Hunter biden behind closed doors. And so now the huge irony is that as the process moves to the senate, when republicans are going to control the entire process, theyre saying even though our argument was that we were cheated and this is unfair in the house, now that we control it, we dont want witnesses and we dont want a trial. Unbelievable. Thank you so much, heidi. Let me go back to garrett on the floor. Whats happening now . That measure did not succeed . Reporter it wont succeed. Were waiting on a few more votes to be cast. Im watching a couple more tick off the board. We expect this will probably be the last of the procedural hurdles at this phase of the game. We expect the next thing to happen will be the debate on the actual rules setting the terms of debate for the Articles Of Impeachment. This will look like an actual debate when it gets started. You will see members start to hash out not just the Process Arguments that you heard from heidi, but also democrats will
be making the case about why this is so important. Now, in terms of the rule itself, theres not a lot to this. It sets the terms of the debate. There wont be amendments. They expect to have a sixhour clock like a basketball game style. It will stop and start as we move throughout the course of the day. This is a little bit of congressional Throat Clearing to get to the actual action on the floor. As im watching the board now, 14 members left to vote. The clock at the bottom of your screen, people will get used to seeing that throughout the course of the day. Its sort of a suggestion. When the clock reaches zero, you almost never hear a vote gavelled out. We will wait as long as possible to get all members who want to vote in the chamber to vote, especially on a day like today. But expect to see the real debate portion starting any minute now. Thank you so much, Garrett Haake on the floor of the house. You know, i think it was somebody who once said that nothing concentrates the mind like the thought of imminent hanging. It just seems like trump has
only gotten serious about this the last week. Steve miller commissioned himself to write this writing for war. Its like hes decided im going to go to war now that i just lost the war. I dont know. It seems like to me that he has been in a war mode, you know, i think a few days ago he tweeted 124 times on a workday. This is not someone who is attending to the business of the country. This is not someone who is worried about infrastructure. This is someone who is singularly focused on trying to convince enough americans that the way hes doing this presidency is okay. And this is all about him and it always has been, it always will be as far as hes concerned. And i think weve got to remind ourselves every once in a while, he doesnt really think hes done anything wrong. He thinks its fine to leverage military aid to get dirt on his political opponent with aForeign Government. He thinks thats fine. But also, chris, this is a man who talks tough but has been running from his day in court his whole life. Who settles these lawsuits and the Racial Discrimination suits, who ran for president telling his own supporters ill never settle the Trump University suit. Thats a suit about a thing with his name on it. And however much it pained him at the end of the day when he was facing going into a courtroom, these were trump people, people who wanted to learn from donald trump who spent their own money. And when it came down and by the way, just a civil courtroom, money being the main issue. He said, no, i would rather pay 50 million than have my day in court. The reason hes upset and the reason it matters and why we have a constitution that provides for a triallike format for the very rare times when president s stand accused of high crimes, is that he will be put on trial. And we dont know everything, but we do know from his
behavior, hes been running from that his whole life. And the thought of a public live televised trial scares him. Has he ever been in a trial . Hes been in depositions, never been in a criminal trial. Has he ever walked into a courtroom and faced a judge and jury . A small amount did go to trial, but this quasicriminal format where his conduct is being looked at. Remember, every citizen goes to court, the president s lawyers, everyone. But because hes in charge of the laws, he doesnt go to court, he goes to a senate trial. Im sorry . He also has no one to sue him. I think to the point about this letter, is what he does is sue anybody who he feels threatened by, and so hes very aggressive. But in this case he cant sue, you know, congressman nadler. One problem, and the law is
the law and i should have gone to law school because im very admiring of this guy. But this Guy Turns Everything into a reality tv show. And in this reality tv show, and hes got Mitch Mcconnell playing his part. This is not a trial in the senate. This is a political game. Weve got more than theyve got in terms of votes. Were going to win this. Its just a game. And all of the people on his side from the freedom caucus, theyre playing the games this morning. Their whole role is to work for him and refigure this not as a constitutional crisis, but as a game show and hes the quiz master. Its just like it was with the apprentice. Hes the game player and the moderator. And he will define it his way. Hes innocent and were causing trouble. Ive got to bring in zoe lofgren. Ive known you forever. Thank you so much. Youve been through a couple of these things as a top staffer and now as a voting member. Im just saying that trump has this gift, or poison in him, his ability to turn everything into
a tv show, even this. He projects onto others his own behavior. But this is really kind of a depressing day here where we are required to hold him to account for committing a high crime and misdemeanor, abusing his authority. And we will be debating that all day. What do you make of these tactics . Is there a limit to how many times the minority, the republicans can slow things down today . Well, there are some limits, but i dont understand why they would do this. Why dont they just make their case if they can . So far, the case has been dont believe your lying eyes, nothing happened, which is bizarre. You cant excuse the behavior, really none of them are. So i guess in some ways its better that they pretend it didnt happen than that they say
its okay. Let me ask you, do we have any progress yet in the Democratic Caucus on who will be the people to make the case in january in the u. S. Senate for impeachment and conviction . Nancy pelosi will make that decision. I understand a number of people have been lobbying for it. I am not among them. I think whoever is called to do it will do their duty if nancy asks us to perform, and i assume that she will put together a very Competent Team and the rest of us will support that team. It must be bothering you i dont want to project, but for three months now weve been debating this and the people on our network, weve been covering it gavel to gavel. And yet there seems to be almost like a world war i situation, where the Trenches Lines dont move. They vibrate, but they dont move. How do you account for that . Well, you know, we have a reality and then we have a constructed reality thats really untethered from earth. And for those who are untethered, you know, theyre really not looking at the overwhelming evidence that was compiled, despite the president s efforts to obstruct. And thats a shame. I cant explain it or condone it, but thats what we have here. To you so much for joining us, a member of the Judiciary Committee. Thank you. Were watching on the screen now. Thats jim mcgovern. He was working for the chairman of the rules committee and there he is chairman of the rules committee after all of these years. The rule is simply about how long theyre going to debate, how much each side gets to have of the time. We hope that this will take about an hour under the rule itself to continue this question. And chris, two things. One, its interesting hearing from congresswoman lofgren, who
was on the Judiciary Committee staff during nixon and then voted on clinton and now trump impeachment. All the way back to don edwards in nixon times. So i wanted to pick up on a point you were making before we spoke to the congresswoman because i think you hit it on the head. We are looking at a pitched battle for all the marbles going into the next election between the senate trial that the constitution provides, and you call that oldfashioned, and what you outline that trump wants to do, which is turn this into the Peoples Court. Turn it into a tv show about court where the outcome is ordained, so the stakes dont matter, and then everyone has a fake fight. And i think you hit it on the head. Because Mitch Mcconnell already told us hes going to do what the trump folks want and he came out yesterday and said this is just partisan, we know how its going to end, pay no attention to this as far as. Isnt that sad for someone who actually runs the senate to speak about their own branch of government that way . Even if in the end they have a view. So that goes to what youre
saying. The president has a vested interest in reducing this way from its constitutional significance and back to a Peoples Court episode, which would put Mitch Mcconnell has judge wopner. This is a political question and its about drama and th theatrics. If you look at trump, he is recognizable after all of these years. Weve all been studying this character trying to figure him out. If you look at his view of the world, the world is just a bunch of bullies fighting with each other. No u. N. , no rules. Theres the speaker coming in right now. Shes one of the two Major Players in this whole event. Don edwards, i want to did you about that. Everything is about power, macho, bullying, there are no rules, theres no sanctions, theres no real punishments, its just like bully against ood like before world war ii, and japan against china and us in
the middle of that fight. No rules, no nothing. He seems to want to bring it down to that, because then hes never guilty of anything. Hes just another pug, another boxer out there fighting for himself. Well, i think thats certainly how he views the world. The problem is that there actually are rules and i think what the congress is doing, what the house is doing today is setting the terms and donald trump, whether he wants to or not, he is going to be placed in the middle of the rules that we all know and its called the constitution. So i think despite the fact that thats the game that he wants to play and hell run this all the way through to november. Thats why i think its incumbent on democrats to continue to tell the story about why it is and how it is the president abused his power and how he obstructed the congress. And most americans actually do think that there are a set of rules that we live under, that
near not lawless. And i think exposing the president s lawless behavior is going to be really important. Thank you, congresswoman. Lets go to chair of the house rules committee. I dont know what it is. Now, ive heard some on the other side suggest this process is about overturning an election. That is absurd. This is about protecting our democracy. These facts are beyond dispute. The only question now is whether we are willing to tolerate such conduct. Not just today by President Trump, but further more by any president of either party. To not act would set a dangerous precedent, not just for this president , but for every future president. 11 months ago many of us took an oath right here in this chamber. Ive had the privilege to take that oath 12 times now, and i believe it is not just for show. It is a contract between each of
us and the people we represent to place the National Interests above partisan interests, and to preserve those laws that make our country unique. We cannot reconcile the president s abuse of power and obstruction of congress with the oath of office that we took. We are being tested on something greater than our ability to toe the party line. Something bigger than being able to score the next Television Sound bite. This is a democracy sounding moment. History will judge us by whether we keep intact the fragile republic handed down to us by our forbearers or whether we allow it to be changed forever. For the sake of our countrys future, i hope and i pray that my colleagues will make the right decision. I reserve the balance of my time. Gentleman reserves. Gentleman from oklahoma. Thank you, mad am speaker. I think my good friend, Chairman Mcgovern for yielding me the customary 30 minutes. The gentleman is recognized. Thank you. Well, madam speaker, today is a very sad day for all of us, for me personally, for the rules committee, the entire House Of Representatives, and most importantly for the American People. For the second time in my life, the House Of Representatives will be voting to impeach a president of the United States. But unlike in 1998, the decision to have this vote is not the result of a bipartisan process, nor an open or fair process. Instead, its going to be a deeply partisan vote coming at the end of an unfair and rushed process prescribed solely by democrats to ensure a predetermined result. Impeachment of a president is one of the most consequential acts the House Of Representatives can undertake and it should only be done after the fullest and most careful consideration. Yet today, after a truncated investigation that denied the president due process, cherry picked evidence and witness testimony to fit their narrative and trampled on republicans Minority Rights, democrats in the house are pressing forward with a partisan impeachment vote. Doing so contradicts Speaker Pelosis own words back in march of this year when they said that, quote, an impeachment is so divisive to the country, that unless theres something so compelling and overwhelming and bipartisan, i dont think we should go down that path because it divides the country, unquote. But if were really being honest, democrats have been searching for a reason to impeach President Trump since the day he was elected. In december of 2017, a current member of the majority forced a vote to impeach the president , and even then, long before there was even an Impeachment Investigation, 58 democrats
voted to impeach the president. And those members have only grown since then, to the point where the majority is now pushing forward with a final vote on impeachment, heedless of where it takes the country and regardless of whether or not theyve proven their case. And if my colleagues and the majority believe they have proven their case, let me be clear, they have not. The entire premise of these Articles Of Impeachment rests on a pause placed on Ukrainian Security assistance. A pause of 55 days. The majority has spun creative narratives as to the meaning and the motive of this pause, alleging the president demanded a, quote, quid pro quo, unquote, but with no factual evidence to back it up. Security aid to the ukraine was released, the administration did so without the ukraine ever initiating an investigation into
anyone or anything. Its even more startling to me that the majority wants to move forward with this resolution, given how substantially flawed and procedurally defective the entire process has been. The Judiciary Committee, which drafted these Articles Of Impeachment, engaged in an abbreviated process, hearing from no witnesses with firsthand knowledge of the events in question. They did not conduct their own investigation, and only held two hearings on this topic before drafting the articles. One with staff and one with constitutional law scholars. Thats hardly the type of lengthy and serious consideration a topic as grave as impeachment demands. The committee actually charged with an Impeachment Investigation was the Permanent Select Committee on intelligence, not the Judiciary Committee. But that committee, too, followed a primarily closed process. Republicans were denied the
right to call witnesses or subpoena documents and the president was denied the right to representation in the committees hearings. Without respecting Minority Rights and without respecting Due Process Rights of the president , how can anyone consider this a fair process . Madam speaker, it gets worse. The Articles Of Impeachment we are considering today are based on the schiff report. The final document produced by the Intelligence Committee and transmitted to the Judiciary Committee. But the schiff report includes unsubstantiated allegations, it includes in some cases news reports as the only evidence supporting socalled factual assertions, and it includes at least 54 different Hearsay Statements as assertions of evidence without any firsthand information from witnesses to corroborate those statements. The author of the author, chairman schiff, was never questioned by the Judiciary Committee, and he refused to sit
for questions or to explain