner at war in order to approve his
reelection prospects. But for the courage of someone willing to blow the whistle, he would have gotten away with it. Instead, he got caught. He tried to cheat and he got caught. Now this Wasnt The First Time as a candidate in 2016 donald trump invited russian interference into his president ial campaign saying at a campaign rally, russia, if youre listening, i hope you are able to find the 30,000 emails that are missing, a clear invitation to hack Hillary Clintons emails. Just five hours later, russian government hackers tried to do exactly that. What followed was an immense russian hacking and dumping operation and a social Media Disinformation Campaign designed to help elect donald trump. Not only did candidate trump
welcome that effort, but he made full use of it, building it into his campaign plan, his messaging strategy, and then he sought to cover it up. This russian effort to interfere in our elections didnt deter donald trump. It empowered him. The day after special counsel bob mueller testified before congress about russias sweeping and systemic effort to influence the outcome of our last election, the day after President Trump believed that the investigation into his first electoral misconduct had come to an end. The president was back on the phone urging yet another country, this time ukraine, to help him cheat in another election. Three consecutive days in july tells so much of the story. Three consecutive days in july of 2019. July 24th, the day that special Counsel Mueller testified before congress and President Trump thought he was finally in the clear. July 25th, the day that President Trump got on the phone with the ukrainian president and in the context of a discussion about military support for that embattled nation that the president had recently frozen, said i would like you to do us a favor, though. And asked ukraine to do two investigations to help his reelection efforts in 2020. That was july 25th. And then we come to july 26th. The day Gordon Sondland called President Trump on his cell phone from a restaurant in ukraine. Gordon sondland, not some anonymous nevertrumper, but a milliondollar donor to the president s inauguration and his handpicked ambassador to the