Senate Section
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
E PL UR UM IB N U U S Congressional Record United States th of America PROCEEDINGS AND DEBATES OF THE 117 CONGRESS, FIRST SESSION Vol. 167 WASHINGTON, SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2021 No. 28 House of Representatives The House was not in session today. Its next meeting will be held on Monday, February 15, 2021, at 9:30 a.m. Senate SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2021 The Senate met at 10:01 a.m. and was If there is no objection, the Journal We have supported our position with called to order by the President pro of proceedings of the trial are approved images, videos, affidavits, documents, tempore (Mr. LEAHY). to date. tweets, and other evidence, leaving no f And I would ask the Sergeant at doubt that the Senate should convict. Arms to make the proclamation. We believe we have proven our case. TRIAL OF DONALD J. TRUMP, The Acting Sergeant at Arms, Jen- But last night, Congresswoman PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED nifer A. Hemingway, made the procla- JAIME HERRERA BEUTLER of Wash- STATES mation as follows: ington State issued a statement con- The PRESIDENT pro tempore. The Hear ye! Hear ye! All persons are com- firming that in the middle of the insur- Senate will begin as a Court of Im- manded to keep silence, on pain of imprison- rection, when House Minority Leader ment, while the Senate of the United States KEVIN MCCARTHY called the President peachment. is sitting for the trial of the Article of Im- PRAYER peachment exhibited by the House of Rep- to beg for help, President Trump re- The Chaplain, Dr. Barry C. Black, of- resentatives against Donald John Trump, sponded: fered the following prayer: former President of the United States. Well, Kevin, I guess these people are more Let us pray. The PRESIDENT pro tempore. Pur- upset about the election than you are. O Lord, our God, yesterday this suant to the provisions of S. Res. 47, Needless to say, this is an additional Chamber reverberated to a standing the Senate has provided up to 2 hours critical piece of corroborating evi- ovation for the courage of Officer Eu- of argument by the parties, equally di- dence, further confirming the charges gene Goodman in defending this build- vided, on the question of whether or before you, as well as the President’s ing and human life. May our legislative not it shall be in order to consider and willful dereliction of duty and deser- jurors strive to emulate his courage in debate under the impeachment rules tion of duty as Commander in Chief of their defense of the United States Con- any motion to subpoena witnesses or the United States, his state of mind, stitution. Lord, touch and move them documents. and his further incitement of the insur- to believe that the end does not justify Are both parties ready to proceed at rection on January 6. For that reason, and because this is the means. Help them to remember this point? the proper time to do so under the res- that the end is inherent and built into Mr. Counsel CASTOR. Yes, Mr. Presi- olution that the Senate adopted to set the means. Fill our Senators with the dent. Mr. Manager RASKIN. We have a mo- the rules for the trial, we would like spirit that combines common sense tion. the opportunity to subpoena Congress- with commitment, conscience, and The PRESIDENT pro tempore. They woman HERRERA regarding her commu- courage. may proceed. nications with House Minority Leader We pray in Your merciful Name. MOTION TO SUBPOENA WITNESSES KEVIN MCCARTHY and to subpoena her Amen. Mr. Manager RASKIN. Thank you, contemporaneous notes that she made PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE Mr. President. regarding what President Trump told The President pro tempore led the Good morning, Senators. KEVIN MCCARTHY in the middle of the Pledge of Allegiance, as follows: Over the last several days, we have insurrection. I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the presented overwhelming evidence that We would be prepared to proceed by United States of America, and to the Repub- establishes the charges in the Article Zoom deposition of an hour or less just lic for which it stands, one nation under God, of Impeachments. We have shown you as soon as Congresswoman HERRERA indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. how President Trump created a powder BEUTLER is available and to then pro- THE JOURNAL keg, lit a match, and then continued ceed to the next phase of the trial, in- The PRESIDENT pro tempore. Sen- his incitement, even as he failed to de- cluding the introduction of that testi- ators, please be seated. fend us from the ensuing violence. mony shortly thereafter. ∑ This ‘‘bullet’’ symbol identifies statements or insertions which are not spoken by a Member of the Senate on the floor. S717 . VerDate Sep 11 2014 02:34 Feb 14, 2021 Jkt 019060 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 0637 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\A13FE6.000 S13FEPT1 dlhill on DSK120RN23PROD with SENATE S718 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE February 13, 2021 Congresswoman BEUTLER further First of all, this is the proper time back off of that because it was false. It stated that she hopes other witnesses that we were assigned to talk about was a false narrative. to this part of the story—other patri- witnesses. This is completely within But it is one Article of Impeachment. ots, as she put it—would come forward. the course of the rules set forth by the Yeah, they threw a lot of stuff in it in And if that happens, we would seek the Senate. There is nothing remotely un- violation of rule XXIII. Rule XXIII opportunity to take their depositions usual about this. says you cannot combine counts. It is a via Zoom, also for less than an hour, or I think we have done an exceedingly defect in their entire case. It is one of to subpoena other relevant documents thorough and comprehensive job with the four reasons why you can vote to as well. all the evidence that was available. acquit in this case: jurisdiction, rule Mr. Counsel VAN DER VEEN. Mr. Last night, this was breaking news, XXIII, due process, and the First President, thank you. and it responded directly to a question Amendment. They all apply in this Senators, good morning, and good that was being raised by the Presi- case. morning to the American people. dent’s defense counsel, saying that we Let me take my own advice and cool The first thing I want to say on the had not sufficiently proven to their the temperature in the room a little issue of witnesses is that the House satisfaction—although I think we have bit. manager just got up here and described proven to the satisfaction of the Amer- It is about the incitement. It is not the Articles of Impeachment and the ican people, certainly—that the Presi- about what happened afterwards. That charges. There is no plural here. That dent, after the breach and invasion is actually the irrelevant stuff. That is is wrong. There is one Article of Im- took place, was not working on the the irrelevant stuff. It is not the things peachment, and there is one charge, side of defending the Capitol but, rath- that were said from the election to and that is incitement of violence and er, was continuing to pursue his polit- January 6. It is not relevant to the insurrection. ical goals. legal analysis of the issues that are be- What you all need to know and the And the information that came out fore this body. American people need to know is, as of last night by Congresswoman BEUTLER, It doesn’t matter what happened late yesterday afternoon, there was a apparently backed up by contempora- after the insurgence into the Capitol stipulation going around that there neous notes that she had taken, I Building because that doesn’t have to weren’t going to be any witnesses. But think, will put to rest any lingering do with incitement. Incitement is—it is after what happened here in this Cham- doubts raised by the President’s coun- a point in time, folks. It is a point in ber yesterday, the House managers re- sel, who now says he wants to inter- time when the words are spoken, and alized they did not investigate this view hundreds of people. the words say, implicitly say, explic- case before bringing the impeachment. There is only one person the Presi- itly say ‘‘commit acts of violence or They did not give the proper consider- dent’s counsel really needs to inter- lawlessness.’’ And we don’t have that ation and work. They didn’t put the view, and that is their own client, and here. work in that was necessary to impeach bring him forward, as we suggested last So for the House managers to say we the former President. But if they want week, because a lot of this is matters need depositions about things that hap- to have witnesses, I am going to need that are in his head. Why did he not act pened after, it is just not true. But— at least over 100 depositions, not just 1. to defend the country after he learned but if he does, there are a lot of deposi- The real issue is incitement. They of the attack? Why was he continuing tions that need to be happening. NANCY put into their case over 100 witnesses, to press the political case? PELOSI’s deposition needs to be taken.