Three consecutive days in july tells so much of the story. Three consecutive days in july of 2019. July 24, the day that special counsel mueller testified before congress, and President Trump thought he was finally in the clear, july 25, the day that President Trump got on the phone with ukrainian president and in the context of a discussion about military support for that embattled nation, that the president has 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 25. And then we come to july 26. The day Gordon Sondland called President Trump on his cell phone from a restaurant in ukraine. Gordon sondland, not some anonymous never trumper but a Million Dollar donor to the president s inauguration and handpicked ambassador to the European Union, what does President Trump ask sondland, the day after this call . What does President Trump ask . What does the president want to know . Did he ask about ukraines efforts to battle corruption . Of course not. Did he ask how the war with russia was going . Not a chance. On the phone his voice loud enough for others to hear President Trump asked sondland, so hes going to do the investigation, and the answer was clear. Sondland assured trump that the ukrainian president was going to do it. And that he would do anything you asked him to. If that wasnt telling enough, my colleagues in a conversation that followed, an american diplomat dining with sondland asked if it was true that President Trump didnt give a blank about ukraine. Sondland agreed, saying, the president cared only about big stuff. The diplomat noted that there was big stuff in ukraine like a war with russia. And sondland replied that the president cared only about big stuff that benefits him personally. Like the biden investigation that mr. Giuliani was pushing. In that short conversation, we learned everything we need to know about the 45th president of the United States. He doesnt care about ukraine. Or the impact on our National Security caused by with holding military aid to that country fighting for its democratic life. All that matters to this president is what affects him personally, an investigation into his political rival and a chance to cheat in the next election. As professor gear hart testified before the committee two weeks ago if what were talking about is not impeachable, then nothing is impeachable. Even as this body uncovered the facts of this ukraine scheme, even as we opened an impeachment inquiry, even as we gathered evidence, President Trump continued his efforts to seek foreign help in the next election. I would think, he said from the white house lawn on october 3, that if theyre being honest about it, theyd start a Major Investigation into the binds. Its a very simple answer. He said. And he made it clear its an open invitation to other nations as well, saying, china should start an investigation into the bidens too. President trump sent his chief of staff to the white house podium and he told the world that of course they had linked aid to investigations. And that we should just get over it. And even as these articles have made their way to this house floor the president s personal attorney has continued pursuing these sham investigations on behalf of his client, the president. The president and his men plot on. The danger persists. The risk is real. Our democracy is at peril. But we are not without a remedy, prescribed by the founders for just these circumstances. Impeachment. The only question is, will we use it . Or have we fallen prey to another evil hat founders forewarned, the excess of factionalism, the elevation of party over country. Many of my colleagues appear to have made their choice to protect the president , to enable him to be above the law, to empower this president to cheat again, as long as it is in the service of their party and their power. Theyve made their choice. Despite this president and the white house stonewalling every subpoena, every request for witnesses, and testimony from branch qual, coequal of government. They have made their choice. Knowing that to allow this president to obstruct congress will empower him and any other president that follows to be as corrupt, as negligent, or as abusive of the power of the presidency as they choose. They have made their choice. And i believe they will rue the day that they did. When donald j. Trump was sworn in on january 20, 2017, he repeated these words. I do solemnly swear that i will faithfully execute the office of the president of the United States. And will to the best of my ability preserve, protect, and defend the constitution of the United States. Has he lived up to that sacred obligation . Has he honored his oath of office . Has he preserved, protected and defended the constitution of the United States, the uncontested evidence provides the simple yet tragic answer, he has not. In america, no one is above the law. Donald j. Trump sacrificed our National Security in an effort to cheat in the next election. And for that, and his continued efforts to seek foreign interference in our elections, he must be impeached. I reserve the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman fromed in. Madam chair. Its nice to see you here, chairman schiff. It would have been nice to have either you or the whistleblower present in either the judiciary or oversight hearings. I think were continuing to neglect the four key facts of. This the transcript is out. Everybody can read it. The American People can redditt. Theres no conditionality or aid discussed on that call. The two principals on that call, President Trump and president zelensky said theres no pressure. President zelensky screamed from the rooftops on numerous occasions that there was no pressure, no bribery, no quid pro quo. He didnt the the aid was being paused no investigation was announced, a meeting with the president took place, and the aid was released. With that i yield the speaker pro tempore the gentleman is reminded to address remarks chair. Mr. Armstrong i yield a minute and a half to the gentleman from missouri, mr. Smith. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman is recognized. Mr. Smith i come from a state that raises corn and cotton. Cookleburrs and democrats. Your frothy eloquence neither convinces nor satisfies me. Im from the showme state. You have to show me. The only thing that you all have shown so far is that youre about to impeach a duly elected president who has done nothing wrong. Democrats are not impeaching the president because they are scared of our republic or that he has committed a crime. They are impeaching him because they fear the president s policies. And how well they are working for the American People. Most of all, they fear the election because they know they cant beat them. In fact, one of my democrat colleagues is quoted saying, im concerned if we dont impeach him, he will get reelected. Impeachment is not a political weapon. Anyone who votes for impeachment should be ashamed. You cannot undo the election because your flawed candidate did not win. And thank god she didnt. Over the last three years, unemployment has dropped to the lowest point in generations. We are seeing better trade agreements with our trading partners and record numbers of taxes and regulations to stifle Economic Growth have been rolled back, all thanks to President Trumps leadership and commitment. But we shouldnt be surprised. Democrats have introduce mr. Es of impeachment armstrong i yield the gentleman 15 seconds. Mr. Smith we shouldnt be surprised, democrats have introduced articles of impeachment in five out of our last six republican president s. They are the party of impeachment. The democrats are the party of impeachment. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman yields back. Once again, members are admonished to address their remarks to the chair. The gentleman from california. Mr. Schiff it is my pleasure to yield two minute those gentleman, mr. Swalwell. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman is recognized for two minutes. Mr. Swalwell donald trump is using the presidency to put his own personal gain above our National Interests. He is using our taxpayer dollars and foreign interference to cheat the next election and it jeopardizes our National Security and integrity at the ballot box. And not a single fact in this case is seriously in dispute. I ask my colleagues, who sent his personal lawyer to ukraine to investigate his political rival . Who fired an ambassador who stood in his way . Who conditioned a white house meeting on investigations that only personally benefited him and not the National Interest . Who cut off military aid to an ally that desperately needed it . Who pressured president zelensky to conduct those investigations . Who stood on the white house lawn and asked not only ukraine to investigate his rival but also china . Who has buried evidence and blocked witnesses from testifying . And who is still, today, sending us personal sending his personal lawyer to ukraine to dig up dirt and rig an election . The answer to all of these questions is President Donald Trump. This is a crime spree in progress but we know how to stop it. Courage. Yes, this investigation has shown us how corrupt President Trump is but its also shown us the courage of some of our fellow patriotic Civil Servants who have used their colonel to not only stand up around the world to extinguish corruption but also to extinguish it at the white house. How . My colleagues argue no harm, no foul, ukraine got the aid. Wrong. Trump cheated. Patriots caught him. Then ukraine got the aid. Standing up turns out works. Now is the time to summon the courage of those patriots and to summon the courage they showed against donald trump. If they can risk their careers, even their lives, to do the right thing, can my colleagues also do the same . After all, more is on the line than just military aid to an ally. Our National Security is at stake. Stand up for that. Our Election Integrity is at stake. Stand up for that. Our constitution is at stake. Stand up for that. I yield back. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from north dakota. Mr. Armstrong may i inquire as to the time remaining on each side. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman has one hour and 23 and a fourth many minutes remaining. The gentleman from california has one hour and 18 minutes remaining. Mr. Armstrong i appreciate the detailism yield one and a half minutes to the gentleman from ohio, mr. Johnson. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman is recognized for one and a half minutes. Mr. Johnson madam speaker, this s a sad day for america. This partisan impeachment sham seeks to disenfranchise 63 million American Voters. So i want to use my time to call on this chamber, for members to rise and observe a moment of silent reflection. To give every member here the chance to pause for a moment and remember the voices of the 63 illion American Voters the democrats today are wanting to silence. Mr. Johnson madam speaker, disenfranchising 63 million voters gives me 63 million reasons to vote no. And i urge my colleagues to do the same. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman yields back. The gentleman from california. Mr. Schiff its my pleasure to yield two minutes to ms. Sewell, the gentlelady from alabama. The chair the gentlelady is recognized for two minutes. Ms. Sewell madam speaker, it is with a heavy heart and profound sense of the gravity of this moment that i rise today in support of the impeachment of president donald j. Trump. To be clear, i did not run for congress to impeach a president. I came to work every day on behalf of the hardworking people of alabamas seventh congressional district. But the facts are uncontested. The truth is clear. And i have been left no other choice. As a member of the Intelligence Committee, i sat in shock, in awe, as witness after witness came forward, their stories painting a clear picture of the president s abuse of power. They testified that the president had directed orers to withhold vital military aid for ukraine and a white house visit in exchange for investigation into the bidens. To date, all the military aid has not been released and theres still been no white house meeting. The bottom line is clear. President trump endaged our National Security and the very essence of our democracy for his own personal political gain. Then, President Trump sought to cover it up by subverting the Oversight Authority of congress. If president ial abuse of power is left unchecked, we all become accomplices when he does it again. This cannot become the new normal. Not on our watch. While President Trumps indefensible action set in motion this event, my vote for impeachment today is not about the president. It is about my oath to defend and protect the constitution of this United States of america. And to make sure that i uphold and honor the sacred trust that my constituents gave me. President trump has betrayed his oath of office. Let us not betray ours. I yield back the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from north dakota. Youre back. From georgia. Mr. Collins thank you, madam speaker. Im back. Also noted some changes around here since we left. I notice i have a new manager on the other side who as i came back in noticed gave an eloquent defense of his side of the story we are telling. I wish we could have have that had before the Judiciary Committee where we could ask questions instead of giving one side. With that i yield a minute and a half to the gentleman from pennsylvania, mr. Keller. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman is recognized for a minute and a half. Mr. Keller thank you. Madam speaker, today will forever be remembered as a stain on our republic. These impeachment proceedings are not based upon facts, evidence, reason, or any inappropriate or impeachable actions by our president. Instead, the actions being taken by those favoring impeachment are a product of their disdain for President Trump, his America First agenda, and particularly disdain by the other party for the 63 million americans that elected him as president. Again, these articles of impeachment are not based on any facts but rather on hearsay, presumptions, innuendo, and feelings. Feelings by democrats and career bureaucrats that wanted President Trump removed from office since the day he was elected. In defense of the constitution i urge all members to oppose both articles of impeachment. It is unclear who will judge those voting for impeachment today more harshly, history or voters. So i want democrats voting for impeachment today to know thail be praying for them. From the gospel of luke, the 23rd chapterers verse 234, and jesus said, father, forgive them. For they know not what they do. Thank you. And i yield back. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. The gentleman from california. Mr. Schiff madam speaker, my colleagues have referred to patriotic americans who testified before the Intelligence Committee as career bureaucrats. I want to remind people just who those career bureaucrats are. They are people like ambassador bill taylor who has served this country for decades, graduated top in his class at west point, served during vietnam in combat, rned a bronze star earned a bronze star. People like kohl member vindman, served in iraq, a purple heart. Ambassador yovanovitch served in dangerous places all over the world. One of the most respected all all our Foreign Service overs. These are the people my colleagues would label as career bureaucrats. Why . Because they have the courage to do their lawful duty to answer a subpoena, to come and testify. And for this they are called career bureaucrats. Well, we should have more career bureaucrats of that caliber. Im pleased to yield one minute to the gentleman from california, mr. Kosta. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman is recognized for one minute. Mr. Costa madam speaker, i rise with a heavy heart the two most difficult votes any member of congress ever has to cast is to vote to go to war or to impeach. Today i will vote for the articles of impeachment. Over the last few months i have listened carefully to my constituents. I weighed all the available information to determine whether or not the president committed any wrongdoing. There are disturbing facts from this administration that inform my decision, including the president s own words. His ambassador to the European Union testified there was a quid pro quo to withhold aid to the ukraine for investigation to former Vice President biden and everyone was in the loop. His own National Security advisor, john bolton, said he wanted nothing to do with this drug deal, as he called it. Then the president openly acknowledged that china and ukraine should investigate mr. Biden. There is much more evidence pointing to the president violating his own oath of office. I have not made this decision lightly but i must uphold my own oat