Purified and strengthened and in that process, all of us would become, as never before, free men in a free society. Purposes of general debate for period not to exceed 15 minutes. I wish to join my other colleagues in commending you for the matter in which you have presided over these hearings. I u believe that you have been fair to the republican minority in recognizing and calling upon them when their turn has come to speak. I believe on some issues we have been successful in improving the quality of these hearings in resolutions, which the minority has supported and has been adopted by the full committee. I do wish, however, to express strong exception in the manner in which the staff on some occasions have handled these hearings. For one thing, i believe that the decision was made early. That instead of calling witnesses in a subpoena to take their depositions, the staff determined that instead they could call only those people who wanted to volunteer to be called and to have an af
And my colleagues on this committee know full well that we cannot escape history. That the decision we must jointly make will itself be tested and tried by our fellow citizens, and by history itself. The magnitude of our mission is awesome. Theres no way to understate its importance. Nor to mistake its meaning. We have unsheathed the strongest weapon in the arsenal of congressional power. We personally, members of this committee, have felt its weight, and have perceived its dangers. The framers of the constitution, fearing an executive too strong to be contained, and constrained from injustice or subject to reproof arrayed the congress with the power to bring the executive into account, and into peril of removal for acts of treason, bribery, or other crimes of high and misdemeanors. Now the first responsibility facing members of this committee was to try to define what an Impeachable Offense is. The constitution doesnt define it. The precedents, which are sparse, do not give us any rea
Mr. Railsback . Chairman, thank you, and members of the committee by saying that you, mr. Chairman, i think in a rather difficult assignment with you because you know on many occasions i think you have handled yourself very well. And i think i can say for the most members of the committee that during these six months through the 38 volumes of evidence, the listening to the live witnesses morning, afternoon and night that i can be proud of my judiciary colleagues, most of them. I feel badly as Charlie Sandman did about the leaks, the selective leaks, some of which i think the newspapers made a mistake in playing. Although i know they have a job. I used to like to be on the House Judiciary Committee when we were worried about penal reform and juvenile delinquency, trying to improve some very important things in our country that needed improving, but im about to reconsider my assignment now that we have had amnesty, abortion, impeachment and now a bomb threat. Let me say that im one of th
Those american revolutionaries two centuries ago took up arms in a desperate and determined effort to gain the precious right of knowing and participating in the processes of their own government. The men who fought in the revolution gathered in philadelphia from may to september 1987. They came together to create a government where no one ever again would have to enter into an armed rebellion to vindicate his right to be free of tyranny. And for the framers of the constitution, the other tyranny was war. Carried on illegally by the executive without the knowledge or consent of the congress. Mr. Randolph of virginia stated in the Constitutional Convention that the president under the constitution that they were writing would have great opportunities of abusing his power particularly in the time of war. Against that other tyranny, the authors of the constitution adopted impeachment as the ultimate remedy. Within a thousand days, we as americans will commemorate the 200th anniversary of
What group might be willing, or against to vote impeachment, who might come that morning. Met jim mann and talked to him for the first time. Waldon flowers and talked to him time. E first and Caldwell Butler and we met at that point and said is there we really allthat of us could agree on. Either an constitute process, abuse of say, and we went through all of the evidence that pretty convincing knew think at that point i who was voting for and who least their inclination and we went public respectivey with our speeches. You were a 34yearold from maine and a republican so a member of your by party facing impeachment a committee you served on. It was not a happy moment. Distressed through the. I knew it would be the most beortant decision i would called upon to make. I tried to be as well prepared as i could. The previous six years, three as a prosecutor, three as a defense attorney so my focus and analyzinge the evidence without regard to oritical affiliation hadisan affiliation and i s