Evidence. This will set a dangerous precedent where impeachment becomes the norm rather than the exception. Thats not what our Founding Fathers intended. They wanted impeachment to be rare. They set a high bar for impeachment, treason, bribery, high crimes and misdemeanors. Alleged abuse of power. The first article is not a high crime and misdemeanor. In fact, its not even a crime. And since there is no concise Legal Definition of abuse of power, the Majority Party in the house can designate nearly any disagreement with the president from now on in impeachment offense. The second article alleged obstruction of congress would produce a similarly dangerous precedent. Asserting executive privilege a practice that began with George Washington is not obstruction of congress. Rather, its a function of the essential checks and balances contemplated under the constitution. Heres what nearly every Grade School Student in america knows, but apparently House Democrats
do not. If congress disagrees with the president , if they dont agree with the president , take it to court. Let the third branch of government decide. Theyre the refs. The house has never, i repeat never approved either abuse of power or obstruction of congress as an article of impeachment. But thats going to change today. Today House Democrats which all four president s on mt. Rushmore could have been impeached. If all of this sounds absurd, madam speaker, it is absurd. This whole process is absurd and has been from the outset. Heres what is not absurd but rather frightening. House democrats today are setting a dangerous precedent under which no future president will be immune from impeachment. And that weill Forever Negativey Tarnish the history of this house. I yield back. Gentleman yields back. Gentleman from new york. Madam speaker, the
president s conduct constituted the highest of high crimes against our country. An offense does not have to violate a criminal statute to be impeachable. That was confirmed in president nixon and again in president clinton. There is no higher crime than for the president to use the power of his office to corrupt his elections. I yield one minute to the gentleman from wisconsin. Gentleman is recognized for one minute. Thank you, madam speaker. This july President Trump blocked 400 million in congressionally approved aid that ukraine desperately needed to defend itself against russia. He needed ukraine to do himself a favor first. He asked the president of ukraine to launch an investigation into Military Aide and other benefits would only come after. This is not about a single call or a single transcript. This is about a perfect storm, months of activity directly ordered by the president to his senior cabinet and politically
appointees and orchestrated plan demanding a foreign power interfere in our democracy. President trump betrayed his office and personal and Political Gain and has refused to cooperate with a coequal branch of government. This is a vote for our constitution, setting the precedent for all future president s, democrat or republican. Donald trump must be held accountable for his actions. Today we sent a clear signal to this president and all future president s. No one is Above The Law. I yield back. Gentleman from georgia. Thank you, madam speaker. This time i yield a mant ainutea half. I rise today in opposition of the impeachment of legitimately elected president of the United States. Enough. Madam speaker, for the love of this country, enough. Enough of this impeachment circus. Enough of these sham witch hnts. Im voting no because the
president has done nothing wrong. The only thing that President Trump is guilty of is doing the things he said he would do. If my democratic colleagues were honest, theyd tell us the only thing President Trump is guilty of is not beating hillary clinton. The only party guilty of aobstruction, abuse of power or whatever term theyre using today is party on the other side of this aisle. Theyre obstructing the will of the American People. Theyre obstructing the very foundations of our country. By politically weaponizing impeachment, they have dangerously shattered president and abused our constitution. They alone will bear this responsibility. Madam speaker, theyll fail. And its no wonder the American People dont trust this body. Its past time be done with this circus and get to the work that matters, like securing our borders and passing trade deals. I will vote no. And encourage this body to move on from this heartbreaking,
disgraceful day to things that actually matter. I yield back. Gentleman yields back. Gentleman from new york. Madam speaker, i now yield one minute to the gentleman from north carolina, mr. Price. Gentlemans recognized for one minute. Madam speaker, the moment our founders anticipated in establishing the power of impeachment has arrived. The evidence is clear. President trump abused his power by asking a vulnerable, foreign leader to investigate both his political rival and a baseless russian conspiracy theory. While Withholding Congressionally appropriated defense aid and a coveted white house visit. He then blocked congressional investigation into these abuses. These abuses threaten the integrity of our elections. They corrupt our diplomacy. And they undermine National Security. We sometimes regard
constitutional checks and balances as the indestructible underpinnings of our democracy. Theyre not fixed. Theyre not indestructible. The president demonstrated this beyond all doubt. Its up to the congress, the first branch of government to apply the remedy that the constitution prescribes because the threats to our democracy are real and present. With this vote, we affirm that no one, including the president , is Above The Law. Gentleman from georgia. Thank you, madam speaker. I yield a minute and a half to the gentleman from kentucky. Gentleman is recognized for a minute and a half. Since the beginning of this Impeachment Inquiry its extremely troubling to see the partisan, divisive way in which democrats have carried out this entire process. I guess we shouldnt be surprised, though. They promised theyd unseat this president since the day he took his Oath Of Office. From the start, this has been a baseless attempt to undo the will of 63 million americans who voted for President Trump. I can tell you, the people i represent in kentucky, the very people who voted for this president to enact change and fight for this country are appalled at the charade theyve seen in the house in recent months. They are appalled that the actions from House Democrats who have failed to even come close to proving their case. I hope all of my Congressional Colleagues carefully consider the precedent theyre setting by voting in favor of the sham process and these illegitimate Articles Of Impeachment. These articles were written and built on a report that was drafted with Bias Prezusumption Cherry picked witnesses and vastly disputed facts. The president did not commit any impeachable offense. And its clear for all of us to see through the now very wellknown transcript this rigged process sets a concerning precedent for impeachable offenses moving forward. I whole heartedly oppose these baseless Articles Of Impeachment. And i yield back the balance of my time. Gentleman from new york. Madam speaker, i yield one minute to the gentleman from california, mr. Peters. Gentleman is recognized for one minute. Thank you, madam speaker. Many lemented this effort is not bipartisan. They have sought to avoid the truth. They have demeaned and insulted witnesses, patriots, warriors, Career Diplomats who provided evidence against the president. No House Republican has joined us to demand the documents and witnesses that President Trump has refused to produce. Instead of Republican Leaders this week announced that President Trump himself can set the rules of his own trial and
there will be no fact witnesses. Republicans refuse to seek the truth and condemn the abuse of power or to work with us to prevent this ongoing behavior in the future and thats the tragedy of todays events. In our nations history, thousands of americans have gone into battle without reservation to fight for our republic as they still do today. Many have been gravely injured and some have made the ultimate sacrifice. But today in contrast for fear of losing an election, my colleagues will not speak up for the rule of law or against president ial abuse of power. Voters may give them a pass, but history will judge them harshly. I will vote for the Articles Of Impeachment. I yield back. Gentleman from georgia. Thank you, madam speaker. It is my privilege now a minute and a half to the gentleman from georgia. Gentleman is recognized for a minute and a half. I thank my colleague from georgia and friend. I rise today in opposition not only to these Articles Of Impeachment but in strong
opposition to the process that has brought us to this point. Our constitution and bill of rights are all about process. Our founders new that a government without constraints could accuse any one of any crime at any time even without compelling evidence. Thats why the fifth and 14th Amendment Insult until Proven Guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. But Speaker Pelosi informed the president should prove his innocence. Mr. President , if you have anything that shows your innocence, then he should make that known. The constitution also guarantees that the accused can call witnesses to testify on their behalf. But the republicans and the president were continually denied that right throughout this process. The Sixth Amendment guarantees the right of the defendant to face their accuser, but not only have the democrats prohibited republicans and the president from the socalled whistleblower, his identity has been kept secret. Before you take this historic vote today one week before christmas, i want you to keep this in mind. When jesus was falsely accused of Treason Paunshs pilot gave jesus the opportunity to, afforded more rights to jesus than the democrats have afforded this president in this process. I yield back. Gentleman from new york. The president was given the opportunity to come and testify before the Judiciary Committee to send his counsel to question witnesses. He declined to do so. I now yield one minute to the gentleman from michigan mr. Kilding. Gentleman for one minute. Thank you, madam speaker. This is a sad day for our country and for our democracy. The president has abused the powers of his office, Betrayed The Public Trust and undermined Americas National security by pressuring a Foreign Government to interfere in our elections for his own Political Gain. In this moment in our history of the constitution, the constitution is clear. The remedy for such misconduct by a president is impeachment. I didnt come here to impeach a president of the United States, but sadly the president s misconduct leaves us no choice but to follow the constitution. I have two grandchildren. My granddaughter caitlin is 8 and my grandson colin is 4. Some day, along time from now, theyll ask me about this day. Theyll ask about the time a president put himself Above The Law. And theyll want to know what i did to stop him. And i will have an answer for them. Today i vote to uphold the constitution. I will vote to impeach donald trump. I yield back. Gentleman from georgia. Thank you, madam speaker. It is interesting that the president was supposedly given
rights, but maybe who would he ask questions of . Three Law School Professors and a staff member . Not a lot of due process there. I yield a minute and a half to the gentleman from texas. Gentleman is recognized for a minute and a half. Madam speaker, were here today because House Democrats have spent upwards of 30 million in three years trying to overturn the 2016 election of President Trump and come up with nothing. Because of their radical left wing, democrats are willing to make all future president ial elections invalid until judged worthy by the majority in the House Of Representatives. The president of the United States does not serve at the pleasure of the House Of Representatives. Perhaps the greatest reality regarding President Trump is acknowledging that under his policies, things are actually going much better than they have in decades for working americans. We are a democratic Constitutional Republic in which power flows from We The People to our president and elected
officials. The democrat majority thinks otherwise. They believe that they are entitled to rules, even if they have to change the rules to invalidate the way and the right of the people of america. Thats why the abscess of a case does not matter in this charade of impeachment. I believe that the American People recognize and share my urgency about what is at stake here. Madam speaker, you and your majority may decide today, but i have faith that the American People will decide otherwise next november. Thank you and i yield back. Gentleman yields back. Gentleman from new york. Madam speaker, i yield one minute to the gentlelady from washington. Gentle lady is recognized for one minute. Thank you, madam speaker. I rise today in support of this resolution. After carefully reviewing all the evidence and the Articles Of Impeachment before us, it is clear that President Trump abused the power of the
presidency and obstructed congress. I did not come to this conclusion lightly. Impeachment is an extremely serious matter. But no president can be allowed to pressure a foreign country for personal and Political Gain. No president is Above The Law. His behavior has jeopardized the our elections and put our National Security at risk and placed his personal interests above those of the American People. His obstruction has prevented the house from conducting its constitutional duty of oversight of the Executive Branch. By failing to uphold his Oath Of Office, President Trump forces each of us as members of the House Of Representatives to uphold ours. I urge my colleagues to do just that and defend our democracy. I yield back. Gentleman from georgia. Thank you, madam speaker. At this time i yield a minute and a half to the gentleman from virginia. Gentleman is recognized for a
minute and a half. Thank you, madam speaker. I impose this impeachment. I represent the Fifth District of virginia. Thomas jefferson and James Madison are not around to see what their creation has become, but i dont think they would be pleased to see congress by holding an Impeachment Vote because the Majority Party simply cannot accept the 2016 election. Instead of wasting the taxpayers time and money, we could have passed legislation to address surprise medical billing, secure the border, address the Opioid Epidemic and solve student debt and the what americans actually care about. Delays that have made farmers in my district and other districts suffer. Votes like the one we will take today the decision that led up todays vote and the process of
this proceeding that put politics over people. I was not elected to take political votes that attempt to overturn the will of the American People. I ran for office to serve my constituents. Lets remember, that is why we are here. Weaponizing a motion is not a way to serve the United States of america. To my colleagues that do just that, to argue with a person who has renounced the use of reason is like administering medicine to the dead. Thank you, i yield back the remainder of my time. Gentleman from new york. Madam speaker, i would remind the gentleman that the house has passed over 400 bills. 275 bipartisan bills. Driving down costs of health care and prescription drugs, Rebuilding Infrastructure and taking on corruption and selfdealing in washington. 80 of these bills are languishing on senator mcconnells desk. I now yield one minute to the gentle lady from ohio. Gentle lady is recognized for one minute. Madam speaker, i thank the
chairman for yielding. I wish to place on the record that members of congress swear a solemn oath to protect and defend the constitution against all enemies, foreign and domestic and today we fulfill our oath by defending liberty. The central figure testing americas resolve is not here in washington today. Rather the Closeted Villain Sits In Moscow with the kremlin. Vladimir putin has coordinated murers, election hacking, propaganda, the entrapment who put their own selfish. Stabilize Democ Raelss Al Russia illegally invaded ukraine in 2014 and as ukraine defends, 14,000 people have been killed at putins hand with over 2 million displaced. Rather than stand up to putin,
President Trump and as many aided putin first in russian interference in our 2016 elections and then more recently withholding vital military aid to coerce its inference in its 2016 election. Gentleman from georgia. Thank you, madam speaker. At this time i yield a minute and a half to the gentleman from north carolina, dr. Murphy. Madam speaker these baseless Articles Of Impeachment and the unprecedented process that is used in this process to impeach the dooley elected president of the United States. It is a mockery of american justice. In 1788, one of our Founding Fathers Alexander Hamilton wrote in the federalist papers, impeachment with the preexisting factions and in such cases the greatest danger that the decision will be regulated more by the comparable strength of party, majority and
minority than real demonstrations of innocence or guilty. What does this mean . It means that the majority can exert its influence regardless of justice. In this statement, hamilton warned us about the danger of mob rule. Democrats have a criminal and have been searching for a crime for three years. But this president has not committed a crime. As a leader of American Foreign policy, the president has a constitutional obligation to root out corruption in countries to which we provide aid. This is not an abuse of power, it is his job. One of the articles is obstruction of congress. The only thing that has been obstructed is this president s right to due process. I dont blame the president for refusing to fully participate in this guilty until proven innocent circus. This is not how our Founding Fathers framed american justice. This is a tragic day in our nations history. We have individuals that hate this president more than they
love this country. Our country needs prayer and not this destructive partisanship. Thank you, i yield back. Gentleman from new york. Madam speaker, the president s obstruction is unprecedented and categorical. President trump claims the house cannot investigate his misconduct outside of Impeachment Inquiry. He defies lawful congressional subpoenas and then sues to block third parties from complying with such subpoenas. Even as he pursues his own interest in court, his administration simultaneously argues that congress is barred from joining enforcement when executive Branch Officials disregard his subpoenas. When can the president be held accountable for his wrongdoing . In his mind, never. The constitution, however, disagrees. I now yield one minute to the gentle lady from the District Of Columbia. The gentle lady is recognized for one minute. Madam speaker, my words are my only remedy today in spite of the upcoming d. C. Statehood vote we expect to be successful. The people of the District Of Columbia have no vote on impeachment or on any other matter on this floor now. I spoke on this floor on the impeachment of president clinton 20 years ago. Unlike the Clinton Impeachment on perjury concerning an affair with an intern, trumps impeachment turns on sabotage of National Security to get himself reelected. Clinton repented. Trump insists that he did nothing wrong. Thats a promise to continue his long pattern of abuse of power and obstruction of congress. Impeachment is our only recourse. I yield back. Gentle lady yields back. Thank you, madam speaker. At this time i yield two minutes from the member of colorado. Gentleman is recognized for two minutes. Thank you, madam speaker. I thank the gentleman from georgia. Today democrats lowered the bar for impeachment. Under the standard, the president can be impeached in the absense ce of a crime witho inserting a legally constitutionally recognized privilege. Undermine democracy and win elections and yet they have not been impeached. President Franklin Roosevelt used the irs to target his political opponents and fdr used the irs as a weapon of political retribution. Monitor political opponents, including congressional staff. He deported one of his mistresses to avoid scandal. President Lyndon Johnson spied on goldwaters campaign, signing off on wiretapping his opponent and goldwaters airplane and using a cia spy to obtain advance copies of goldwaters
strategies and speeches. Failed to provide documents to Congress Related to fast and furious. His constitutional Recess Appointments were unanimously struck byeb the supreme court. Lie to the American People about ben gau b ben ganzy election. Despite these clear abuses of power by fdr, jfk, lbj and obama, republicans did not impeach. Why . Because the framers did not want a low bar for impeachment. They wanted congress and the president to work out their differences. When i asked professor turley if any president could avoid the impeachment with this low standard, he said no. I yield back. Gentleman from new york. Madam speaker, i would remind the gentleman that president obama provided thousands of pages of information to
congressional requests that Attorney General Holder and others testified. Unlike now. I now yield one minute to the gentle lady from illinois, ms. Kelly. Gentle lady is recognized for one minute. Madam speaker, today is a solemn day in america. A day that none of us hoped for when we came to congress. But the events of today are something that each of us swore that we were prepared to execute in defense of the constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic. This is the oath that binds the men and women of the 116th congress as our democracy implores we defend her. A threat to democracy is what brings us here. The architect, a president who asked that a foreign nation interfere in our election. This was our Founding Fathers greatest fear. I cast a solemn vote for the many individuals in my district who entrusted me to be their voice in congress. They entrusted me to uphold our constitution for them. I vote yes for sarah in chicago, doug in kankakee, diane in flosmore and catherine in crete and jimmy in park forest. The path forward is clear. Impeachment is not an option. It is an obligation because no one is Above The Law. I yield back. Gentleman from georgia. Thank you, madam speaker. At this time, it is my privilege to yield two minutes. Gentleman is recognized for two minutes. Thank you, madam speaker. Thank you Ranking Member collins. You know, in the navy we had a saying. Bluff. Bottom lineup front. Well, ill give you the bottom line. Democrats are terrified that President Trump is going to win reelection. They cant beat him on the merits so democrats are caving to their far left radical base
and are using the thoughts and the feelings and the assumptions of some unnamed bureaucrats rather than relying on facts and law to impeach a duly elected president. Let me be clear, this is nothing more than a political hit job. You know, ive been on all sides of the courtroom. I was a prosecutor in the navy, Defense Attorney in the navy. I was a District Judge in my home town. As a lawyer i would defend this case every day of the week. On judge i would dismiss on day one for merit. There is no prima facia case here. I would prosecute adam schiff for abuse of power. Why . How about the fact that he used his position as chairman to leak Phone Records of devin nunes. Less than 48 hours before a hearing. That is the abuse of power. Obstruction. I prosecute the democrats for obstruction. Judiciary democrats voted down my request to subpoena the whistleblower. The fact that chairman nadler refused every single republican request for a fact witness. That is obstruction of congress. So, again, let me be clear. Today is nothing more than a political hit job, thank you. I yield back. Gentleman from new york. Madam speaker, once again, i hear attacks on democratic members of congress, but not one single word of substantive defense of the president s conduct. I now yield one minute to mr. Connally. Gentleman is recognized for one minute. Madam speaker, each of us here took an oath to protect and defend the constitution of the United States. Not the president and not our Political Party. Today history will judge. Did we abide that oath . To extort a foreign country. To investigate your political opponent is an unconstitutional abuse of power. To solicit foreign interference in an American Election is an unconstitutional abuse of power. The need to protect against such abuses prompted our founders to grant the sole power of impeachment to this house. The delicate balance of power, our democracy is threatened when a president disregards the constitution by obstructing Congress Congress power to cover up illegal behavior. In doing that, President Trump violated his oath. Today we must put country over party. We must assert no one is Above The Law. Today we are summoned by history to do the right thing. I yield back. Gentleman from georgia. Thank you, madam speaker. I really, i know this is
probably not true, but i think the speakers are not working on the majority side because i have talked about it and many members have talked about the facts. No pressure, no conditionality, nothing was ever denied them when they got through. They actually got the money and they never did anything for it. We have talked about the facts. That is a distraction that doesnt need to happen. I yield a minute and a half to the gentleman from ohio. Gentleman is recognized for a minute and a half. Madam speaker, i have heard numerous colleagues say they didnt run for congress to impeach the president. Maybe not originally, but unfortunately from the moment proceedings began after the fourth vote to launch an Impeachment Inquiry, todays vote was ineevitable. Many of them campaigned on it. I love this country with a soldiers passion. I came here to defend freedom, not to deny due process to anyone. I came here to solve problems and change the broken status quo, not to distract or disrupt those like President Donald Trump who deliver on promises to
put america back on the path of peace and prosperity that has made and kept our country free. For months now, americans have heard speculation about the president s motives in ukraine. Despite months of effort, dozens of hearings and countless documents, americans have not seen proof that the president committed a high crime or a misdemeanor. We have a republic if we can keep it. This is disgraceful, dishonest process. Its a discredit to this body to our nation. I urge the house to drop these divisive Articles Of Impeachment and get to work for the American People. I yield. The gentleman yields back. Gentleman from new york. Madam speaker, how much time, will you tell me how much time both sides have left please. New york has two hours and two minutes. Gentleman fromming go ing googe hours and three minutes. Madam speaker, i now yield one minute to the gentle lady from new york. Gentle lady is recognized for one minute. Madam speaker, the facts are clear. The president of the United States withheld 400 million in military aid to an ally of the United States and also held back a white house meeting to compel a foreign nation to investigate his political opponent. At the exact time the president was doing this, ukraine was engaged in a battle for its very existence with one of americasedamerica, russia. The president used his power to persuade a foreign nation to dig up dirt on a political opponent and thats the truth. This was quite simply a geo political shake down. The president then tried to Block Congress from exercising his constitutionally mandated duty to uncover the truth. Every single one of us today
faces a stark choice. If we choose to turn a blind eye to put political before the constitution, then we are complicit in this version of democracy. If we do not hold this president accountable, we have failed the people who have sent us here. Our own oath to defend the constitution. Your time is expired. No one is Above The Law. Thank you, madam speaker. My pleasure to yield two minutes to the gentleman from alabama, mr. Burn. Gentleman is recognized for two minutes. Madam speaker, in three months, weve gone from receiving an unsubstantiated hearsay and whistleblower complaint to production of Articles Of Impeachment against the president of the United States. Not since Andrew Johnson has the house engaged in such a partisan, political stunt. From the beginning, this has been a sham and this house has been nothing but a star chamber. The democrat majority literally locked themselves in the basement of this Building Hiding from the American People. When my colleagues and i refused to stand for it, democrats moved to public hearings, but denied us questions. Denied us witnesses and denied the president any meaningful opportunity to defend himself. With this complete abuse of process, the democratic majority has produced the flimiest and most legally unsound Articles Of Impeachment in the history of this nation. Never before has the house reported an article of impeachment that does not allege an underlying crime, yet this majority will do so today. Read the transcripts. There was no quid pro quo. No bribery. No extortion. No crime and no abuse of power and they dont even led to crime
in the airer atheir Articles Of Impeachment. If the dealings of hunter biden were so above, you would think the majority would be just fine looking into this matter. Yet, they havent moved my resolution asking for an investigation and our subpoenas for hunter biden have all been denied. Hunter biden doesnt get a pass because his dad was vice president. Im proud to have fought against this charade every step of the way and i will proudly vote no today and i yield back. Gentleman yields back. Gentleman from new york. Madam speaker, i now yield one minute from the gentle lady from wisconsin, ms. Moore. Recognized for one minute. The facts are uncontestable and the president grossry misused the office of president. I feel compelled to respond to the false narrative that democrats are using this process to overturn an election. You know, i agree. Elections are the appropriate venue for Public Policy disputes, however, were not talking about a Public Policy dispute. Were talking about a president who subverted National Security by soliciting foreign interference in our elections. The exact thing our Founding Fathers feared. And the exact circumstance from which they drafted the impeachment clause. Our democracy, our constitution deserves standing up for, not Donald John Trump and i will leave my colleagues with this last thought as they decide how to cast this historic vote. For what shall it profit a man to gain the whole world only to lose his own soul. I yield back. Lady yields back. Gentleman from georgia. Thank you i yield a minute and a half to the gentleman from texas, mr. Goodwin. Gentleman is recognized for a minute and a half. Thank you, madam speaker. This is the day the founding
fathers feared when they granted congress the power of impeachment where we have a Political Party so dead set against the president that they will do anything to impeach him. And theyre about to get away with it simply because they have the votes. But thats not how this process is supposed to work. Its not meant to be dictated by a thin, partisan majority nor meant to be used when an election is right around the corner. No one understands that better than our speaker, who i have Great Respect for and i agree with the comments she made on March The 6th of just this year. Impeachment is so divisive to the country that unless there is something so compelling and overwhelming and bipartisan, i dont think we should go down that path because it divides the nation. And thats exactly whats happened. And when we walk out of here tonight, we all know how this result is going to go. The democrats are voting for this. Not one republican is breaking. This is not bipartisan. The American People are disgusted with the United States House Of Representatives and we bring shame upon this body today
by moving forward this impeachment. I yield back. Gentleman yields back. Gentleman from new york. Madam speak, i yield one minute from the gentleman from california. Gentleman is recognized for one minute. Thank you, madam speaker. The facts in this case are as simple as they are tragic. Witness after witness attested to these facts. No one has credibly refuted them. President trump tried to coerce ukraine to interfere in the 2020 elections. He used the power of his office for personal, Political Gain. By Withholding Aid to ukraine, the president has endangered our ally ukraine and undermined our own National Security. And when he got caught, the president attempted to cover up the crime and shut down any
investigation by obstructing congress. We have overwhelming evidence that this president posed an urgent threat to our elections, to our National Security and to the rule of law. Congress must vote to impeach him. To protect our Constitutional Republic. There is no alternative. Thank you and i yield back. Gentleman from georgia. Thank you, madam speaker. The only urgent threat to this body is the clock and the desire to impeach the president before we go home for christmas. A minute and a half to the gentleman from tennessee. Gentleman is recognized for a ma minute and a half. Since donald trump was elected in 2016, democrats have been on a crusade to stop him by any means. They believe that everyone should be treated equally under the law no matter what your station you occupy in life. Rich, poor, president , factory worker, fair. This process has been anything
but fair. For two years, we have been told that then candidate donald trumpcluded with russians to interfere with our elections. Two years, millions of dollars spent on the mueller investigation. No collusion. Youd think after being that wrong, democrats would finally decide to work on the problems that the American People sent us here to do. Youd be wrong, again. Then we were told the president withhold money to the ukrainians in a quid pro quo, bribery, abuse of power, no. To gather information on the political rival, potential rival. Heres some facts about what happened. Fact number one, the transcript of july 25th Phone Conversation that the president released shows no pressure. Fact number two, president zelensky did not know money was withheld and no investigation was occurred or announced and fact number four, the money was released september 11th, 2019. Facts are stubborn things. On the other side of the aisle,
quote, im concerned if we dont impeach this president , hell get reelected. End quote. That, madam speaker, says it all. I yield back. Gentleman yields back. Gentleman from new york. Madam speaker i yield one minute to the gentle lady from oregon. Gentle lady is recognized for one minute. I take seriously my oath to uphold and defend the constitution and i do not take todays proceedings lightly. The Founding Fathers included the Impeachment Process and the constitution to uphold our valus and to maintain the checks and balances that are essential to Separation Of Powers and to democracies. They knew way back in 1987 that a president could abuse the power of the office and, in fact, they adopted the phrase high crimes and misdemeanors for a phrase used in the English Parliament intended to uncover situations where an official abused his power and included and disobeying an order from the parliament. Donald trump has abused the
power of his office by inviting a Foreign Government to interfere in the u. S. Election. And he did this not to help the United States, but to benefit himself. Thats wrong and its an impeachment offense. When congress exercised oural d investigate, that is also wrong and its also an impeachable offense. In our country, no one is Above The Law that includes the president of the United States. And i yield back the balance of my time. Gentleman from georgia. Thank you, madam speaker. At this point i yield a minute and a half from the gentleman from pennsylvania. I thank the gentleman. You know, december is such a great month and so many great dates in december and we talk about the wonderful things that happened in the decembers of the past. Theres also in addition to christmas being something we celebrate. The Boston Tea Party took place in december and in 1941 a horrific act happened in the United States and its one that President Roosevelt said today
is a day that will live in infamy. Today december 19th, 2019 will live in infamy. Just because you hate the president of the United States and you can find no other reason other than the fact that youre so blinded by your hate you cant see straight the only way we can make sure the president doesnt get elected again is to impeach him. On the floor of the peoples house. Democracy and liberty in the whole world. We have decided that political power is far more important than principal. I would urge all members of the house to vote no on impeachment and, listen, let me tell you. The voters will remember next november what youre doing this december. This is a terrible time, this is a date that will live in infamy. I thank you, mr. Speaker and i yield back. The members are reminded to address their remarks to the chair. Gentleman from new york. Madam speaker, i now yield
one minute to the gentle lady from florida, mrs. Frankel. Gentle lady is recognized for one minute. In 1777 at the conclusion of the convention Benjamin Franklin was asked do we have a republic or monarchy. He responded, a republic, if you keep it. Madam speaker, republic is a form of government in which the country is considered a public matter not the private concern or property of the rulers. In a republic, no person is Above The Law. In a republic, the president may not abuse his power by withholding critical foreign assistance for his own Political Gain. Nor may he stop witnesses from talking. I did not come to congress to impeach a president , but i did take an oath to keep the republic. For our children and our grandchildren, we should do nothing less. One day, i will tell my grandson
that i stood up for our democracy. I will vote yes to impeach the president. And i yield back. Gentle lady yields back. As this time i yield from the gentleman from wisconsin. Thank you. Id like to address why were here. Were certainly not here because of a misquoted phone call in july of 2019. The Washington Post ran an article headlines the campaign to impeach President Trump begun the day he was sworn in. The gentleman from maryland who spoke earlier today called for impeachment two days before President Trump was in, before he was sworn in. The gentleman from texas was introducing Impeachment Resolutions two years ago and said President Trump could get reelected. This impeachment is not about anything that happened on a phone call. This impeachment is about what President Trump has done. The people in this country who are inadmissible or dont have
legal authority fell from 100,000 people in may to under 5,000 people in november. And you hate him for it. Ben carson thinks lowincome housing should be used by american citizens and not people here liillegally and you hate h for it. President trump doesnt want people coming in and going on welfare and you hate him for it. Abled bodied people on food stamps to work for it and he is hated for it. The rip off agreement with mexico and canada and led by President Bush and president obama and you hate him for it. President trump sides with Law Enforcement instead of criminals and murders dropped thousand people last year and you hate him for citing with the president. President trump lets christian Adoption Agencies choose who they want to be parents and you dont like him for that. Wont let foreign aid go to abortions and you hate him for that. President trump judges stick to the constitution and hes
disliked for that. President trump is keeping his Campaign Promises and you hate him for that. I yield the remainder of my time. Members are, once again, reminded to keep their remarks to the chair. Gentleman from new york. Madam speaker, we do not hate President Trump, but we do know that President Trump will continue to threaten the nations security, Canmocra Mody and constitutional system if he is allowed to remain in office. That threat is not hypothetical. President trump persisted during this Impeachment Inquiry to investigate his political opponent. The president steadfastly iniciinsis insists he did nothing wrong and will do it all again. That threatens our next election as well as our constitutional democracy. I yield one minute to the gentleman from california. Gentleman is recognized for one minute. Madam speaker, the peoples house with the power of impeachment to balance the power
of the presidency. Without this essential duty, the president could exploit his Sacred Office without any regard for the law. On january 3rd, 2019, every member of the house swore north to defend the constitution and this week were being asked to do just that. When allegations arose that the president tried to coerce a Foreign Government to help undermine the 2020 election, the house carried out its duty to investigate a potential abuse of power. But the president refused to cooperate and forbade his administration from doing so. Obstructing congress from carrying out our sworn responsibility. If these actions bear no Co Consquensh American Democracy will be at an end. Therefore, compelled by my sworn duty, i will vote to impeach this president. I yield back. Gentleman from georgia. Thank you, madam speaker. At this time i yield to my friend from florida a minute and a half. Gentleman is recognized for a minute and a half. President washingtons warning to the republic 223 years ago. The constitution rightly sets a high bar for impeachment and the integrity of the process also depends on the ability of the legislatures to vote their Minds Independent of party politics. Removing a president is too important and lawmakers are given too much latitude to define high crimes and misdemeanors for it to be any other way. Otherwise, excessively partisan politicians could overturn an election simply because the president is a member of the opposite and opposing party. It is in regard to this Impeachment Process that George Washington Forewarned Us as a nation at this moment in
history. When Political Parties may then and now answer popular, they are likely in the course of time and likely to become engines by which ambitious and unprincipl and women will be enabled to subvert the power of the people to usurp for themselves the reigns of government. How wise he was . Vote no on this assault to our republic. The constitution and against President Trump. Gentleman yields back. Gentleman from new york. Madam speaker, jon adams warned in a letter to Thomas Jefferson that these risks are unavoidable and might sometimes overlap. Quote, you are apprehensive of foreign interference, intrigue, influence. So am i. As long as as often as elections happen, the danger of foreign influence recurs. Close quote. I now yield one minute to the gentle lady from michigan, ms. Lawrence. Gentle lady is recognized for
one minute. Madam speaker, today history is being written. The facts are conclusive. The president attempted to use the power of the powerful office of president to force ukraine to influence our 2020 election. In the process, President Trump jeopardized our National Security. And withheld vital military assistance, intended to prevent further russian aggression to our region. However, as our committees, including government oversight, which i sit on and which im a member, sought to interview additional witnesses. And obtain documents. The president ordered, from the power of his office, that the Executive Branch to not participate and obstructed the congressional oversight. Article one provides the House Of Representatives with the sole power of impeachment. As well as the authority to conduct oversight of the Executive Branch. What did he have to hide . When the framers met over 200 years ago, they went to Great Lengths to ensure future president s would be forced to answer to their constitutional responsibility. I stand today in support of the two Articles Of Impeachment. Gentleman from georgia. Thank you, madam speaker. At this time, i yield two minutes to the gentleman from virginia. Gentleman is recognized for two minutes. Thank you, madam speaker. Todays a sad day for this body. For the voters who sent me here last november and for our nation. Benjamin franklin cautioned when asked what he had given us, a republic if you can keep it. Today, we take a step further toward losing the republic that our Founding Fathers envisioned by engaging in activity that they specifically warned against. The misuse of the constitutional power of impeachment for one partys Political Gain. Our constitution is the very foundation of our republic. Its assurance of selfdetermination has been the shining beacon by which our nation has chartered its course over the last two centuries. From a new democratic experiment struggling to survive to the greatest nation on earth. America has been powered over the years, not by government but by the ingenuity, the bravery, and the faith of its people. Confident in their place as one nation, under god, indivisible with liberty and justice for all. And so it is we, the people, who determine our president. Not we, the Judiciary Committee. Nor we, the congress. The constitution is clear. Its only when we see clear proof of the impeachable offenses outlined in article two, section four, treason, bribery, or other high crimes and misdemeanors, that we are to challenge the decision of the voters. Break the figurative glass and pull the Emergency Rip Cord that is impeachment. We do not have that proof today. Thomas jefferson said i know of no Safe Repository but the people themselves and if we
think them not enlightened enough to exercise their control with a wholesome discretion, the remedy is not to take it from them. But to inform their discretion by education. But rather than educate, this majority has chosen today with hearsay, innuendo, and speculation. It will judge it for what it truly is. The ugly hijacking by the majority of our constitution. And the powers it so solemnly entrusts to us to engage in a blatantlypolitical process designed to finally achieve what they could not achieve at the ballot box. The removal of the a dually elected president. Compelled by my sworn duty to uphold this constitution and for the people, i vote no on impeachment today. I yield back. Gentleman from new york. Madam speaker, i now yield one minute to the gentleman from california, mr. Huffman. Gentlemans recognized for one minute. Madam speaker, as we take this solemn, necessary Step Of Impeaching President Trump, my republican colleagues have made up their minds. We cant persuade them to do the right thing. So ill address my remarks to the future. Todays vote will be judged by future generations, including my precious children abby and nathan. Maybe grandkids. Historians will study what members of this congress did when our democracy was tested like never before. By a president who put personal interests above country. Who compromised National Security to cheat his way to reelection. And when caught, not only lied and refused to admit wrongdoing, but flouted congresss authority. He even called the constitutional impeachment mechanism unconstitutional. Historians will marvel how some members of congress continued to stand by this man. How they put blind partisan loyalty over fear of donald trump above their duty to defend the constitution. How they made absurd partisan arguments and tried to obstruct these proceedings. And how instead of pushing back when their party fell under the dark spell of authoritarianism,
they embraced it as if the constitution, the rule of law, and our Oath Of Office mean nothing. So, madam speaker, for our future generations, our children, the judgment of history, let me be clear. I stand with our constitution, with the rule of law, and our democracy. Ill be voting yes to impeach donald j. Trump. Gentlemans recognized for a minute and a half. I thank the gentleman for yielding me time. Todays vote to impeach the dulyelected president of the United States is truly historical. However, its unique place in history is not for the reasons the Democratic Party and their Mainstream Media overlords are so desperately trying to convey. Today, we will be remembered as the day that the democrats claiming a false moral supremacy over the the desire of the American People, executed a deliberate and orchestrated plan to overturn a president ial election. It will be the first time in history that a party paraded out
their Ivy League Academics to explain to 31 states and almost 63 Million People that their voice should not be heard. And why their votes should be counted. I pray for our nation every day. But today, i am praying for my colleagues across the aisle. Who arrived at this partisan and selfdirected fork in the road, and chose the road neverbefore traveled. And one that has a dead end. Donald j. Trump is our president. Chosen by the American People. Fair and square. As we say in texas, its a done deal. Democrats attempt to change history will never undo that. May god bless the greatest country in the world, the United States of america. I yield back my time. Gentleman yields back. Gentleman from new york. Madam speaker, i would remind the gentleman that the Impeachment Clauses placed in the constitution to protect the American People and our form of government against a president who would subvert our constitutional liberties in between elections. I now yield one minute to the distinguished gentleman from texas, mr. Green. Gentlemans recognized for one minute. Still, i rise, madam speaker. I rise because i love my country. And, madam speaker, shall any man be beyond justice . This is the question posed in 1787 by george mason at the constitutional convention. Shall any man be beyond justice . Madam speaker, if this president is allowed to thwart the efforts of congress with a legitimate Impeachment Inquiry, the president will not only be Above The Law. He will be beyond justice. We cannot allow any person to be beyond justice in this country. In the name of democracy, on behalf of the republic, and for
the sake of the many who are suffering, i will vote to impeach. And i encourage my colleagues to do so, as well. No one is beyond justice in this country. I yield back the balance of my time. Gentleman from georgia. Thank you, madam speaker. Id also remind my chairman the impeachment was not to be used between election cycles to defeat a president , sitting president , who you think will be reelected. With that, i yield one minute to the gentleman from florida. Gentlemans recognized for one minute. Thank you, madam speaker. I will vote today against both Articles Of Impeachment because we are without merit. And setting the dangerous precedent for our country. This political vendetta is an abuse of the Impeachment Process. And would subvert the votes of 63 million americans. Just because the president s opponents are afraid that hell win reelection is no excuse for weaponizing impeachment. No president in history has ever been impeached ten months before an election
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