Of todays debate on impeachment. It begins with the reading of the articles. In the name of itself and of the people of the United States of america against donald john trump, president of the United States of america in maintenance and support of its impeachment against him for high crimes and iss demeaners. Article 1, abuse of power. The house of representatives should have the soul power of. Mpeachment in his conduct of the office of president of the United States, and in violation of his constitutional oath faithfully to execute the office of president of the United States and to the best of his ability, preserve, protect and defend the constitution of the United States and in violation of his constitutional duty to take care that the laws be faithfully executed, donald j. Trump has abused the powers of the presidency in that using the powers of his high office, President Trump solicited the interference of a Foreign Government, ukraine, in the 2020 United States president ial election. He did so through a scheme or a course of conduct that included soliciting the government of ukraine to publicly announce investigations that would benefit his reelection, harm the election prospects of a political opponent, and influence the 2020 United States president ial election to his advantage. President trump also sought to pressure the government of ukraine to take these steps by conditioning official United States government acts of significant value to ukraine on its public announcement of the investigations. President trump engaged in this scheme or course of conduct for corrupt purposes in pursuit of personal political benefit. In so doing, President Trump used the powers of the presidency in a manner that compromised the National Security of the United States and undermined the integrity of the United States democratic process. He thus ignored and injured the interests of the nation. President trump engaged in this scheme or course of conduct through the following means, one, President Trump, acting both directly and through his agents within and outside the United States government, corruptly solicited the government of ukraine to publicly announce investigations into, a, a political opponent, former Vice President joseph r. Biden jr. And, b, a discredited theory that ukraine, rather than russia, interfered in the 2016 United States president ial election. Two, with the same corrupt motives, President Trump, acting both directly and through his agents within and outside the United States government, conditioned two official acts on the public announcements that he had requested, a, the release of 391 million of United States taxpayer funds that congress had appropriated on a bipartisan basis for the purpose of providing vital military and Security Assistance to ukraine to oppose russian aggression and which President Trump had ordered suspended, and b, a head of state meeting at the white house, which the president of ukraine sought to demonstrate continued United States support for the government of ukraine in the face of russian aggression. Three, faced with the public revelation of his actions, President Trump ultimately released the military and Security Assistance to the government of ukraine, but has persisted in openly and corruptly urging and soliciting ukraine to undertake investigations for his personal political benefit. These actions were consistent with President Trumps previous invitations of foreign interference in United States elections. In all of this, President Trump abused the powers of the presidency by ignoring and injuring National Security and other Vital National interests to obtain an improper personal political benefit. He has also betrayed the nation by abusing his high office to enlist a foreign power in corrupting democratic elections. Wherefore President Trump, by such conduct, has demonstrated that he will remain a threat to National Security and the constitution if allowed to remain in office, and has acted in a manner grossly incompatible with selfgovernance and the rule of law. President trump thus warrants impeachment and trial, removal from office, and disqualification to hold and enjoy any office of honor, trust, or profit under the United States. Article 2, obstruction of congress. The constitution provides that the house of representatives shall have the sole power of mpeachment and that the President Shall be removed from office on impeachment for, and conviction of, treason, bribery, or other high crimes and misdemeanors. In his conduct of the office of president of the United States and in violation of his constitutional oath faithfully to execute the office of president of the United States and, to the best of his ability, preserve, protect, and defend the constitution of the United States, and in violation of his constitutional duty to take care that the laws be faithfully executed, donald j. Trump has directed the unprecedented, categorical, and indiscriminate defiance of subpoenas issued by the house of representatives pursuant to its sole power of impeachment. President trump has abused the powers of the presidency in a manner offensive to, and subversive of, the constitution, in that the house of representatives has engaged in an impeachment inquiry focused on President Trumps corrupt solicitation of the government of ukraine to interfere in the 2020 United States president ial election. As part of this impeachment inquiry, the committees undertaking the investigation served subpoenas seeking documents and testimony deemed vital to the inquiry from various executive Branch Agencies and offices, and current and former officials. In response, without lawful cause or excuse, President Trump directed executive Branch Agencies, offices, and officials not to comply with those subpoenas. President trump thus interposed the powers of the presidency against the lawful subpoenas of the house of representatives and assumed to himself functions and judgments necessary to the exercise of the sole power of impeachment vested by the constitution in the house of representatives. President trump abused the powers of his high office through the following means, one, directing the white house to defy a lawful subpoena by withholding the production of documents sought therein by the committees. Two, directing other executive Branch Agencies and offices to defy lawful subpoenas and withhold the production of documents and records from the committees, in response to which the department of state, office of management and budget, department of energy, and department of defense refused to produce a single document or record. Three, directing current and former executive Branch Officials not to cooperate with the committees in response to which Nine Administration officials defied subpoenas for testimony, namely John Michael Mick mulvaney, robert b. Blair, john a. Eisenberg, michael ellis, preston wells griffith, russell t. Vought, michael duffey, brian mccormack, and t. Ulrich brechbuhl. These actions were consistent with President Trumps previous efforts to undermine United States government investigations into foreign interference in United States elections. Through these actions, President Trump sought to arrogate to himself the right to determine the propriety, scope, and nature of an impeachment inquiry into his own conduct, as well as the unilateral prerogative to deny any and all information to the house of representatives in the exercise of its sole power of impeachment. In the history of the republic, no president has ever ordered the complete defiance of an impeachment inquiry or sought to obstruct and impede so comprehensively the ability of the house of representatives to investigate high crimes and misdemeanors. This abuse of office served to cover up the president s own repeated misconduct and to seize and control the power of impeachment, and thus to nullify a vital constitutional safeguard vested solely in the house of representatives. In all of this, President Trump has acted in a manner contrary to his trust as president and subversive of constitutional government, to the great prejudice of the cause of law and justice, and to the manifest injury of the people of the United States. Wherefore, President Trump, by such conduct, has demonstrated that he will remain a threat to the constitution if allowed to remain in office, and has acted in a manner grossly incompatible with selfgovernance and the rule of law. President trump thus warrants impeachment and trial, removal from office, and disqualification to hold and enjoy any office of honor, trust, or profit under the United States. The speaker pro tempore pursuant to House Resolution 767, the amendment in the nature of a substitute recommended by the committee on judiciary is adopted. The resolution shall be debatable for six hours equally quided and controlled by the chair and divided and controlled by the chair and Ranking Member of the committee on ojudiciary or their respective designees. The gentleman from new york, mr. Nadler, and the gentleman from georgia, mr. Collins, each will control three hours. The chair now recognizes the gentleman from new york, mr. Nadler. Mr. Nadler madam speaker, i ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and insert extraneous material on h. Res. 755. The speaker pro tempore without objection, so ordered. Mr. Nadler madam speaker, i now yield one minute to the distinguished speaker of the house. The speaker pro tempore the gentlelady, the distinguished speaker, is recognized for one minute. The speaker thank you, madam speaker. I thank the gentleman for yielding, for his tremendous leadership in helping us honor the constitution of the United States. I also extend my gratitude to chairman schiff, who will be presiding later in the day. My colleagues, this morning and every morning when we come together, members rise and pledge allegiance to the flag. Every day, all across america, children in schools, members of the military, officials and those civically engaged also pledge allegiance to the flag. Let us recall what that pledge says. I pledge allegiance to the flag f the United States of america and to the republican and to the republic for which it stands indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. The republic for which it stands is what we are here to talk about today. A republic, if we can keep it. We gather today under the dome of this temple of democracy to exercise one of the most solemn powers that this body can take the impeachment of the president of the United States. No member, regardless of party or politics, comes to congress to impeach a president , but every one of us, as our first act as a member of congress, stood on this Historic House floor before our beautiful American Flag and raised our hands in this sacred oath, i do solemnly swear that i will support and defend the constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic, so help me god. For 230 years, members have taken that sacred oath which makes us custodians of the constitution. When our founders declared independence, established our new nation, they crafted a system of government unlike anyone has ever seen before. A republic, starting with the sacred words, we the people. For centuries, americans have fought and died to defend democracy for the people. But very sadly now, our founders vision of a republic is under threat from actions from the white house. That is why today, as speaker of the house, i solemnly and sadly open the debate on the impeachment of the president of the United States. If we do not act now, we would be derelict in our duty. It is tragic that the president s reckless actions make impeachment necessary. He gave us no choice. What we are discussing today is the established fact that the president violated the constitution. It is a matter of fact that the president is an ongoing threat to our National Security and the integrity of our elections, the basis of our democracy. Hundreds of historians, legal scholars, and formal prosecutors, regardless of party, have stated that the president committed impeachable offenses. Since today is a National Civics lesson, though a sad one, i submit these documents for the record and commend them for students to study. The speaker pro tempore without objection, so ordered. The speaker thank you, madam speaker. What we are discussing today is established fact that the president , again, violated the constitution. It is a matter of fact that the president is, again, an ongoing threat to our National Security. And the testimony of decorated war heroes, distinguished diplomats and patriotic career people over the past weeks have told us this. The president used the power of his Public Office to obtain an improper personal political benefit at the expense of americas National Security. When the president weakens a democratic ally that is advancing American Security interests by fighting an american adversary, the president weakens america. This abuse of power also jeopardizes the integrity of our elections. All americans agree that American Voters should choose our president , not some Foreign Government. The founders understood that it is profoundly corrosive for our democracy for a president to invite interference in our elections. As George Washington, our nations patriot under whose gaze we stand today warned, history and experience proves that foreign influence is one of the most baneful foes of republican government. George washington. Sadly, the American People have witnessed further wrongs of the president which necessitate the second article of impeachment, obstruction of congress. When the president s wrongdoing was revealed, he launched an unprecedented, indiscriminate and categorycal campaign of defiance and obstruction. Never before in the history of our nation have we seen a president declare and act as if hes above the law. The president goes even so far as to say and act of this absurdity when he says article 2 says i can do whatever i want. No, it doesnt. That recklessness is a profound violation of the constitution and our republic, which endured because of our system of separation of power, three coequal branches, each a check and balance on the other, a republic, again, if we can keep it. The founders great fear of a rogue or corrupt president is the very reason why they enshrined impeachment in the constitution. As one founder, William Davey of north carolina, warned, unless the constitution contained an impeachment provision, a president might spare no efforts or means, whatever, to get himself reelected. Another founder, george mason, insisted that the president who procured his appointment in the first instance through improper and corrupt acts might repeat his guilt and return to power. We in Congress Must stand up and make clear to the American People and to all people that this body still stands by the principles enshrined in the constitution and defended by generations of americans. Last week in observance of the 75th anniversary of the battle of the bulge, members traveled to that Hallowed Ground to express our gratitude to the heroes of freedom who sacrificed everything to secure victory of freedom over tyranny, not just for america, but for the world.