and balances obstructed with the separation of powers thought about and successfully negotiated a generation of challenges that we have sustained. in the very first week the framers began crafting this blueprint for americans instability and negotiations, indeed immediately started on impeachment. no government in the world at that time expose the head of government to impeachment, but america was to be different. in the view of the framers impeachment is in no way a constitutional crisis, it is a process the framers wisely judged that we would sometimes need. this evening is one of those rare moments. madison worried one day the country would elect a president who might his administration to scheme a percolation or oppression he may betray his powers. george mason, shall we see any man to be about justice? and above all, that man to be a puppet who can commit the most
defend a president who will extort an ally with military aid to help him cheat in an election. they don t want to defend that conduct so instead they say, oh, democrats want to impeach the president but that democrats don t like the president, but what they can t say is this president s conduct was ethical. what they can t say was this president s conduct was legal. what they can t say was this presidents constitutional. what they can t say is this president has upheld his oath of office. they can t say that. all they can say is we don t like the process were our colleagues are just too happy to impeach or, or it s overturning the will of the public when it s a republican president. interestingly my colleagues, bill clinton did not think it was overturning the will of the people. apparently this impeachment provision overturns the will of the people if it is a republican
behalf of congressional democrats to insert this level of gravity. it just didn t exist in terms of the facts. you know, the quoting of thomas paine and the introducing of the founding fathers in this effort to sort of like, raise historic value, really what amounted to extraordinary partisan process. this is the only partisan impeachment we have had in the country s history and what s going to come down to probably bipartisan efforts with a couple of democrats voting against impeachment. speaking about the estimate to mike at atmospherics, the hill said this today can might seem bigger crowds for ominous and pp to look at what is happening. this is a historic day but it is what it is. one correction i would say andrew johnson impeachment was pretty partisan in 1868. bret: but people in his own party voted against. no, true, but i m just saying. you digress, bret.
it is deeply unfortunate that we have to undertake this impeachment proceeding that unfolds this evening. but the part that we play in this process is not optional. among other things as the intelligence into to judiciary committee painstakingly documented the president abused his authority and he is, indeed, obstructed justice. he threatened to withhold congressionally appropriated taxpayer dollars from an ally under attack from russia unless they agree to interfere in our election on his behalf. he has expressed no remorse, and he continues to maintain his behavior was perfect. well simultaneously obstructing congressional oversight and subpoenas of blocking members of the administration for providing truthful testimony to investigators. his actions are so far beyond the pale, they have left us with no remaining recourse except impeachment and so we shall impeach.
republican party on a conditional offense. a foregone conclusion if not the senate to plan ahead to get this trial. take a look at this argument about witnesses. more credibility if he said let s rake bring in mick mulvaney, bolton. i would be happy to testify if that is required by law. the appointee donald j. tru donald j. trump, they are hardly biased. i m not going to support witnesses being called for by the president. i m not going to support witnesses being cold for by senator schumer. what about this commit jesse. i think the democrats are being very disingenuous on this request, brett, mulvaney and bolton weren t called in the house. if they are testimony was so important in this process, why didn t the democrats in the