H12130 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — HOUSE December 18, 2019 Turner Waltz Wittman Price (NC) Scott, David Torres (CA) b 1155 Upton Watkins Womack Quigley Sewell (AL) Torres Small Van Drew Weber (TX) Woodall Raskin Shalala (NM) So the resolution was agreed to. Wagner Webster (FL) Wright Rice (NY) Sherman Trahan The result of the vote was announced Walberg Wenstrup Yoho Richmond Sherrill Trone Walden Westerman Rose (NY) Sires as above recorded. Young Underwood A motion to reconsider was laid on Walker Williams Zeldin Rouda Slotkin Vargas Walorski Wilson (SC) Roybal-Allard Smith (WA) Veasey the table. Ruiz Soto Vela Stated for: NOT VOTING—4 Ruppersberger Spanberger Vela´ zquez Rush Speier Mr. GALLEGO. Madam Speaker, had I been Gabbard Serrano Visclosky Hunter Shimkus Ryan Stanton present, I would have voted ‘‘YEA’’ on rollcall Sa´ nchez Stevens Wasserman Schultz No. 694. b 1146 Sarbanes Suozzi Scanlon Swalwell (CA) Waters f Ms. BASS changed her vote from Schakowsky Takano Watson Coleman ‘‘nay’’ to ‘‘yea.’’ Schiff Thompson (CA) Welch IMPEACHING DONALD JOHN Schneider Thompson (MS) Wexton TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE So the previous question was ordered. Schrader Titus Wild The result of the vote was announced Schrier Tlaib Wilson (FL) UNITED STATES, FOR HIGH as above recorded. Scott (VA) Tonko Yarmuth CRIMES AND MISDEMEANORS The SPEAKER pro tempore. The NOES—197 The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursu- question is on the resolution. ant to House Resolution 767, the House Abraham Granger Palazzo The question was taken; and the Aderholt Graves (GA) Palmer will proceed to the immediate consid- Speaker pro tempore announced that Allen Graves (LA) Pence eration of House Resolution 755. the noes appeared to have it. Amodei Graves (MO) Perry The Clerk will report the resolution. Armstrong Green (TN) Peterson RECORDED VOTE The Clerk read the resolution as fol- Arrington Griffith Posey Mr. MCGOVERN. Madam Speaker, I Babin Grothman Ratcliffe lows: demand a recorded vote. Bacon Guest Reed H. RES. 755 Baird A recorded vote was ordered. Guthrie Reschenthaler Balderson Hagedorn Rice (SC) Resolved, That Donald John Trump, President The SPEAKER pro tempore. This Banks Harris Riggleman of the United States, is impeached for high will be a 5-minute vote. Barr Hartzler Roby crimes and misdemeanors and that the following The vote was taken by electronic de- Bergman Hern, Kevin Rodgers (WA) articles of impeachment be exhibited to the Biggs Herrera Beutler vice, and there were—ayes 228, noes 197, Roe, David P. United States Senate: Bilirakis Hice (GA) Rogers (AL) Articles of impeachment exhibited by the not voting 5, as follows: Bishop (NC) Higgins (LA) Rogers (KY) Bishop (UT) Hill (AR) House of Representatives of the United States of [Roll No. 694] Rooney (FL) America in the name of itself and of the people Bost Holding Rose, John W. AYES—228 Brady Hollingsworth Rouzer of the United States of America, against Donald Adams Delgado Langevin Brooks (AL) Hudson Roy John Trump, President of the United States of Aguilar Demings Larsen (WA) Brooks (IN) Huizenga Rutherford America, in maintenance and support of its im- Allred DeSaulnier Larson (CT) Buchanan Hurd (TX) Scalise peachment against him for high crimes and mis- Amash Deutch Lawrence Buck Johnson (LA) Schweikert demeanors. Axne Dingell Lawson (FL) Bucshon Johnson (OH) Scott, Austin Budd Johnson (SD) ARTICLE I: ABUSE OF POWER Barraga´ n Doggett Lee (CA) Sensenbrenner Burchett Jordan Bass Doyle, Michael Lee (NV) Simpson The Constitution provides that the House of Burgess Joyce (OH) Beatty F. Levin (CA) Smith (MO) Representatives ‘‘shall have the sole Power of Byrne Joyce (PA) Bera Engel Levin (MI) Smith (NE) Impeachment’’ and that the President ‘‘shall be Calvert Katko Beyer Escobar Lewis Smith (NJ) removed from Office on Impeachment for, and Carter (GA) Keller Bishop (GA) Eshoo Lieu, Ted Smucker Carter (TX) Kelly (MS) Conviction of, Treason, Bribery, or other high Blumenauer Espaillat Lipinski Spano Chabot Kelly (PA) Crimes and Misdemeanors’’. In his conduct of Blunt Rochester Evans Loebsack Stauber Cheney King (IA) the office of President of the United States—and Bonamici Finkenauer Lofgren Stefanik Cline King (NY) in violation of his constitutional oath faithfully Boyle, Brendan Fletcher Lowenthal Steil Cloud Kinzinger F. Foster Lowey Steube to execute the office of President of the United Brindisi Frankel Luja´ n Cole Kustoff (TN) States and, to the best of his ability, preserve, Collins (GA) LaHood Stewart Brown (MD) Fudge Luria Stivers protect, and defend the Constitution of the Brownley (CA) Garamendi Lynch Comer LaMalfa Conaway Lamborn Taylor United States, and in violation of his constitu- Bustos Garcı´a (IL) Malinowski Thompson (PA) tional duty to take care that the laws be faith- Butterfield Garcia (TX) Maloney, Cook Latta Crawford Lesko Thornberry fully executed—Donald J. Trump has abused the Carbajal Golden Carolyn B. Timmons Ca´ rdenas Gomez Maloney, Sean Crenshaw Long powers of the Presidency, in that: Curtis Loudermilk Tipton Carson (IN) Gonzalez (TX) Matsui Turner Using the powers of his high office, President Cartwright Gottheimer McAdams Davidson (OH) Lucas Trump solicited the interference of a foreign Davis, Rodney Luetkemeyer Upton Case Green, Al (TX) McBath Van Drew government, Ukraine, in the 2020 United States Casten (IL) Grijalva McCollum DesJarlais Marchant Diaz-Balart Marshall Wagner Presidential election. He did so through a Castor (FL) Haaland McEachin Walberg scheme or course of conduct that included solic- Castro (TX) Harder (CA) McGovern Duncan Massie Dunn Mast Walden iting the Government of Ukraine to publicly an- Chu, Judy Hastings McNerney Walker Cicilline Hayes Meeks Emmer McCarthy nounce investigations that would benefit his re- Estes McCaul Walorski election, harm the election prospects of a polit- Cisneros Heck Meng Waltz Clark (MA) Ferguson McClintock Higgins (NY) Moore Watkins ical opponent, and influence the 2020 United Clarke (NY) Himes Morelle Fitzpatrick McHenry Weber (TX) States Presidential election to his advantage. Clay Horn, Kendra S. Moulton Fleischmann McKinley Webster (FL) President Trump also sought to pressure the Cleaver Horsford Mucarsel-Powell Flores Meadows Wenstrup Government of Ukraine to take these steps by Clyburn Houlahan Murphy (FL) Fortenberry Meuser Westerman Cohen Hoyer Nadler Foxx (NC) Miller conditioning official United States Government Williams Connolly Huffman Napolitano Fulcher Mitchell acts of significant value to Ukraine on its public Wilson (SC) Cooper Jackson Lee Neal Gaetz Moolenaar announcement of the investigations. President Wittman Correa Jayapal Neguse Gallagher Mooney (WV) Trump engaged in this scheme or course of con- Womack Costa Jeffries Norcross Gianforte Mullin Woodall duct for corrupt purposes in pursuit of personal Courtney Johnson (GA) O’Halleran Gibbs Murphy (NC) Gohmert Newhouse Wright political benefit. In so doing, President Trump Cox (CA) Johnson (TX) Ocasio-Cortez used the powers of the Presidency in a manner Craig Kaptur Omar Gonzalez (OH) Norman Yoho Crist Keating Pallone Gooden Nunes Young that compromised the national security of the Crow Kelly (IL) Panetta Gosar Olson Zeldin United States and undermined the integrity of the United States democratic process. He thus Cuellar Kennedy Pappas NOT VOTING—5 Cunningham Khanna Pascrell ignored and injured the interests of the Nation. Davids (KS) Kildee Payne Gabbard Hunter Shimkus President Trump engaged in this scheme or Davis (CA) Kilmer Perlmutter Gallego Serrano course of conduct through the following means: Davis, Danny K. Kim Peters (1) President Trump—acting both directly and Dean Kind Phillips ANNOUNCEMENT BY THE SPEAKER PRO TEMPORE through his agents within and outside the DeFazio Kirkpatrick Pingree The SPEAKER pro tempore (during DeGette Krishnamoorthi Pocan United States Government—corruptly solicited DeLauro Kuster (NH) Porter the vote). There are 2 minutes remain- the Government of Ukraine to publicly an- DelBene Lamb Pressley ing. nounce investigations into—

VerDate Sep 11 2014 05:00 Dec 19, 2019 Jkt 099060 PO 00000 Frm 00018 Fmt 7634 Sfmt 6333 E:\CR\FM\A18DE7.015 H18DEPT1 SSpencer on DSKBBXCHB2PROD with HOUSE December 18, 2019 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — HOUSE H12131 (A) a political opponent, former Vice Presi- interposed the powers of the Presidency against revise and extend their remarks and in- dent Joseph R. Biden, Jr.; and the lawful subpoenas of the House of Represent- sert extraneous material on H. Res. 755. (B) a discredited theory promoted by Russia atives, and assumed to himself functions and The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there alleging that Ukraine—rather than Russia— judgments necessary to the exercise of the ‘‘sole objection to the request of the gen- interfered in the 2016 United States Presidential Power of Impeachment’’ vested by the Constitu- tleman from New York? election. tion in the House of Representatives. There was no objection. (2) With the same corrupt motives, President President Trump abused the powers of his Trump—acting both directly and through his high office through the following means: Mr. NADLER. Madam Speaker, I agents within and outside the United States (1) Directing the White House to defy a lawful yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman Government—conditioned two official acts on subpoena by withholding the production of doc- from California (Ms. PELOSI), the dis- the public announcements that he had re- uments sought therein by the Committees. tinguished Speaker of the House. quested— (2) Directing other Executive Branch agencies Ms. PELOSI. Madam Speaker, I (A) the release of $391 million of United States and offices to defy lawful subpoenas and with- thank the gentleman for yielding and taxpayer funds that Congress had appropriated hold the production of documents and records for his tremendous leadership in help- on a bipartisan basis for the purpose of pro- from the Committees—in response to which the ing us honor the Constitution of the viding vital military and security assistance to Department of State, Office of Management and Budget, Department of Energy, and Department United States. Ukraine to oppose Russian aggression and I also extend my gratitude to Chair- which President Trump had ordered suspended; of Defense refused to produce a single document and or record. man SCHIFF, who will be presiding later (B) a head of state meeting at the White (3) Directing current and former Executive in the day. House, which the President of Ukraine sought Branch officials not to cooperate with the Com- Madam Speaker, this morning and to demonstrate continued United States support mittees—in response to which nine Administra- every morning when we come together, for the Government of Ukraine in the face of tion officials defied subpoenas for testimony, Members rise and pledge allegiance to Russian aggression. namely John Michael ‘‘Mick’’ Mulvaney, Robert the flag. Every day, all across America, (3) Faced with the public revelation of his ac- B. Blair, John A. Eisenberg, Michael Ellis, Pres- children in school, members of the tions, President Trump ultimately released the ton Wells Griffith, Russell T. Vought, Michael Duffey, Brian McCormack, and T. Ulrich military, officials, and those civilly en- military and security assistance to the Govern- gaged, also pledge allegiance to the ment of Ukraine, but has persisted in openly Brechbuhl. and corruptly urging and soliciting Ukraine to These actions were consistent with President flag. undertake investigations for his personal polit- Trump’s previous efforts to undermine United Let us recall what that pledge says: ical benefit. States Government investigations into foreign ‘‘I pledge allegiance to the flag of the These actions were consistent with President interference in United States elections. United States of America, and to the Trump’s previous invitations of foreign inter- Through these actions, President Trump Republic for which it stands, one na- ference in United States elections. sought to arrogate to himself the right to deter- tion under God, indivisible, with lib- mine the propriety, scope, and nature of an im- In all of this, President Trump abused the erty and justice for all.’’ powers of the Presidency by ignoring and injur- peachment inquiry into his own conduct, as well as the unilateral prerogative to deny any and ‘‘The Republic for which it stands’’ is ing national security and other vital national what we are here to talk about today: interests to obtain an improper personal polit- all information to the House of Representatives ical benefit. He has also betrayed the Nation by in the exercise of its ‘‘sole Power of Impeach- ‘‘a republic, if we can keep it.’’ abusing his high office to enlist a foreign power ment’’. In the history of the Republic, no Presi- We gather today, under the dome of in corrupting democratic elections. dent has ever ordered the complete defiance of this temple of democracy, to exercise Wherefore President Trump, by such conduct, an impeachment inquiry or sought to obstruct one of the most solemn powers that has demonstrated that he will remain a threat and impede so comprehensively the ability of the this body can take: the impeachment to national security and the Constitution if al- House of Representatives to investigate ‘‘high of the President of the United States. lowed to remain in office, and has acted in a Crimes and Misdemeanors’’. This abuse of office No Member, regardless of party or served to cover up the President’s own repeated manner grossly incompatible with self-govern- politics, comes to Congress to impeach ance and the rule of law. President Trump thus misconduct and to seize and control the power of impeachment—and thus to nullify a vital a President; but every one of us, as our warrants impeachment and trial, removal from first act as a Member of Congress, office, and disqualification to hold and enjoy constitutional safeguard vested solely in the any office of honor, trust, or profit under the House of Representatives. stood on this historic House floor, be- United States. In all of this, President Trump has acted in a fore our beautiful American flag, and manner contrary to his trust as President and ARTICLE II: OBSTRUCTION OF CONGRESS raised our hands in this sacred oath: ‘‘I subversive of constitutional government, to the The Constitution provides that the House of do solemnly swear that I will support great prejudice of the cause of law and justice, and defend the Constitution of the Representatives ‘‘shall have the sole Power of and to the manifest injury of the people of the Impeachment’’ and that the President ‘‘shall be United States. United States against all enemies, for- removed from Office on Impeachment for, and Wherefore, President Trump, by such conduct, eign and domestic. . . . So help me Conviction of, Treason, Bribery, or other high has demonstrated that he will remain a threat God.’’ Crimes and Misdemeanors’’. In his conduct of to the Constitution if allowed to remain in of- For 230 years, Members have taken the office of President of the United States—and fice, and has acted in a manner grossly incom- that sacred oath, which makes us in violation of his constitutional oath faithfully patible with self-governance and the rule of custodians of the Constitution. to execute the office of President of the United law. President Trump thus warrants impeach- When our Founders declared inde- States and, to the best of his ability, preserve, ment and trial, removal from office, and dis- protect, and defend the Constitution of the pendence and established our new Na- qualification to hold and enjoy any office of tion, they crafted a system of govern- United States, and in violation of his constitu- honor, trust, or profit under the United States. tional duty to take care that the laws be faith- ment unlike any ever seen before: a re- fully executed—Donald J. Trump has directed The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursu- public, starting with the sacred words, the unprecedented, categorical, and indiscrimi- ant to House Resolution 767, the ‘‘We the People.’’ nate defiance of subpoenas issued by the House amendment in the nature of a sub- For centuries, Americans have of Representatives pursuant to its ‘‘sole Power stitute recommended by the Com- fought—and died—to defend democracy of Impeachment’’. President Trump has abused mittee on the Judiciary is adopted. The for the people. But, very sadly, now, the powers of the Presidency in a manner offen- resolution shall be debatable for 6 sive to, and subversive of, the Constitution, in our Founders’ vision of a republic is hours equally divided and controlled by under threat from actions from the that: the chair and ranking member of the The House of Representatives has engaged in White House. That is why, today, as an impeachment inquiry focused on President Committee on the Judiciary or their Speaker of the House, I solemnly and Trump’s corrupt solicitation of the Government respective designees. sadly open the debate on the impeach- of Ukraine to interfere in the 2020 United States The gentleman from New York (Mr. ment of the President of the United Presidential election. As part of this impeach- NADLER) and the gentleman from Geor- States. ment inquiry, the Committees undertaking the gia (Mr. COLLINS) each will control 3 If we do not act now, we would be investigation served subpoenas seeking docu- hours. derelict in our duty. It is tragic that ments and testimony deemed vital to the inquiry The Chair recognizes the gentleman the President’s reckless actions make from various Executive Branch agencies and of- from New York. fices, and current and former officials. impeachment necessary. GENERAL LEAVE In response, without lawful cause or excuse, He gave us no choice. President Trump directed Executive Branch Mr. NADLER. Madam Speaker, I ask What we are discussing today is the agencies, offices, and officials not to comply unanimous consent that all Members established fact that the President vio- with those subpoenas. President Trump thus may have 5 legislative days in which to lated the Constitution.

VerDate Sep 11 2014 05:00 Dec 19, 2019 Jkt 099060 PO 00000 Frm 00019 Fmt 7634 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\A18DE7.018 H18DEPT1 SSpencer on DSKBBXCHB2PROD with HOUSE H12132 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — HOUSE December 18, 2019 It is a matter of fact that the Presi- dent’s stated reason was that he wanted an LETTER TO CONGRESS FROM LEGAL SCHOLARS attorney general who would ‘‘protect’’ him, dent is an ongoing threat to our na- Dec. 6 tional security and the integrity of our including from the Special Counsel inves- elections: the basis of our democracy. tigation. He also directed then-White House We, the undersigned legal scholars, have Chief of Staff Reince Priebus to fire Sessions Hundreds of historians, legal schol- concluded that President Trump engaged in and Priebus refused. impeachable conduct. ars, and former prosecutors—regardless Second, after McGahn told the President We do not reach this conclusion lightly. of party—have stated that the Presi- that he could not contact Sessions himself to The Founders did not make impeachment dent committed impeachable offenses. discuss the investigation, Trump went out- available for disagreements over policy, even side the White House, instructing his former Since today is a national civics les- profound ones, nor for extreme distaste for campaign manager, Corey Lewandowski, to son, though a sad one, I submit these the manner in which the President executes carry a demand to Sessions to direct Mueller documents for the RECORD and com- his office. Only ‘‘Treason, Bribery, or other to confine his investigation to future elec- mend them for students to study. high Crimes and Misdemeanors’’ warrant im- tions. Lewandowski tried and failed to con- peachment. But there is overwhelming evi- 450+ FORMER FEDERAL PROSECUTORS tact Sessions in private. After a second dence that President Trump betrayed his STATEMENT ON MUELLER REPORT meeting with Trump, Lewandowski passed oath of office by seeking to use presidential May 6 Trump’s message to senior White House offi- power to pressure a foreign government to cial Rick Dearborn, who Lewandowski We are former federal prosecutors. We help him distort an American election, for thought would be a better messenger because served under both Republican and Demo- his personal and political benefit, at the di- of his prior relationship with Sessions. Dear- cratic administrations at different levels of rect expense of national security interests as born did not pass along Trump’s message. As the federal system: as line attorneys, super- determined by Congress. His conduct is pre- the report explains, ‘‘[s]ubstantial evidence visors, special prosecutors, United States At- cisely the type of threat to our democracy indicates that the President’s effort to have torneys, and senior officials at the Depart- that the Founders feared when they included Sessions limit the scope of the Special Coun- ment of Justice. The offices in which we the remedy of impeachment in the Constitu- sel’s investigation to future election inter- served were small, medium, and large; urban, tion. suburban, and rural; and located in all parts ference was intended to prevent further in- of our country. vestigative scrutiny of the President’s and We take no position on whether the Presi- Each of us believes that the conduct of his campaign’s conduct’’—in other words, dent committed a crime. But conduct need President Trump described in Special Coun- the President employed a private citizen to not be criminal to be impeachable. The sel Robert Mueller’s report would, in the try to get the Attorney General to limit the standard here is constitutional; it does not case of any other person not covered by the scope of an ongoing investigation into the depend on what Congress has chosen to crim- Office of Legal Counsel policy against indict- President and his associates. inalize. ing a sitting President, result in multiple All of this conduct—trying to control and Impeachment is a remedy for grave abuses felony charges for obstruction of justice. impede the investigation against the Presi- of the public trust. The two specific bases for The Mueller report describes several acts dent by leveraging his authority over oth- impeachment named in the Constitution— that satisfy all of the elements for an ob- ers—is similar to conduct we have seen treason and bribery—involve such abuses be- struction charge: conduct that obstructed or charged against other public officials and cause they include conduct undertaken not attempted to obstruct the truthfinding proc- people in powerful positions. in the ‘‘faithful execution’’ of public office ess, as to which the evidence of corrupt in- WITNESS TAMPERING AND INTIMIDATION that the Constitution requires, but instead tent and connection to pending proceedings for personal gain (bribery) or to benefit a for- is overwhelming. These include: The Special Counsel’s report establishes eign enemy (treason). that the President tried to influence the de- The President’s efforts to fire Mueller and Impeachment is an especially essential to falsify evidence about that effort; cisions of both Michael Cohen and Paul Manafort with regard to cooperating with in- remedy for conduct that corrupts elections. The President’s efforts to limit the scope The primary check on presidents is political: of Mueller’s investigation to exclude his con- vestigators. Some of this tampering and in- timidation, including the dangling of par- if a president behaves poorly, voters can pun- duct; and ish him or his party at the polls. A president The President’s efforts to prevent wit- dons, was done in plain sight via tweets and public statements; other such behavior was who corrupts the system of elections seeks nesses from cooperating with investigators to place himself beyond the reach of this po- probing him and his campaign. done via private messages through private attorneys, such as Trump counsel Rudy litical check. At the Constitutional Conven- ATTEMPTS TO FIRE MUELLER AND THEN CREATE Giuliani’s message to Cohen’s lawyer that tion, George Mason described impeachable FALSE EVIDENCE Cohen should ‘‘[s]leep well tonight[], you offenses as ‘‘attempts to subvert the con- Despite being advised by then-White House have friends in high places.’’ stitution.’’ Corrupting elections subverts the Counsel Don McGahn that he could face legal Of course, these aren’t the only acts of po- process by which the Constitution makes the jeopardy for doing so, Trump directed tential obstruction detailed by the Special president democratically accountable. Put McGahn on multiple occasions to fire Counsel. It would be well within the purview simply, if a President cheats in his effort at Mueller or to gin up false conflicts of inter- of normal prosecutorial judgment also to re-election, trusting the democratic process est as a pretext for getting rid of the Special charge other acts detailed in the report. to serve as a check through that election is no remedy at all. That is what impeachment Counsel. When these acts began to come into We emphasize that these are not matters is for. public view, Trump made ‘‘repeated efforts of close professional judgment. Of course, to have McGahn deny the story’’—going so there are potential defenses or arguments Moreover, the Founders were keenly con- far as to tell McGahn to write a letter ‘‘for that could be raised in response to an indict- cerned with the possibility of corruption in our files’’ falsely denying that Trump had di- ment of the nature we describe here. In our the president’s relationships with foreign rected Mueller’s termination. system, every accused person is presumed in- governments. That is why they prohibited Firing Mueller would have seriously im- nocent and it is always the government’s the president from accepting anything of peded the investigation of the President and burden to prove its case beyond a reasonable value from foreign governments without his associates—obstruction in its most lit- doubt. But, to look at these facts and say Congress’s consent. The same concern drove eral sense. Directing the creation of false that a prosecutor could not probably sustain their thinking on impeachment. James government records in order to prevent or a conviction for obstruction of justice—the Madison noted that Congress must be able to discredit truthful testimony is similarly un- standard set out in Principles of Federal remove the president between elections lest lawful. The Special Counsel’s report states: Prosecution—runs counter to logic and our there be no remedy if a president betrayed ‘‘Substantial evidence indicates that in re- experience. the public trust in dealings with foreign pow- peatedly urging McGahn to dispute that he As former federal prosecutors, we recog- ers. was ordered to have the Special Counsel ter- nize that prosecuting obstruction of justice In light of these considerations, over- minated, the President acted for the purpose cases is critical because unchecked obstruc- whelming evidence made public to date of influencing McGahn’s account in order to tion—which allows intentional interference forces us to conclude that President Trump deflect or prevent scrutiny of the President’s with criminal investigations to go engaged in impeachable conduct. To mention conduct toward the investigation.’’ unpunished—puts our whole system of jus- only a few of those facts: William B. Taylor, ATTEMPTS TO LIMIT THE MUELLER tice at risk. We believe strongly that, but for who leads the U.S. embassy in Ukraine, tes- INVESTIGATION the OLC memo, the overwhelming weight of tified that President Trump directed the The report describes multiple efforts by professional judgment would come down in withholding of hundreds of millions of dol- the president to curtail the scope of the Spe- favor of prosecution for the conduct outlined lars in military aid for Ukraine in its strug- cial Counsel’s investigation. in the Mueller Report. gle against Russia—aid that Congress deter- First, the President repeatedly pressured If you are a former federal prosecutor and mined to be in the U.S. national security in- then-Attorney General Jeff Sessions to re- would like to add your name below, click terest—until Ukraine announced investiga- verse his legally-mandated decision to recuse here. Protect Democracy will update this list tions that would aid the President’s re-elec- himself from the investigation. The Presi- daily with new signatories. tion campaign. Ambassador Gordon

VerDate Sep 11 2014 07:28 Dec 19, 2019 Jkt 099060 PO 00000 Frm 00020 Fmt 7634 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\K18DE7.036 H18DEPT1 SSpencer on DSKBBXCHB2PROD with HOUSE December 18, 2019 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — HOUSE H12133 Sondland testified that the President made a rise of an unscrupulous demagogue, ‘‘unprin- coequal branches, each a check and White House visit for the Ukrainian presi- cipled in private life, desperate in his for- balance on the others—‘‘a republic,’’ dent conditional on public announcement of tune, bold in his temper, possessed of consid- again, ‘‘if we can keep it.’’ those investigations. In a phone call with the erable talents . . . despotic in his ordinary Ukrainian president, President Trump asked demeanour.’’ That demagogue, Hamilton b 1215 for a ‘‘favor’’ in the form of a foreign govern- said, could easily enough manage ‘‘to mount The Founders’ great fear of a rogue ment investigation of a U.S. citizen who is the hobby horse of popularity—to join in the or corrupt President is the very reason his political rival. President Trump and his cry of danger to liberty—to take every op- Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney made public portunity of embarrassing the General Gov- why they enshrined impeachment in statements confirming this use of govern- ernment & bringing it under suspicion—to the Constitution. mental power to solicit investigations that flatter and fall in with all the non sense of As one Founder, William Davie of would aid the President’s personal political the zealots of the day.’’ Such a figure, Ham- North Carolina, warned, unless the interests. The President made clear that his ilton wrote, would ‘‘throw things into confu- Constitution contained an impeach- private attorney, Rudy Giuliani, was central sion that he may ‘ride the storm and direct ment provision, a President might to efforts to spur Ukrainian investigations, the whirlwind.’ ’’ spare no efforts or means whatever to President Trump’s actions committed both and Mr. Giuliani confirmed that his efforts get himself reelected. were in service of President Trump’s private before and during the House investigations interests. fit Hamilton’s description and manifest utter Another Founder, George Mason, in- Ultimately, whether to impeach the Presi- and deliberate scorn for the rule of law and sisted that the President who procured dent and remove him from office depends on ‘‘repeated injuries’’ to constitutional democ- his appointment in the first instance judgments that the Constitution leaves to racy. That disregard continues and it con- through improper and corrupt acts Congress. But if the House of Representa- stitutes a clear and present danger to the might repeat his guilt and return to tives impeached the President for the con- Constitution. We therefore strongly urge the power. duct described here and the Senate voted to House of Representatives to impeach the We in Congress, Article I, the legisla- remove him, they would be acting well with- President. tive branch, must stand up and make in their constitutional powers. Whether Ms. PELOSI. Madam Speaker, what President Trump’s conduct is classified as clear to the American people and to all we are discussing today is the estab- people who this body still stands by the bribery, as a high crime or misdemeanor, or lished fact that the President, again, as both, it is clearly impeachable under our principles enshrined in the Constitu- Constitution. violated the Constitution. tion and defended by generations of It is a matter of fact that the Presi- Americans. 700+ HISTORIANS’ STATEMENT ON THE dent is, again, an ongoing threat to our Last week, in observance of the 75th IMPEACHMENT OF PRESIDENT TRUMP national security. And the testimony anniversary of the Battle of the Bulge, Dec. 16 of decorated war heroes, distinguished Members traveled to that hallowed We are American historians devoted to diplomats, and patriotic, career public ground to express our gratitude to the studying our nation’s past who have con- servants—some the President’s own ap- heroes who sacrificed everything to se- cluded that Donald J. Trump has violated his pointees—over the past weeks have cure victory of freedom over tyranny, oath to ‘‘faithfully execute the Office of told us this. not just for America but for the world. President of the United States’’ and to ‘‘pre- The President used the power of his The veterans of that battle, who are in serve, protect and defend the Constitution of public office to obtain an improper per- their nineties, told us how, after the the United States.’’ His ‘‘attempts to subvert sonal, political benefit at the expense war was won, the Europeans whom the Constitution,’’ as George Mason de- of America’s national security. When scribed impeachable offenses at the Con- they liberated would ask: Why did you the President weakens a democratic stitutional Convention in 1787, urgently and risk—you don’t know us—and give your ally that is advancing American secu- justly require his impeachment. lives to save us? We are not Americans. President Trump’s numerous and flagrant rity interests by fighting an American Our men would say: We came here to abuses of power are precisely what the Fram- adversary, the President weakens ers had in mind as grounds for impeaching fight for you not because you are America. Americans but because we are Ameri- and removing a president. Among those most This abuse of power also jeopardizes cans. hurtful to the Constitution have been his at- the integrity of our elections. All As our beloved Elijah Cummings, our tempts to coerce the country of Ukraine, Americans agree that American voters under attack from Russia, an adversary Oversight Committee chair, our North should choose our President, not some power to the United States, by withholding Star, said when he announced his sup- foreign government. essential military assistance in exchange for port of this action: ‘‘When the history the fabrication and legitimization of false in- The Founders understood that it is profoundly corrosive for our democracy books are written about this tumul- formation in order to advance his own re- tuous era, I want them to show that I election. for a President to invite interference in President Trump’s lawless obstruction of our elections. was among those in the House of Rep- the House of Representatives, which is right- As George Washington, our Nation’s resentatives who stood up to lawless- ly seeking documents and witness testimony patriarch, under whose gaze we stand ness and tyranny.’’ in pursuit of its constitutionally-mandated today, warned: ‘‘History and experience He also said, almost prophetically: oversight role, has demonstrated brazen con- When we are dancing with the angels, the tempt for representative government. So prove that foreign influence is one of the most baneful foes of republican question will be: What did we do to make have his attempts to justify that obstruction sure we kept our democracy intact? on the grounds that the executive enjoys ab- government’’—George Washington. solute immunity, a fictitious doctrine that, Sadly, the American people have wit- Elijah has since passed on. Now, he is if tolerated, would turn the president into an nessed further wrongs of the President, dancing with the angels. elected monarch above the law. which necessitate the second Article of I know that he and all of us here are As Alexander Hamilton wrote in The Fed- Impeachment: obstruction of Congress. very proud of the moral courage of eralist, impeachment was designed to deal When the President’s wrongdoing was Members who want to honor the vision with ‘‘the misconduct of public men’’ which revealed, he launched an unprece- of our Founders for a republic, the sac- involves ‘‘the abuse or violation of some pub- dented, indiscriminate, and categorical rifice of our men and women in uni- lic trust.’’ Collectively, the President’s of- form to defend it, and the aspirations fenses, including his dereliction in pro- campaign of defiance and obstruction. tecting the integrity of the 2020 election Never before in the history of our Na- of our children to live freely within it. from Russian disinformation and renewed in- tion have we seen a President declare— Today, we are here to defend democ- terference, arouse once again the Framers’ and act as if—he is above the law. racy for the people. May God bless most profound fears that powerful members The President even goes so far as to America. of government would become, in Hamilton’s say and act on this absurdity when he Mr. COLLINS of Georgia. Madam words, ‘‘the mercenary instruments of for- says: ‘‘Article II says I can do whatever Speaker, I yield myself such time as I eign corruption.’’ I want.’’ may consume. It is our considered judgment that if Presi- Madam Speaker, we are here today to dent Trump’s misconduct does not rise to No, it doesn’t. the level of impeachment, then virtually That recklessness is a profound viola- enter into a debate that should sur- nothing does. tion of the Constitution and our Re- prise no one. This has not been a sur- Hamilton understood, as he wrote in 1792, public, which endure because of our prise, and it is not even something that that the republic remained vulnerable to the system of separation of powers: three we would not have thought about.

VerDate Sep 11 2014 07:28 Dec 19, 2019 Jkt 099060 PO 00000 Frm 00021 Fmt 7634 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\A18DE7.027 H18DEPT1 SSpencer on DSKBBXCHB2PROD with HOUSE H12134 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — HOUSE December 18, 2019 From the very moment that the major- country because they elected Donald what happened in the Judiciary Com- ity party in this House won, the inevi- Trump, and it is a matter for the vot- mittee when a Member of the majority tability that we would be here today ers, not this House, not in this way, actually compared him to a battered was only a matter of what date they not in the way this is being done. It has wife. That is below the dignity of this would schedule it, nothing else. trampled everything this House be- body, to take a world leader and, when In fact, how it even began to look lieves in. he doesn’t make your case for you, to even further was, on September 24, the I said it yesterday, and I believe this belittle him, especially, as is going to Speaker announced an impeachment to be true today, I will fight this on be often said by the majority, that inquiry even before seeing the call process, which has been deplorable, to they are in the middle of a hot war transcript that we are going to hear so use a word of the majority. It has been with Russia. much about today. awful. You see, President Trump actually You know, it is not about what this The calendar and the clock make it did give them offensive weapons. Presi- body can do and its constitutional impressive that we actually do it dent Trump did nothing wrong. We are oath, and there has been a lot of ‘‘con- quickly. We don’t care about rules. We going to talk about that all day long stitutional’’ and ‘‘Founders’’ thrown don’t care about minority hearing today. around and will be all day today. But days. We don’t care about giving the We went on process, and we went on there is one thing that I will mention opportunity for witnesses to be called facts. Why? Because the American peo- all along, and that is, also, the Found- because the chairman gets to deter- ple will see through this. ers were very concerned about a par- mine what is relevant. Wow, that is Before I close this first part, I will tisan impeachment in which politics or pretty good. Let the accuser determine have to recognize that even the minor- the majority, who have their strength, what is relevant to the one being ac- ity leader in the Senate recognizes that can do what they want to do, regard- cused. the House did not do their job because less of any facts. The people of America see through he can’t make the case to his own In fact, I have said it before, and I this. The people of America understand Members so he is having to ask for wit- will say it again, I do not believe, no due process, and they understand when nesses, ask for more time. You see, and matter what was said today and even it is being trampled in the people’s even yesterday, it was sort of funny. I what has been said—this is not a sol- House. thought it was hilarious that the mi- emn occasion. When you go looking for You see, it is also not a matter of nority leader in the Senate went out something for 3 years, and especially process, which will be discussed today. and did a press conference and said: this year since January, you ought to It is a matter of actual facts. I will They denied my witnesses. They denied be excited when you find it, but they fight the facts all day long because my requests. can’t because I know what has now what we have found here today is a Well, welcome to the club, Mr. SCHU- happened. It took me till last night, President who did not do as being MER. That is exactly what has hap- but I was thinking about it. Why do we charged. In fact, they had to go to pened over here for the last 3 months. keep calling this a solemn occasion abuse of power, this amorphous term Today, we are going to talk a lot when you have been wanting to do this that you are going to hear many argu- about impeachment. We are going to ever since the gentleman was elected? ments about that abuse of power, ex- talk a lot about our President. We are The President came forward and did cept for one thing, the call itself, the going to talk about two Articles of Im- what he saw fit for the American peo- two parties say no pressure. Nothing peachment, abuse of power because ple, but yet they wanted to impeach was ever done to get the money. In they can’t actually pin anything of fac- him. And it hit me. Now I know. fact, they didn’t even know the money tual basis on him—the President did The reason they wanted to is now was held. nothing wrong in this issue—and then they are realizing what I told them and But there is something that very they are going to talk about obstruc- have been telling them for the last few much bothers me about the facts. tion of Congress. weeks, that the clock and the calendar There were five meetings—we will hear You know, obstruction of Congress, are terrible masters. The clock and the about those today—in which there was as I have said before, is like petulant calendar are terrible masters. They do never a linkage made. There was one children saying we didn’t get our way not care about anything except getting witness who is depended on over 600 when we didn’t ask the right way, and the time done and the calendar fixed. times in the majority’s report that, in we didn’t actually go after it and try to They do not care about facts. They do the end, after questioned, had to say: make a case. not care about time. And one day, the Well, that was my presumption of what You know why, Madam Speaker? The clock and the calendar will hang along was happening. clock and the calendar are terrible this body in a very detrimental way. You see, this is an impeachment masters. The majority will own that How do I know this? Because one of based on presumption, basically also a problem today because to the clock and our Members, Ms. TLAIB, said on the poll-tested impeachment on what actu- the calendar, facts don’t matter. The night she was sworn in: We are going to ally sells to the American people. promises to the base matter, and today impeach. Today is going to be a lot of things. is a promise kept for the majority—not Well, you know the rest. In May 2019, What it is not is fair. What it is not is a surprise, a fact. AL GREEN said: I am concerned if we about the truth. What is true today, Madam Speaker, I reserve the bal- don’t impeach this President, he will and I just heard it just a moment ago ance of my time. get reelected. in the articles themselves where it Mr. NADLER. Madam Speaker, I That is probably the most prescient said—and the Speaker, I believe, actu- yield myself such time as I may con- thing said by the majority in the last ally talked about this, that the Presi- sume. year is that they said: We can’t beat dent weakened a foreign leader. Madam Speaker, the House of Rep- him if we don’t impeach him. Do you know what the truth of the resentatives must now consider two There is a reason behind the im- matter is, Madam Speaker? The most Articles of Impeachment against Presi- peachment. Even Speaker PELOSI said interesting and deplorable thing that I dent Trump. The first article charges it would be dangerous to leave it to have heard over the last few weeks is that the President used his public of- voters to determine whether President the actual attack by the majority on fice to coerce a foreign government Trump stays in office. Really? After we President Zelensky because they real- into attacking his political rival. The just said the Pledge of Allegiance, we ize the whole crux of their case is that second article charges that the Presi- go back to the Speaker’s own words if he was not pressured, their house of dent took extreme and unprecedented and she said it would be dangerous to cards falls. By the way, it has already steps to obstruct our investigation into leave it to the voters. fallen. his conduct. I will tell you right now, Madam But if we can’t show pressure, then Taken together, the two articles Speaker, we on the Republican side we either have to call him a liar, a charge that President Trump placed have no problem taking our case to the world leader, or we have to make up his private political interests above our majority and to the people of this names to call him. That is exactly national security, above our elections,

VerDate Sep 11 2014 06:05 Dec 19, 2019 Jkt 099060 PO 00000 Frm 00022 Fmt 7634 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\K18DE7.038 H18DEPT1 SSpencer on DSKBBXCHB2PROD with HOUSE December 18, 2019 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — HOUSE H12135 and above our system of checks and other objections to specific subpoenas, b 1230 balances. but only President Trump has ordered Mr. COLLINS of Georgia. Madam After months of investigation, there the categorical defiance of a congres- Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gen- can be no serious debate about the evi- sional investigation, the automatic re- tleman from Wisconsin (Mr. SENSEN- dence at hand. On July 25, when he jection of all subpoenas. The President BRENNER). spoke to President Zelensky of is not above the law, and he should be Mr. SENSENBRENNER. Madam Ukraine, President Trump had the impeached for this, as well. Speaker, I rise in opposition to im- upper hand. The President, through his Congress cannot wait for the next peaching the President. agents, had already demanded that election to address this misconduct. The Constitution says that any civil Ukraine announce an investigation of President Trump has demonstrated a officer, including the President, may his political opponents. Ukraine needed clear pattern of wrongdoing. This is be impeached for treason, bribery, or our help, both military aid, which had not the first time he has solicited for- other high crimes and misdemeanors. been appropriated by Congress because eign interference in an election, has Unlike the Nixon and Clinton cases, of our security interests, and an Oval been exposed, and has attempted to ob- there are no allegations that the Presi- Office meeting to show the world that struct the resulting investigation. dent has committed a crime. the United States continues to stand We cannot rely on the next election We have had almost 3 years of non- with Ukraine against Russian aggres- as a remedy for Presidential mis- stop investigations. We have had the sion. conduct when the President threatens Mueller report, we have had the Schiff President Trump should have been the very integrity of that election. He investigation, we have had the Nadler focused on the interests of the Amer- has shown us he will continue to put investigation, and at no time has there ican people on that call. Instead, he his selfish interests above the good of been any evidence that indicates that prioritized his private political inter- the country. We must act without Donald J. Trump violated any criminal ests. President Trump asked President delay. statute of the United States. Zelensky for a favor. He wanted By his actions, President Trump has So why are we here? Ukraine to announce two bogus inves- broken his oath of office. His conduct We are here because the majority tigations, one into former Vice Presi- continues to undermine our Constitu- caucus, the Democratic Caucus, has dent Biden, then his leading opponent tion and threaten our next election. been hijacked by the radical left. They in the 2020 election, and another to ad- His actions warrant his impeachment have wanted to reverse the course of vance a conspiracy theory that and demand his removal from office. the 2016 election ever since Donald J. Ukraine, not Russia, attacked our elec- Madam Speaker, I would like to thank the Trump won that election. tions in 2016. following Judiciary Committee staff for their So let’s look at these two phony Ar- Neither request was premised on any extraordinary efforts during the Committee’s ticles of Impeachment. legitimate national security or foreign consideration of the Impeachment of President First of all, abuse of power. The policy interests. One was intended to Donald Trump: phone call in question had the Presi- help President Trump conceal the Amy Rutkin, Chief of Staff; Perry Apelbaum, dent say, ‘‘our country has been truth about the 2016 election. The other Staff Director and Chief Counsel; John Doty, through a lot. I want you to do us a was intended to help him gain an ad- Senior Advisor; Aaron Hiller, Deputy Chief favor.’’ Not ‘‘me’’ a favor; ‘‘us’’ a favor. vantage in the 2020 election. Counsel and Chief Oversight Counsel; And there he was referring to our coun- After the call, President Trump Shadawn Reddick-Smith, Communications Di- try, the United States of America, not ratcheted up the pressure. He deployed rector; Daniel Schwarz, Director of Strategic a personal political gain. his private attorney and other agents, Communications; Moh Sharma, Director of He was not afraid to let this tran- some acting far outside the regular Member Services and Outreach and Policy script go public, and he released the channels of diplomacy, to make his de- Advisor; David Greengrass, Senior Counsel; transcript almost immediately after sires clear. There would be no aid and John Williams, Parliamentarian and Senior the call. no meeting until Ukraine announced Counsel; Barry Berke, Special Counsel; Norm Now, the second Article of Impeach- the sham investigations. Eisen, Special Counsel; Ted Kalo, Special ment, obstruction of Congress, basi- To our founding generation, abuse of Counsel; James Park, Chief Counsel of Con- cally says that, unless the President power was a specific, well-defined of- stitution Subcommittee; Arya Hariharan, Dep- gives us everything we want, when we fense. A President may not misuse the uty Chief Oversight Counsel; Charles Gayle, want it, then he has committed an im- powers of the Presidency to obtain an Oversight Counsel; Maggie Goodlander, Over- peachable offense. improper personal benefit. The evi- sight Counsel. That is a bunch of bunk. dence shows that President Trump did Sarah Istel, Oversight Counsel; Joshua Now, the President has certain indi- exactly that. Matz, Oversight Counsel; Kerry Tirrell, Over- vidual and executive privileges by vir- For this alone, he should be im- sight Counsel; Sophia Brill, Counsel; Milagros tue of his office. peached. But the first article also iden- Cisneros, Counsel; Benjamin Hernandez- Whenever there has been a dispute tifies two aggravating factors. Stern, Counsel; Matthew Morgan, Counsel; between the executive and legislative When President Trump conditioned Matt Robinson, Counsel; Jessica Presley, Di- branches heretofore, they have gone to military aid on a personal favor, he rector of Digital Strategy; Kayla Hamedi, Dep- court. The Supreme Court a couple harmed America’s national security. uty Press Secretary; Kingsley Animley, Direc- weeks ago said they would take juris- When he demanded that a foreign gov- tor of Administration; Madeline Strasser, Chief diction over deciding whether the ernment target his domestic political Clerk; Tim Pearson, Publications Specialist; President has to comply with one sub- rival, he took steps to corrupt our next Janna Pinckney, IT Director; Faisal Siddiqui, poena relating to his tax returns. election. To the Founders, these of- Deputy IT Manager; Rachel Calanni, Profes- Now, here, the Democrats have been fenses clearly merited removal from of- sional Staff and Legislative Aide; Jordan bent to impeach the President of the fice. Dashow, Professional Staff and Legislative United States before the court decides The President faces a second Article Aide. this. This means that there is a rush of Impeachment for his efforts to ob- William S. Emmons, Professional Staff and job to do this. struct our investigation of his mis- Legislative Aide; Julian Gerson, Professional Why is there a rush job? Because conduct. The Constitution grants the Staff and Legislative Aide; Rosalind Jackson, they want to influence the 2020 elec- sole power of impeachment to the Professional Staff and Legislative Aide; tions. House of Representatives. Within our Priyanka Mara, Professional Staff and Legisla- They have spent 3 years doing this; system of checks and balances, the tive Aide; Thomas Kaelin, Oversight Intern; they have spent millions of taxpayer President may not decide for himself Anthony Valdez, Oversight Intern; Alex Wang, dollars, including the Mueller report, what constitutes a valid impeachment Fellow. putting together this impeachment; inquiry, nor may he ignore lawful sub- Madam Speaker, I urge my col- and they also have had this Congress poenas or direct others to do so. leagues to support these Articles of Im- wrapped around impeachment and not Many Presidents, including President peachment, and I reserve the balance of doing their jobs until the dam broke Trump, have asserted privileges and my time. this week.

VerDate Sep 11 2014 06:05 Dec 19, 2019 Jkt 099060 PO 00000 Frm 00023 Fmt 7634 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\K18DE7.039 H18DEPT1 SSpencer on DSKBBXCHB2PROD with HOUSE H12136 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — HOUSE December 18, 2019 Stop this charade. Vote ‘‘no.’’ tual conduct, but I guess that is not over constitutionally-guaranteed due Mr. NADLER. Mr. Speaker, the gen- going to happen. process, previously sacrosanct House tleman from Wisconsin knows full well Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the rules, and the Federal Rules of Civil the President asserted no privileges gentleman from Louisiana (Mr. JOHN- Procedure. here. He simply ordered complete defi- SON). This must fail. This is a shameful ance of the impeachment inquiry. Mr. JOHNSON of Louisiana. Mr. day for the country. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Mr. NADLER. Mr. Speaker, the gen- gentlewoman from Pennsylvania (Ms. Georgia (Mr. COLLINS) for yielding. tleman knows that impeachment was SCANLON). Mr. Speaker, the Founders of this put into the Constitution as a defense Ms. SCANLON. Mr. Speaker, I thank country warned us against a single- of the Republic in between elections. Chairman NADLER for his leadership as party impeachment because they Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the we navigate this challenging time, not feared it would bitterly and perhaps ir- gentlewoman from Washington (Ms. just for our committee and Congress, reparably divide our Nation. JAYAPAL). Ms. JAYAPAL. Mr. Speaker, this is a but for our country. The truth is, in the 243 years of this day of accountability and defending It is with profound sadness that I Republic, there has never been a single- our democracy. stand here today in support of these party, fraudulent impeachment process The facts in front of us are clear: this Articles of Impeachment. like the one being used today. President, Donald J. Trump, coerced a President Trump’s behavior is ex- Our Democrat colleagues have fragile foreign ally to investigate his actly what our Founders feared most. weaponized the impeachment provision political opponent and interfere in our They knew that with the awesome of the Constitution to nullify the votes elections. He leveraged critically need- power of the Presidency came the risk of 63 million Americans who elected ed, congressionally-approved military of a President abusing that power for President Donald J. Trump. aid to Ukraine. personal gain. This is not about a phone call or The President’s allies want to claim They were particularly concerned Ukraine or even his use of the execu- that he did this because he cared about about an executive who became entan- tive privilege. corruption, but if President Trump gled with foreign governments, cor- You have to remember that 95 of the truly cared about corruption, then he rupted our elections, or sought to avoid Democrats on this floor today voted to would have listened to the talking consequences for his own misconduct impeach Donald Trump before the July points that were prepared by the Na- in office. 25 phone call ever happened between tional Security Council on That is why they included impeach- President Trump and President anticorruption. He did not. In fact, on ment in the Constitution: to protect Zelensky. those two calls with President our Republic. Not only is this a single-party im- Zelensky, he never mentioned the word Our colleagues across the aisle have peachment, it is also evidence-free. ‘‘corruption.’’ claimed that we are impeaching the After all their Herculean efforts, He did not abide by the Department President because we don’t like him, they could only come up with two of Defense’s own recommendation that but this moment is about more than short Articles of Impeachment. Ukraine had passed all the disagreement with the President’s poli- On the first, the Democrats know anticorruption benchmarks, and he cies or personality. Those issues belong there is zero direct evidence in the didn’t listen to the unanimous conclu- in the voting booth. record of these proceedings to show sion of all of his top advisers that he Our task here is not to judge the that President Trump engaged in any must release that aid to Ukraine. President himself. Instead, we must abuse of power. He did release the aid in 2017 and judge his conduct and whether his ac- As you will hear today, their entire 2018, but not in 2019. Why? Because in tions have undermined our Constitu- case is based on hearsay, speculation, 2019, Vice President Joe Biden was run- tion. and conjecture, and there is not a sin- ning for President. The President has committed the gle fact witness that can provide testi- This is not hearsay. We have a re- highest of high crimes under our Con- mony to support their baseless allega- sponsibility. The President told us stitution. He used the highest office in tions. himself on national television exactly our government and taxpayer dollars The Democrats’ second claim is that what he wanted from the phone call to pressure a foreign country to inter- President Trump obstructed Congress with President Zelensky. He came onto fere in our elections. He undermined by simply doing what virtually every the White House lawn and he said: our national security. other President in the modern era has I wanted President Zelensky to open an in- When he got caught, he tried to cover also done, and that is to assert, Mr. vestigation into the Bidens. it up, obstructing our investigation Speaker, a legitimate executive privi- He solicited foreign interference be- and refusing to produce subpoenaed lege, which protects the separation of fore, he is doing it now, and he will do documents and witnesses. powers. it again. A government where the President And you know what? If they dis- The President is the smoking gun. Our Founders, Mr. Speaker, en- abuses his power is not ‘‘of the people.’’ agreed with that, the Democrats could trusted us with the awesome responsi- A government where the President and should have just simply gone a few bility of protecting our democracy, pressures a foreign country to under- blocks away to a Federal court to get which gets its power not from the mine our elections is not ‘‘by the peo- an expedited court order compelling bloodlines of monarchs, but from the ple.’’ the extra documents and information votes of We the People. A government where the President they requested. That is what has al- Without that, we are no longer a de- puts his own interests before the coun- ways been done in the past, but they mocracy, we are a monarchy or a dicta- try is not ‘‘for the people.’’ didn’t do that here, because these torship. This isn’t complicated. You know it. Democrats don’t have time for it. So today, to uphold my oath to Con- I know it. The American people know They are trying to meet their own stitution and country, I will vote to it. arbitrary, completely reckless, and impeach Donald J. Trump. President Trump’s wrongdoing and Machiavellian timeline to take down a Mr. COLLINS of Georgia. Mr. Speak- the urgent threat that his actions President that they loathe. er, I also remind my chairman that im- present to our next election and our de- The real abuse of power here is on peachment was never meant as a polit- mocracy leaves us no principled alter- the part of the House Democrats as ical weapon in between elections when native but to support these Articles of they have feverishly produced and pur- you can’t win the next one. Impeachment. sued this impeachment 20 times faster Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the Our Constitution, our country, and than the impeachment investigation of gentleman from Texas (Mr. CONAWAY). our children depend upon it. Bill Clinton. Mr. CONAWAY. Mr. Speaker, other Mr. COLLINS of Georgia. Mr. Speak- They are trying to reach their pre- than authorizing an act of war, im- er, I wish, as the gentlewoman just determined political outcome, and peachment is the gravest item that we said, that they would examine the fac- along the way, they have steamrolled as a Congress can consider.

VerDate Sep 11 2014 06:05 Dec 19, 2019 Jkt 099060 PO 00000 Frm 00024 Fmt 7634 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\K18DE7.042 H18DEPT1 SSpencer on DSKBBXCHB2PROD with HOUSE December 18, 2019 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — HOUSE H12137 The decision to move forward with Let’s start by making this very sim- Mr. COLLINS of Georgia. Mr. Speak- impeachment of a United States Presi- ple. No one in America could do what er, it is my pleasure to yield 11⁄2 min- dent is so consequential that it has Donald Trump did and get away with utes to the gentleman from North only been done three times previously it. No American elected official can Carolina (Mr. MCHENRY). in our Nation’s history, all based on le- call up a foreign government and ask Mr. MCHENRY. Mr. Speaker, in 2016, gitimate evidence of criminal behavior. for an investigation of a political oppo- 63 million Americans went to the polls Unfortunately, many of my col- nent. No Member of Congress can call and elected Donald Trump President of leagues have diminished what should up a foreign official and ask for help in the United States. House Democrats be a solemn and grave proceeding into our reelection campaign. If we did that, have been trying to overturn the elec- an absolute political circus simply be- we would likely get indicted. tion ever since. In fact, they have tried cause they don’t like the man occu- No one is above the law, and the Con- five additional times to the one that is pying the White House. stitution is the supreme law of the before us to impeach the President, in- Many Democrats have been intent on land. cluding the vote in May 2017, just 5 impeaching the President since the day I first swore an oath to the Constitu- months into his term. he took office. Their actions are clear- tion when I joined the United States In January of this year, House Demo- ly motivated by hatred for President Air Force on Active Duty. The oath I crats took control of this Chamber, and Trump. This impeachment vote today took was not to a political party or to they were faced with a choice. They is the next step in their long-held plan a President or to a king; it was to a could use the tools of the majority to to remove him from office. document that has made America the pursue legitimate priorities of the The partisan impeachment investiga- greatest nation on Earth, and that doc- American people, policies that can im- tion run by the House Intelligence ument contains a safeguard for when pact their lives, or they could use the Committee was unnecessarily held be- the President’s abuse of power is so ex- tools to undo the 2016 election. They hind closed doors in a room designed to treme that it warrants impeachment. made their choice. share classified information. We are not here because of policy dis- Since then, House Democrats have Nothing classified was shared during putes. While I disagree with the Presi- issued more subpoenas than bills have these meetings, but the result of this dent, I acknowledge he has the right to been signed into law. That tells us all decision was that most Members of restrict the number of refugees enter- we need to know about this Congress Congress and all Americans were ing our country, he has the right to and that party. blocked from hearing the facts for eliminate environmental executive or- Rather than launch a legitimate in- themselves. ders, and he has the right to sign a bill vestigation, Democrats turn to focus Chairman SCHIFF repeatedly with- that has given tax breaks to the groups to workshop their language, to held crucial information from the Re- wealthy. see if they could sell this to the Amer- But the President does not have the publicans, including the ability for ican people, and the American people right to cheat and to solicit foreign in- anyone but himself and his staff to have rejected it. speak with the whistleblower at the terference in our elections. That is ille- Instead of negotiating with the exec- center of this investigation. He was gal, it is not what the voters elected utive branch, for instance, and allow- even called out by liberal media for him to do, and we will not stand for it. ing the courts to resolve any legiti- The President’s actions in this case spreading misinformation and false- mate disputes, House Democrats were particularly insidious, because he hoods throughout the impeachment rushed toward an impeachment vote. also used our government for his pri- process. So here we are, 12 weeks later, voting vate gain. The public hearings were held with He conditioned taxpayer-funded mili- whether to impeach the President complete disregard for the House rules tary aid and a critical White House based off the thinnest record in modern and decades of precedent. Republicans meeting with the Ukrainian president history. It is no surprise that the Sen- were not allowed to call witnesses or to on the requirement that Ukraine pub- ate is already asking for additional make basic parliamentary motions. In licly announce an investigation into witnesses, more documents, and real fact, the only witnesses allowed to tes- his opponent. And by harming Ukrain- evidence. The body of evidence is weak tify publicly were those who fit neatly ian national security, the President and woefully insufficient for impeach- within the Democrats’ predetermined also harmed U.S. national security. ment. narrative. Mr. NADLER. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 Most importantly, we have not been b 1245 minutes to the gentleman from Mary- presented with any real evidence that Then, the President solicited foreign land (Mr. RASKIN). proves the President is guilty of high interference again on the south lawn of Mr. RASKIN. Mr. Speaker, American crimes and misdemeanors, as required the White House when he again asked elections belong to the American peo- by the Constitution to remove a duly- Ukraine to investigate his political op- ple, not the American President and elected President. If there was criminal ponent. Then, he asked China, our peer not foreign powers. activity, as many of my Democrat col- competitor, to do the same. That abuse No President may cheat the people leagues claim, then why are there no of power is not acceptable. by working with foreign governments crimes listed in the Articles of Im- Whether or not the Senate convicts, to steal from us a free and fair elec- peachment? the House has an independent duty to tion. And no President who attempts it We have forever weakened this body do the right thing. That is why we have may cover up that cheating by system- by turning impeachment into a polit- passed over 275 bipartisan bills that are atically obstructing Congress in our ical weapon. This impeachment scheme stuck in the Senate. Whether impeach- work. is nothing more than an attempt to ing or legislating, we will continue to Article II of the Constitution does conduct taxpayer-funded opposition re- be faithful to the Constitution, regard- not authorize a President to do what- search and damage the President’s less of what the Senate may or may ever he wants. The reason we have a electability heading into 2020. not do. Constitution is to keep government of- The American people see right Moreover, impeachment is a form of ficials from doing whatever they want. through this charade and are fed up. deterrence. Our children are watching. If we the people lose the certainty of It is time for this madness to stop No President ever wants to be im- free and fair elections to Presidential and for us to get back to the important peached. Whether Donald Trump leaves corruption and foreign manipulation, work the American people sent us here in 1 month, 1 year, or 5 years, this im- then we lose our democracy itself, the to do. peachment is permanent. It will follow most precious inheritance we have re- Mr. NADLER. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 him around for the rest of his life. His- ceived from prior generations who minutes to the gentleman from Cali- tory books will record it, and the peo- pledged their sacred honor and gave ev- fornia (Mr. TED LIEU). ple will know why we impeached. erything they had to defend it. Mr. TED LIEU of California. Mr. It is all very simple. No one is above The struggle for democracy is the Speaker, I thank Chairman NADLER for the law, not our Commander in Chief, meaning of America. That is why we his leadership. not our President. remain the last best hope of a world

VerDate Sep 11 2014 06:05 Dec 19, 2019 Jkt 099060 PO 00000 Frm 00025 Fmt 7634 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\K18DE7.043 H18DEPT1 SSpencer on DSKBBXCHB2PROD with HOUSE H12138 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — HOUSE December 18, 2019 ravaged by authoritarianism, violence, torship where any future President will fense of President Trump’s conduct, and corruption. be free to abuse their office in order to which is indefensible. We must act now to protect our elec- get reelected. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the tions and safeguard constitutional de- Today, every Member of this Cham- distinguished gentleman from Florida mocracy for the enormous and unprece- ber faces a choice: whether to do what (Mr. DEUTCH). dented challenges that still lie ahead of the Constitution demands and the evi- Mr. DEUTCH. Mr. Speaker, some say us. dence requires or to turn a blind eye to this impeachment is about eight lines Mr. COLLINS of Georgia. Mr. Speak- the President’s grave misconduct, a in a call transcript, but there is so er, it is my pleasure to yield 11⁄2 min- blind eye to the overwhelming evidence much more. This was about a scheme utes to the gentlewoman from West of high crimes and misdemeanors. that lasted months and involved dozens Virginia (Mrs. MILLER). To my friends on the other side of of Trump administration officials. Mrs. MILLER. Mr. Speaker, I rise in the aisle, I say this: This is not about Look at the evidence, look at the di- opposition to H. Res. 755. making history. This is about holding rect evidence: text messages, emails, Today is a disappointing day. It is a lawless President accountable in the calls, and meetings. Way back in May, the President told the day my colleagues from across the way our Framers intended. This is a his team: ‘‘Talk to Rudy’’ Giuliani. aisle cast the vote that they have spent time to put our country over your po- The President’s message? No White the last 3 years obsessing over, the litical party. Do not seek safety in the House meeting unless Ukraine helped vote to impeach our duly-elected Presi- high grass of a vote against these arti- him in the 2020 election. dent. cles. We are all Americans. Show the Ambassador Sondland said there was There are two charges claimed by American people your devotion to your a ‘‘prerequisite of investigations’’ into House Democrats, and there is zero country is more powerful than your the Bidens and announcement of inves- cause for either. loyalty to your political party. tigations was a ‘‘deliverable.’’ While President Trump has led, our United, we can defend our democracy Ambassador Volker said the most im- country has thrived, and Washington from all enemies, foreign and domestic. portant thing for the Ukrainian Presi- liberals have failed. Divided, we risk losing our democracy. dent to do was commit to an investiga- Despite the commitment of many of All you have to do is look at the evi- tion of the Bidens. our colleagues to obstruct the Trump dence because it will leave you with Just before the July 25 call, Volker administration’s agenda at every turn, only one answer: The President of the told the Ukrainians: ‘‘Assuming Presi- our country continues to succeed. United States must be impeached. dent Z convinces Trump he will inves- In this body, however, we have not Remember these facts: He tried to tigate . . . we will nail down date for been able to deliver on what Americans cheat. He got caught. He confessed. visit to Washington.’’ want and need. We still have not fin- Then, he obstructed the investigation The direct evidence kept coming ished securing our border. The opioid into his misconduct. after the call, more texts, more emails, epidemic still rages in our commu- For our democracy, for our Constitu- and more calls, all with the same mes- nities. Our infrastructure is still in tion, for the people you represent, and sage: If Ukraine didn’t announce an in- dire need of an overhaul. We still have for all who will inherit our country vestigation into the President’s polit- not reached a bipartisan resolution on from us, I pray you will do the right ical rival, then they wouldn’t get the drug pricing. thing. White House meeting that they had If Congress hadn’t spent the last year Mr. COLLINS of Georgia. Mr. Speak- been promised, and they wouldn’t get stuck in a divisive, ugly, partisan im- er, it gives me pleasure to yield 11⁄2 the aid that they needed in their war peachment debacle, think of what we minutes to the gentleman from Ala- against Russia. could have done, the lives that could bama (Mr. ROGERS). American Presidential power comes have been saved, the communities that Mr. ROGERS of Alabama. Mr. Speak- from the people through elections. The could have been improved, the crisis on er, I rise today in complete and total Constitution requires that we protect our southern border ended, and the support of President Trump. those elections. But when the Presi- positive work that we should do for our The matter before the House today is dent abused his power to solicit foreign country. But we didn’t, all because of based solely on a fundamental hatred interference, he was cheating American divisive political theatrics. of our President. It is a sham, a witch voters before they even had a chance to Congress can do better than this, and hunt, and it is tantamount to a coup vote. America deserves better. against the duly-elected President of Mr. Speaker, President Trump’s ac- Mr. NADLER. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 the United States. tions force us to protect our elections minutes to the distinguished gen- This is a sad day for our Nation when and the Constitution. I urge my col- leagues to defend the Constitution, tleman from Rhode Island (Mr. one political party, along with their support these Articles of Impeachment, CICILLINE). cohorts in the deep state and the main- and remind the world that, in America, Mr. CICILLINE. Mr. Speaker, I rise stream media, try to hijack our Con- no one is above the law. in support of the Articles of Impeach- stitution. Mr. COLLINS of Georgia. Mr. Speak- The Democrat majority has irrespon- ment against Donald J. Trump, the er, I would remind this whole body that sibly turned the impeachment process 45th President of the United States. it is more than eight lines. In fact, into a political weapon, something that Mr. Speaker, no one runs for Con- there are four facts: There is no pres- gress to impeach a President. But this Republicans refused to do when our sure. There is no conditionality. They President has left us no choice. base was calling for the impeachment did nothing to get it. And they got the President Trump abused the enor- of President Obama. money. mous powers of his office when he so- It is well past time for the House to Mr. Speaker, I yield 11⁄2 minutes to licited foreign interference for the pur- move beyond this hoax and put our Na- the gentleman from Florida (Mr. pose of helping him in his reelection tion first. That is exactly what Presi- SPANO). campaign in 2020. dent Trump is doing. The United Mr. SPANO. Mr. Speaker, I rise in The President betrayed our national States has record-low unemployment opposition to this political effort to re- security and undermined the security and historic performance in the stock move President Trump from office. of our elections when he put his own market. President Trump is rewriting I am not surprised this day has come, personal political interests ahead of failed trade deals of the past to put but I am disappointed, disappointed be- the interests of our country. He tried America first. He is rebuilding our cause impeachment is one of the most to cheat to win reelection. military, helped create Space Force, consequential decisions that we can This wasn’t an attack on Vice Presi- and the list goes on. make in this body, and this impeach- dent Biden. This was an attack on our I implore my colleagues to end this ment is based purely on partisan mo- democracy. spectacle now. tives. If we do not hold the President ac- Mr. NADLER. Mr. Speaker, I am Speaker PELOSI said we shouldn’t go countable today, we will no longer live hearing a lot from my colleagues on down this path unless there was some- in a democracy. We will live in a dicta- the other side of the aisle, except a de- thing compelling, overwhelming, and

VerDate Sep 11 2014 07:28 Dec 19, 2019 Jkt 099060 PO 00000 Frm 00026 Fmt 7634 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\K18DE7.045 H18DEPT1 SSpencer on DSKBBXCHB2PROD with HOUSE December 18, 2019 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — HOUSE H12139 bipartisan because of how divisive it (English translation of the statement citizens to let them decide who should would be. Unfortunately, it is clear the made in Spanish is as follows:) lead our great country. majority has had laser focus on one My town sent me to Washington to This impeachment process isn’t fo- thing for 3 years: impeaching the Presi- work with everyone, Democrats and cused on strengthening and protecting dent. Republicans, to improve the lives of our political foundations but, rather, The majority has failed to deliver for our communities. shaping public opinion. the American people. They failed to Sadly, we are here, today, consid- I ask you: Is it worth that? pass a budget on time, failed to pass ering the actions of the President of Not only is the process alarming, but the spending bills on time, and failed the United States. it is wasting taxpayer dollars and valu- to deliver bipartisan solutions that will My vote will be to ensure that we re- able time that elected officials could be actually help improve the lives of main a democracy, and not a dictator- using to move our country forward. Americans. ship. That includes: securing our borders, But the American people see through Many of our sons and daughters have addressing student loan debt, and this sad charade for what it is: an at- paid the price of our freedom with their bringing down the cost of healthcare tempt to undo the 2016 election based blood. Our liberty and democracy must and prescription drugs. on hearsay and opinion, not fact. be the inheritance that we leave to our Mr. Speaker, I urge all of my col- The transcript of the call showed no sons and daughters. leagues, while considering these arti- conditions were placed on the aid. A democracy exists when nobody is cles, to ask themselves whether this is President Trump and President above the constitution, and we are all truly being done for the good of the Zelensky have said there was no pres- subject to the law. country. sure, and Ukraine received the aid I ask God to give us wisdom, and to Mr. NADLER. Mr. Speaker, I would without taking any actions. help us unite our beloved homeland, remind the gentleman that, after re- The Constitution is clear. The Presi- the United States of America. covering millions of dollars in ill-got- dent may only be impeached for com- Mi pueblo me mando a Washington ten gains, the Mueller investigation mitting treason, bribery, or other high para trabajar con todos, Democratas y was actually a net plus for the tax- crimes and misdemeanors. Nowhere in Republicanos, para mejorar las vidas de payers. the two Articles of Impeachment nuestra comunidad. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the brought today does it argue that the Tristemente estamos presentes, gentleman from Colorado (Mr. considerando las acciones del president President has committed treason, brib- NEGUSE). ery, or any crime under the law. de los Estados Unidos. Mr. NEGUSE. Mr. Speaker, I want to Mi voto, sera para asegurar que This is not overwhelming. It is not thank Chairman NADLER and Speaker sigamos siendo una democracia, y no compelling. It is not bipartisan. But PELOSI for their leadership and their the Speaker was right in one way. This una dictadura. Muchos de nuestros hijos y hijas, han moral courage. is incredibly divisive and has lowered Today, the House of Representatives pagadado el precio de nuestra libertad the bar for what future Presidents will is debating whether to take the rare con su sangre. Nuertra liberated y face. step of voting to impeach a President democracia, tienen que ser la herencia Mr. Speaker, I strongly oppose the for only the third time in our country’s que les dejamos a nuertros hijos y articles before us today, and I hope history. Unfortunately, President hijas. that we will finally move past this Trump has left us no choice. nightmare and get to work to deliver Una democracia existe cuando nadie esta sobre la constitucion, y todos The fact of the matter is that the results for the American people. President abused the power of his office Mr. NADLER. Mr. Speaker, the evi- somos sujetos a la ley. and invited a foreign country to inter- dence is clear that President Trump Le pido a dios que nos de sabiduria, y fere in our elections. In so doing, he took advantage of Ukraine’s vulnera- que nos ayude unir nuestra querida undermined the sanctity of the free bility and abused the powers of his of- patria, los Estados Unidos Americanos. and fair elections upon which our Re- fice to pressure Ukraine to help his re- Mr. Speaker, today I pray to God for His guidance in uniting our great Na- public rests. election campaign. This is the highest Making matters worse, over the past of high crimes, and President Trump tion. The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. several months, President Trump and must be held to account. his administration have done every- Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the BUTTERFIELD). The gentleman from thing they can to prevent Congress distinguished gentleman from Cali- California will provide a translation of from uncovering the truth. fornia (Mr. CORREA). his remarks to the Clerk. Mr. CORREA. Mr. Speaker, I thank Mr. COLLINS of Georgia. Mr. Speak- Let us be clear, in the history of our the gentleman for yielding. er, I would have to disagree with my Republic, no President has ever ob- Mr. Speaker, as a member of the chairman. I am not sure what he has structed Congress like this before. Homeland Security Committee, I know been watching, but the facts are not During the Watergate investigation, firsthand the dangers that foreign in- undisputed. They are very much dis- as my colleagues well know: terference in our elections present to puted, not only by the minority, but by President Nixon’s chief of staff testi- our democracy. As a Member of Con- the witnesses who actually testified. fied before Congress; President gress, it is my sworn duty to ensure Mr. Speaker, I yield 11⁄2 minutes to Trump’s chief of staff refused. that our Nation is secure from all the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. CAR- President Nixon’s counsel testified; threats, foreign and domestic. And TER). President Trump’s counsel refused. Congress has a constitutional job to in- Mr. CARTER of Georgia. Mr. Speak- White House aides close to President vestigate allegations of misconduct by er, I thank the gentleman for yielding. Nixon testified; President Trump re- the executive branch, including the Mr. Speaker, I rise today in opposi- fused to allow any aide who may have United States President. tion to the Democrats’ sham process, knowledge relevant to this investiga- which makes a mockery of the rules of tion to testify. b 1300 the House and is, frankly, dangerous to Simply put, his administration has The Constitution is the highest law this country. engaged in a wholesale obstruction of of the land, creating a system of Since day one, the Democrats have Congress, and that is exactly why we checks and balances to prevent the cre- made it clear that they wanted to are considering not just one but two ation of a king. Congress is a coequal move toward impeachment well before Articles of Impeachment before the branch of our Nation’s government, any of the accusations took place. House today. equal with the Presidency, with duties What Democrats, unfortunately, don’t Every Member of this body has a re- that are given to us by the Framers. recognize is the damage that this will sponsibility to uphold our Constitu- This is a very sad day, and I do not cause for our political institutions and tion, to defend our Republic, and, when take impeachment lightly; yet, I am America’s trust for years to come. necessary, to hold the executive branch here to do my job as a Member of Con- Every American should be concerned accountable. We are exercising that re- gress. that Speaker PELOSI doesn’t trust our sponsibility today.

VerDate Sep 11 2014 06:05 Dec 19, 2019 Jkt 099060 PO 00000 Frm 00027 Fmt 7634 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\K18DE7.047 H18DEPT1 SSpencer on DSKBBXCHB2PROD with HOUSE H12140 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — HOUSE December 18, 2019 Mr. Speaker, therefore, I will vote viewed the President’s own words and Donald Trump pressured a foreign ‘‘yes’’ on both articles because it is actions; and published a 300-page report government to target an American cit- what the Constitution requires and detailing their findings. izen for political gain and, at the same what my conscience demands. All of this, despite the fact that, time, withheld, without justification, Mr. COLLINS of Georgia. Mr. Speak- under the President’s direction, 12 cur- $391 million in military aid to a vulner- er, I would never have thought that a rent and former administration offi- able Ukraine as part of a scheme to so- Department of Justice investigation cials refused to testify, even ignoring licit foreign interference in an Amer- was used as a money revenue plot, but subpoenas, and 71 document requests ican election. I guess one thing is true: It was a loser were denied. That is unacceptable. That is uncon- for the minority in a net profit situa- The Judiciary Committee then re- scionable. That is unconstitutional. tion. viewed the evidence and concluded that There are some who cynically argue Mr. Speaker, I yield 11⁄2 minutes to two Articles of Impeachment, which I that the impeachment of this President the gentleman from Washington (Mr. support, were warranted. will further divide an already fractured NEWHOUSE). The evidence shows that President Union, but there is a difference be- Mr. NEWHOUSE. Mr. Speaker, the Trump is a clear and present danger to tween division and clarification. people’s House should be better than our free and fair elections and our na- Slavery once divided the Nation, but this. We should be better than this. tional security. The most powerful evi- emancipators rose up to clarify that all During the Member’s remarks in the dence of this pattern has come from men are created equally. Judiciary Committee, the committee’s the President himself. Suffrage once divided the Nation, but impeachment proceedings, he stated: In 2016, we heard him when he called women rose up to clarify that all ‘‘To my Republican colleagues: . . . on Russia to interfere in our elections. voices must be heard in our democracy. How do you want to be remembered He said: ‘‘Russia, if you’re listening. Jim Crow once divided the Nation, during this watershed moment in our . . .’’ but civil rights champions rose up to Nation’s history?’’ He then repeated this call for elec- clarify that all are entitled to equal Mr. Speaker, it won’t be watching tion interference on the July 25 call protection under the law. sports on a laptop during official Judi- with the Ukrainian President, and we There is a difference between division ciary Committee proceedings to im- heard him again, on the White House and clarification. We will hold this President account- peach a sitting President; lawn, further adding China to that mix. It won’t be using expletives to refer I stand ready to protect our sacred able for his stunning abuse of power. to our President, calling for his im- Republic, support these Articles of Im- We will hold this President account- peachment just hours after being sworn peachment, and pray that my col- able for undermining our national se- into Congress; leagues have the courage to do the curity. We will hold this President ac- It won’t be using the chairmanship of same. We must uphold our oath of of- countable for corrupting our democ- the once-respected Intelligence Com- fice and defend the Constitution and racy. We will impeach Donald John Trump. mittee to distort the President’s words our fragile democracy, because no one We will clarify that, in America, no in order to mislead the American peo- is above the law. one is above the law. ple; and Mr. COLLINS of Georgia. Mr. Speak- 1 Mr. COLLINS of Georgia. Mr. Speak- It certainly won’t be using the most er, I yield 1 ⁄2 minutes to the gentleman er, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman serious and solemn powers of Congress from Florida (Mr. RUTHERFORD). Mr. RUTHERFORD. Mr. Speaker, I from California (Mr. MCCLINTOCK). to overturn a legitimate national elec- thank the gentleman for yielding. tion for political expediency. b 1315 Mr. Speaker, in 2016, Vladimir Putin No, Mr. Speaker, my fellow Repub- and his cronies waged a war on our Mr. MCCLINTOCK. Mr. Speaker, nul- lican colleagues and I won’t be remem- elections with the goal of sowing dis- lifying a national election requires an bered in history for doing any of those cord and division in America. overwhelming case of high crimes sup- things because we know this is far too Do you think he has been successful? ported by indisputable evidence that grave a matter for subversions such as Somewhere in Russia right now, Putin the vast majority of the Nation finds these of our democratic Republic. is laughing at us today. The majority compelling. We should all be better than this. is giving him exactly what he wants: a Now, article I is a made-up crime Mr. NADLER. Mr. Speaker, may I in- divided America with pure, partisan called abuse of office. It does not quire how much time remains on both politics, with nasty political rhetoric charge that the President broke any sides. at an all-time high. And some across law, but that Congress doesn’t like the The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gen- way he lawfully discharged his con- 3 the aisle are discrediting the results of tleman from New York has 156 ⁄4 min- future elections already. stitutional duties. This would reduce utes remaining. The gentleman from It seems to many Americans that, for the Presidency to that of a minister Georgia has 157 minutes remaining. the past 3 years, the House majority serving at the pleasure of Congress, de- Mr. NADLER. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 has been carrying out the wishes of the stroying the separation of powers at minutes to the distinguished gentle- Kremlin. The sad part is the Democrats the heart of our Constitution. woman from Texas (Ms. ESCOBAR). have vowed to continue their sham in- Article II is another made-up crime Ms. ESCOBAR. Mr. Speaker, our vestigations even after today’s vote. called obstruction of Congress. It country faces a great tragedy and mo- Impeaching a duly-elected President means the President sought to defend ment of truth. We have witnessed the in a purely partisan manner with no his constitutional rights and those of President of the United States abuse crimes to show for it—not one element his Office. This removes the judiciary his public office for personal political of a crime defined—disgraces the integ- from our Constitution and places Con- gain and invite foreign governments to rity of our democracy. gress alone in the position of defining interfere in our elections, putting the Now is the time to end the partisan the limits of its own powers relative to integrity of a government of, for, and politics, come together, and put Amer- the President. by the people at great risk. ica first. Our Bill of Rights guarantees every The evidence is overwhelming and Mr. Speaker, I urge this body to vote American the right to confront their clearly shows that President Trump ‘‘no’’ to partisan impeachment. accuser, to call witnesses in their de- will continue to abuse his office and Mr. NADLER. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 fense, to be protected from hearsay, obstruct Congress if left unchecked. minutes to the distinguished gen- and to defend these rights in court. The The Intelligence Committee con- tleman from New York (Mr. JEFFRIES). Democrats have trampled them all in ducted a robust investigation into the Mr. JEFFRIES. Mr. Speaker, George their stampede to impeach. Even in President’s misconduct. Members Washington, in his farewell address to this kangaroo court, the Democrats’ interviewed 12 witnesses in public hear- the Nation, counseled America that the hand-picked witnesses provided no ings, totaling over 30 hours; conducted Constitution is sacredly obligatory firsthand knowledge that the President 17 depositions, totaling over 100 hours; upon all. It is in that spirit that we linked aid to action—in fact, two wit- examined text messages and emails; re- proceed today. nesses provided firsthand knowledge

VerDate Sep 11 2014 06:05 Dec 19, 2019 Jkt 099060 PO 00000 Frm 00028 Fmt 7634 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\K18DE7.049 H18DEPT1 SSpencer on DSKBBXCHB2PROD with HOUSE December 18, 2019 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — HOUSE H12141 that he specifically ordered no quid pro The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gen- ment, President Trump welcomed Rudy quo. tleman and all Members are reminded Giuliani back to the White House. Any case that charged no actual to address their remarks to the Chair. President Trump is still at it. He is crime and offered no legally admissible Mr. COLLINS of Georgia. Mr. Speak- doubling down. He doesn’t think he can evidence would be laughed out of court er, I do believe that our elections win an election fair and square, so he is in a heartbeat. That is the case before should be free and fair. I do believe trying to cheat. To ignore these crimes us today. It would redefine the grounds that with all my heart. Except it seems is not just giving the President a pass; for impeachment in such a way that like in this case impeachment is based it is giving him a green light. Those assures that it will become a constant on the fact that the Speaker said last who vote against impeachment are not presence in our national life. Now we month it would be dangerous to leave just endorsing President Trump’s past know just how reckless is the Demo- it to the voters to determine if Mr. actions but his future ones as well. crats’ chant of ‘‘resist by any means Trump stays in office. If you think I exaggerate in warning necessary.’’ This is a stunning abuse of Mr. Speaker, I yield 11⁄2 minutes to that our elections can be undermined, I power and a shameless travesty of jus- the gentleman from Louisiana (Mr. would urge my colleagues to come tice that will stain the reputations of HIGGINS). down to Georgia and find a Black man those responsible for generations to Mr. HIGGINS of Louisiana. Mr. or woman of a certain age. They will come. Speaker, I have descended into the tell you that the danger is real. And Mr. NADLER. Mr. Speaker, abuse of belly of the beast. I have witnessed the they will tell you of brave Americans— power was no vague or weak notion to terror within, and I rise committed to patriots—willing to risk far more than the Framers. It had a very specific oppose the insidious forces which a political career who marched, strug- meaning: the use of official power to threaten our Republic. America is gled, and sometimes died so that we obtain an improper personal benefit being severely injured by this betrayal, could have fair and free elections. We while ignoring or injuring the national by this unjust and weaponized im- are not asked to possess even a fraction interest. President Trump has abused peachment brought upon us by the of their courage. We are simply called his office and must be removed. same Socialists who threaten unborn upon today to do what is right. I am Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the life in the womb, who threaten First proud to vote ‘‘yes’’ on impeachment. distinguished gentleman from Ten- Amendment rights of conservatives, Mr. COLLINS of Georgia. Madam nessee (Mr. COHEN). who threaten Second Amendment pro- Speaker, I am glad that my colleague Mr. COHEN. Mr. Speaker, from our tections of every American patriot, and just mentioned Georgia, because since founding, the United States has been a who have long ago determined that 2014 the actual voter participation special nation, a city upon a hill. Our they would organize and conspire to among minorities—African American values are enshrined in our Constitu- overthrow President Trump. female and African American male, We don’t face this horror because the tion: liberty, equality, and oppor- Hispanic male and Hispanic female— Democrats have all of a sudden become tunity. We are a self-governing people has risen double-digits. I am very constitutionalists. We are not being de- where every person is equal before the proud of what Georgia is doing to get voured from within because of some law. In the United States, we don’t everybody to the poll. I am glad he surreal assertion of the Socialists’ new- have a king. We choose our leaders. We chose to highlight it. Unfortunately, he found love of the very flag that they vote. just highlighted it in the wrong way. have trod upon. Madam Speaker, I yield 11⁄2 minutes Generations of Americans have We face this horror because of this to the gentleman from Pennsylvania fought, and some have died to secure map. This is what the Democrats fear. (Mr. MEUSER). these inalienable rights. The Constitu- They fear the true will of we the peo- Mr. MEUSER. Madam Speaker, back tion begins: ‘‘We the People of the ple. They are deep establishment D.C. home people refer to Capitol Hill as a United States.’’ That is us. It is not They fear what they call on this Re- bubble. They are right. It is as if we are ‘‘we the leaders of Russia, Ukraine, or publican map, flyover country. They completely detached from what is China’’ or ‘‘we the Democrats’’ or ‘‘we call us deplorables. They fear our faith, going on in communities across Amer- the Republicans.’’ It is: ‘‘We the People they fear our strength, they fear our ica. Many here don’t hear or listen to of the United States.’’ All Americans— unity, they fear our vote, and they fear what people are saying, and many here, and only Americans—get to have a say our President. as well, think they know better than in our elections. We will never surrender our Nation the people we serve. Donald Trump used the high power of to career establishment D.C. politi- Our communities are benefiting the Presidency to pressure a foreign cians and bureaucrats. Our Republic greatly from President Trump’s agen- nation to besmirch his perceived pri- shall survive this threat from within. da: a booming economy, a secure bor- mary political opponent. He corrupted American patriots shall prevail. der, better trade deals, and a stronger our elections and compromised our na- Mr. NADLER. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 military. Unfortunately, inside the tional security so that he could keep minutes to the distinguished gen- Halls of Congress, Democrats’ obses- power—not power for the people, power tleman from Georgia (Mr. JOHNSON). sion with impeachment is all con- for himself. In 2016, Candidate Trump Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia. Mr. Speak- suming. called for foreign interference when he er, I was not among those who sup- Is this how Democrat leadership said: ‘‘Russia, if you are listening. ported impeachment before Ukraine, chooses to represent the people of . . .’’ but I have called for impeachment America, by nullifying the results of In 2019, President Trump sought for- today because our President is, as we the 2016 election, disregarding the will eign interference when he needed a speak, abusing his power and placing of the American people, and doing ev- favor from Ukraine to intervene in the himself above the law. erything in their power to prevent the 2020 election. President Trump at- President Trump’s attempt to sabo- President and this Congress from doing tacked and is a continuing threat to tage the 2020 election is a clear and the job we were elected to do? our system of free and fair elections. present danger on our democracy. After 3 years of trying and months of Like all of you, Mr. Speaker, I took We the people know this, and more unfair, politically motivated impeach- an oath to support and to defend the Americans support impeachment today ment proceedings, Democrats have de- Constitution. I urge my colleagues to than at any time since Richard Nixon’s livered two weak Articles of Impeach- abide by that oath and stand up to final weeks in office. We know that it ment. President Trump’s abuse of power and is wrong to enlist the help of foreigners Abuse of power? obstruction of Congress. To my col- in interfering in our elections. We Not according to Ukraine. President leagues on both sides of the aisle, I ap- know it is wrong to cheat, and we know Zelensky confirmed many times that peal to your patriotism and implore what is at stake. It is not just that our there was no quid pro quo, no action you to defend free and fair elections elections were attacked; our elections taken, and significant military aid was and preserve the Constitution. are under attack right now. delivered without anything in return. God save the United States of Amer- The very day the Judiciary Com- Of course, his words have been conven- ica. mittee voted out Articles of Impeach- iently dismissed.

VerDate Sep 11 2014 06:05 Dec 19, 2019 Jkt 099060 PO 00000 Frm 00029 Fmt 7634 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\K18DE7.051 H18DEPT1 SSpencer on DSKBBXCHB2PROD with HOUSE H12142 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — HOUSE December 18, 2019 Obstruction of Congress? tinuing the effort to interfere in the be impeached. It erodes our Republic in Is this the new standard? election. ways that our Founding Fathers recog- If this is the new standard, then In many of our congressional dis- nized. They got it right, high crimes every President since Jimmy Carter tricts we worry about voter suppres- and misdemeanors. Other than that, and every President moving forward sion and schemes that purge legitimate settle it at the ballot box. would and will be impeached. voters from participating in the elec- I look forward to that day. Let the Let me be clear: It is an honor to tion, or we worry about Russian inter- American people decide. serve in the United States House of ference in our election. It is a sad day The SPEAKER pro tempore (Ms. Representatives, but today I am dis- in America when we have to worry DEGETTE). Members are reminded to traught. Today Democrats will dis- about the Commander in Chief inter- address their remarks to the Chair. regard the will of the American people fering in the election in order to be re- Mr. NADLER. Madam Speaker, I re- and vote to impeach the duly elected elected. Elections should be decided by mind the gentleman that, if President President of the United States. What the American people. Trump is impeached and removed, the should be equally troubling is that this I will vote for both Articles of Im- new President will be MIKE PENCE, not has eroded, if not wiped out, the trust peachment. It is my constitutional Hillary Clinton. the American people have in the 116th duty to fulfill my oath of office. No one Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to Congress. is above the law. the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Mr. NADLER. Madam Speaker, Mr. COLLINS of Georgia. Madam MUCARSEL-POWELL). Ms. MUCARSEL-POWELL. Madam President Trump said no quid pro quo Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gen- Speaker, I did not have the privilege of only after the White House learned of tleman from Utah (Mr. STEWART). being born into this country. My moth- the whistleblower complaints and after Mr. STEWART. Madam Speaker, I er brought me from Ecuador, looking the Washington Post had published an discovered something recently. It is article about the President’s pressure for freedom and opportunity. shocking, I know, but it turns out that But that is not my story alone. This campaign on Ukraine. some people don’t like President is a story that I share with so many Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to Trump. They think he is loud, they the distinguished gentlewoman from people who live in Florida’s 26th Dis- think he can be arrogant, they think trict and all over the country. We have California (Ms. BASS). sometimes he says bad words, and experienced corruption in our countries Ms. BASS. Madam Speaker, this is a sometimes he is rude to people; and sad day in U.S. history when we have of birth, where brutal dictatorships their sensitive natures have been of- have choked their potential to benefit to vote on Articles of Impeachment be- fended. I get that. I really do. cause Donald Trump has abused the those in power. But let’s be clear. This vote this day This President elected by the Amer- power of the Office of the Presidency in has nothing to do with Ukraine, it has ican people has violated his oath of of- his attempt to cheat his way to reelec- nothing to do with abuse of power, and fice and violated the rule of law. The tion. it has nothing to do with obstruction of evidence is overwhelming that he with- The facts are uncontested. Congress. held military aid approved by Congress Fact one: The President abused the This vote this day is about one thing power of his office by attempting to and leveraged a White House meeting and one thing only: They hate this to extract a political favor from a for- shake down the president of a country President, and they hate those of us that has been our ally. Trump wanted eign government. who voted for him. They think we are The President actively sought for- President Zelensky of Ukraine to dig stupid, and they think we made a mis- eign election interference to benefit up and to make up dirt on Vice Presi- take. They think Hillary Clinton himself. It is undeniable that he has dent Biden because he sees him as the should be the President, and they want abused his power and obstructed Con- biggest threat to his reelection. to fix that. That is what this vote is gress. He presents a clear and present Fact two: Trump wanted Zelensky to about. danger to our democracy. go before the press and announce an in- They want to take away my vote and As an immigrant, I still get chills be- vestigation of Biden hoping the mere throw it in the trash. They want to cause I feel so fortunate to live in this announcement would create doubt take away my President and extraordinary country. The genius of about Biden and strengthen Trump’s delegitimize him so that he cannot be American democracy lies in our Con- hand in the 2020 election. reelected. That is what this vote is stitution and the dedication to the rule Fact three: Trump obstructed Con- about. of law. I want my children, and all of gress by engaging in a coverup. Trump For those who think this started our children, to feel the same way has refused to comply with congres- with this investigation, what nonsense. when they grow up. sional subpoenas and has blocked cur- You have been trying to impeach this However, if we sit idly by as cracks rent and past employees from testi- President since before he was sworn begin to appear in our democratic in- fying before congressional committees. into office. stitutions, our children will be in the Congress is a coequal branch of gov- b 1330 same situation so many of us experi- ernment, and one of our central respon- enced when we left countries whose sibilities is to provide oversight and in- Some of you introduced Articles of leaders destroyed democracy. vestigation of the administration—the Impeachment before he was sworn into We in Congress must abide by our very checks and balances the Framers office. This isn’t something you are ap- oath to defend our Constitution. That built into the Constitution so no one proaching prayerfully and mournfully is my duty as a Member of this body. branch would have unchecked power. and sadly: Oh, the chaos. Oh, the sad- That is my duty as a mother. The House of Representatives has no ness. Mr. COLLINS of Georgia. I yield 11⁄2 choice but to vote and pass Articles of This is something you are gleeful minutes to the gentleman from New Impeachment because President Trump about, and you have been trying to do York (Mr. KING). has abused his power and obstructed it for 3 years. And it is very clear. You Mr. KING of New York. Madam the ability of Congress from per- don’t have to go back and Google very Speaker, I thank the gentleman for forming our constitutional duty. The much to find out that is the absolute yielding. urgency to move forward with Articles truth. I could give you pages of exam- Madam Speaker, I rise today in of Impeachment is because there is no ples of things you have said for 3 years strong opposition to the Articles of Im- reason to believe President Trump about this President. That is what this peachment against President Trump. won’t continue to abuse the power of is about. As Chairman NADLER must recall, ex- his office, no reason to believe he won’t If this impeachment is successful, the actly 21 years ago today, I spoke on continue to put his foot on the scale of next President, I promise you, is going this floor in opposition to the impeach- his reelection, and, in fact, his attor- to be impeached, and the next Presi- ment of President Clinton. And 21 ney just returned from Ukraine, and in dent after that. years ago tomorrow, I voted against all an article just released in The New If you set this bar as being impeach- four Articles of Impeachment against Yorker magazine confesses to con- able, every President in our future will President Clinton.

VerDate Sep 11 2014 06:05 Dec 19, 2019 Jkt 099060 PO 00000 Frm 00030 Fmt 7634 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\K18DE7.052 H18DEPT1 SSpencer on DSKBBXCHB2PROD with HOUSE December 18, 2019 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — HOUSE H12143 Today’s Articles of Impeachment tleman from North Carolina (Mr. of the FBI and the Department of Jus- against President Trump are an assault ROUZER). tice, more Americans have an even on our Constitution and the American Mr. ROUZER. Madam Speaker, The dimmer view of very important Amer- people. To impeach a President for a Washington Post headlined the story ican institutions. Thankfully, the lens phone call for which no crime is immediately following President of history will ensure that the truth is charged, never mind a high crime, and Trump taking the oath of office stat- told and will endure. asserting his constitutional preroga- ing: ‘‘The campaign to impeach Presi- Mr. NADLER. Madam Speaker, one tive as a President is a clear abuse of dent Trump has begun.’’ How accurate specific concern of the Framers was a power by the Congress. It sets a dan- they were. President who would corrupt our elec- gerous precedent of weaponizing im- Here we are, almost 3 years later, and tions and who would abuse the great peachment to undo the solemn decision what we are witnessing today is un- powers of his office to ensure his own of the American people. precedented in American history, a reelection. Madam Speaker, President Trump very partisan-based impeachment with The impeachment inquiry is not an and I grew up in the same borough of no facts that warrant it. This is an im- effort to overturn an election. It is a New York City, and today, I am proud peachment based on hearsay and specu- reaffirmation of the simple truth that, to stand with President Trump and lation rooted in a deep-seated hatred in the United States of America, no urge a ‘‘no’’ vote on these horrible Ar- for a man whom many of my colleagues person—not even the President—is ticles of Impeachment. I strongly urge on the other side detest—not all, but above the law, and our democracy can- a ‘‘no’’ vote. many. Nowhere in the Constitution not allow a duly-elected President to Mr. NADLER. Madam Speaker, I does it say that personal disdain is abuse the power of his office for per- yield 21⁄2 minutes to the gentlewoman grounds for impeachment. sonal and political gain. from California (Ms. LOFGREN). At every turn, the claims made by Madam Speaker, I yield 21⁄2 minutes Ms. LOFGREN. Madam Speaker, the my Democratic colleagues have turned to the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. President and Members of Congress out to be false. JACKSON LEE). each take an oath to uphold the Con- Early on, it was claimed there was Ms. JACKSON LEE. Madam Speaker, stitution. When the President abuses evidence of Russian collusion. There I hate no woman or man. his Presidential power to upend the was none. Today, the American people should constitutional order, we have an obli- We were told the FBI didn’t abuse receive clarity and truth. The Con- gation to live up to our oath of office. the FISA process in its investigation of stitution is the highest law of the land. We have been presented with direct the Trump campaign. That, too, has The President breached and violated evidence about the President’s actions. now been proven completely false. the Constitution of the United States They threaten our national security Then, when the Russian collusion of America. The President committed and undermine the integrity of the hoax collapsed, we were told that we constitutional crimes. The President’s next election. We now vote on Articles would hear from a whistleblower that crimes are impeachable. of Impeachment for abuse of power and had details of a nefarious call between John F. Kennedy said: ‘‘If this coun- contempt of Congress as a result of the President and the President of try should ever reach the point where that evidence. Ukraine. Then, we found out they any man or group of men by force or I have worked on Presidential im- weren’t even on the call, and we still threat of force could long defy the peachments as part of the Committee don’t even know who the whistleblower commands of our court and our Con- on the Judiciary twice before. This is. stitution, then no law would stand free third time brings me no joy. We were told there was clear evi- from doubt . . . and no citizen would be President Nixon attempted to cor- dence of a quid pro quo for personal safe from his neighbors.’’ rupt elections. His agents broke into gain. After reading the transcript, it is The facts are undisputed. the Democratic Party headquarters to obvious that you have to make as- First, President Trump violated his get a leg up on the election, and then, sumptions that wouldn’t even stand up oath of office by placing his personal just like President Trump, he tried to in traffic court to come to that conclu- political interests above the national cover it up. Then, he resigned. This is sion. interest by scheming to coerce Ukraine even worse. Instead, the indisputable facts of into investigating a potential election President Trump not only abused his record destroy their case: opponent. power to help his reelection, he used a The call transcript shows no conditionality Second, President Trump betrayed foreign government to do it. He used between aid and an investigation. the Nation’s interests by withholding military aid provided to fight the Rus- President Zelensky said there was no pres- the congressionally agreed $391 million sians as leverage solely to benefit his sure. to a fragile ally against a very strong own political campaign. The Ukrainian government had no knowl- foe, Russia. George Washington would be aston- edge that any aid was being held up at the Third, the essential purpose of the ished since he warned ‘‘against the in- time of the call. scheme concocted by the President was sidious wiles of foreign influence.’’ Ukraine never opened an investigation, but to enlist a foreign country to help in The direct evidence is damning. The still received aid and a meeting with President the 2020 election. President hasn’t offered any evidence Trump. These acts are constitutional crimes to the contrary. These actions con- Though they allege treason and brib- and abuse of power. The truth is, the stitute grounds for Presidential im- ery by the President, the articles we President did ask for a favor. Those peachment. consider today only make vague accu- were his own words in the July 25 call— What is before us is a serious abuse of sations of abuse of power and obstruc- no mention of corruption, only the power and obstruction of Congress. tion of Congress because they found no mention of the Bidens. These abuses strike at the heart of our evidence of treason or bribery, or any- The President was engaged in wrong- Constitution. thing else, for that matter. doing and is a clear and present danger. The President’s unconstitutional The SPEAKER pro tempore. The He has a pattern, and his behavior re- abuse of power, a high crime and mis- time of the gentleman has expired. mains a continuing threat to America’s demeanor, is ongoing. He totally re- Mr. COLLINS of Georgia. Madam national security. fused to provide any information to Speaker, I yield an additional 30 sec- The truth is that abuse of power does Congress related to the impeachment onds to the gentleman from North violate the Constitution while both inquiry. Carolina. corrupting and cheating our American It is our responsibility to use the tool Mr. ROUZER. Madam Speaker, today democracy. His acts betrayed the Na- our Founders gave us in the Constitu- is a very sad day for our Republic. The tion. He must take care to execute tion to preserve the constitutional country is now more divided than it laws faithfully. order. We must impeach. ever has been in my lifetime. The truth This is the truth. Why does the truth Mr. COLLINS of Georgia. Madam has been trampled by this House of matter? Because it matters to the Speaker, I yield 11⁄2 minutes to the gen- Representatives. Because of the abuses farmer at his or her plow. It matters to

VerDate Sep 11 2014 06:05 Dec 19, 2019 Jkt 099060 PO 00000 Frm 00031 Fmt 7634 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\K18DE7.054 H18DEPT1 SSpencer on DSKBBXCHB2PROD with HOUSE H12144 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — HOUSE December 18, 2019 the waitress on an early-morning shift. of behavior remains a continuing threat to very competent and very experienced ambas- It matters to the steelworker building America’s national security. The truth is that sador who will work hard on making sure America. It matters to the teacher in a abuse of power does violate the Constitution, that our two nations are getting closer. I would also like and hope to see him having fifth grade class. It matters to a moth- while both corrupting act and cheating our your trust and your confidence and have per- er kissing her military recruit going American democracy. His acts betrayed our sonal relations with you so we can cooperate off to war. nation. even more so. I will personally tell you that The Constitution must be preserved. The Framers were concerned about abuse one of my assistants spoke with Mr. Giuliani Our laws must be honored and re- of power as the Judiciary Committee impeach- just recently and we are hoping very much spected. The bloodshed and sacrifice of ment report said. The abuse of power was the that Mr. Giuliani will be able to travel to fellow Americans cannot be ignored, use of official power in a way that on its face Ukraine and we will meet once he comes to trampled on, or rejected. grossly exceeds the President’s constitutional Ukraine. I just wanted to assure you once again that you have nobody but friends Our actions on the vote taken today authority and violates the take care clause around us. I will make sure that I surround must be for no personal gain or gran- which commands the President to faithfully myself with the best and most experienced deur. execute the law—not to demand a foreign people. I also wanted to tell you that we are The bright light of this constitu- country to investigate his 2020 opponent and friends. We are great friends and you Mr. tional democracy has been dimmed be- deprives Americans a fair and unfettered right President have friends in our country so we cause of his acts. The truth is no to vote. This is the truth. can continue our strategic partnership I also longer for all. It is for one man, Donald Why does the truth matter? Because it is plan to surround myself with great people J. Trump, his truth, his way. and in addition to that investigation, I guar- the American way. It matters to the farmer at antee as the President of Ukraine that all We must reject that abuse of power his or her plough. the investigations will be done openly and because that is not America. No one is It matters to the waitress on an early morn- candidly. That I can assure you. above the law. Alexander Hamilton ing bus for the breakfast shift. The President: Good because I heard you said impeachment was designed to deal It matters to the steelworker helping to build had a prosecutor who was very good and he with ‘‘the misconduct of public men’’ America. was shut down and that’s really unfair. A lot and violations of public trust. It matters to the teacher in her fifth-grade of people are talking about that, the way The SPEAKER pro tempore. The social studies class. they shut your very good prosecutor down and you had some very bad people involved. time of the gentlewoman has expired. It matters to a Mother kissing her young Mr. Giuliani is a highly respected man. He Mr. NADLER. Madam Speaker, I military recruit before he or she goes off to was the mayor of New York City, a great yield an additional 30 seconds to the war. mayor, and I would like him to call you. I gentlewoman from Texas. The Constitution must be preserved, our will ask him to call you along with the At- Ms. JACKSON LEE. The President laws must be honored and respected, the torney General. Rudy very much knows has violated the trust. We must im- bloodshed and sacrifice of our fellow Ameri- what’s happening and he is a very capable peach Donald J. Trump. cans cannot be ignored, trampled on or re- guy. If you could speak to him that would be jected and today our actions on the vote taken great. The former ambassador from the Madam Speaker, I hate no woman or man. United States, the woman, was bad news and Today the American people should receive today must be for no personal gain or gran- the people she was dealing with in the clarity and truth. The Constitution is the high- deur. Ukraine were bad news so I just want to let est law of the land. The President breached The bright light of this constitutional Democ- you know that. The other thing, There’s a and violated the Constitution of the United racy has been dimmed because of his acts— lot of talk about Biden’s son, that Biden States of America. The President committed the truth is no longer for all—it is for one stopped the prosecution and a lot of people Constitutional Crimes. The President’s crimes man—Donald J. Trump—his truth, his way— want to find out about that so whatever you are impeachable. we must reject that abuse of power—because can do with the Attorney General would be President John F. Kennedy said that, ‘‘If this this is not America. No one is above the law. great. Biden went around bragging that he stopped the prosecution so if you can look country should ever reach the point where any As Alexander Hamilton wrote in The Fed- into it. . . It sounds horrible to me. man or group of men by force or threat of eralist, impeachment was Designed to deal President Zelenskyy: I wanted to tell you force could long defy the commands of our with ‘the misconduct of public men’ which in- about the prosecutor. First of all I under- court and constitution, then no law would volves ‘the abuse or violation of some public stand and I’m knowledgeable about the situ- stand free from doubt, and no citizen would be trust.’ ’’ The President has violated that public ation. Since we have won the absolute ma- safe from his neighbors.’’ trust and the House of Representatives must jority in our Parliament; the next prosecutor The facts are undisputed. First, President now protect and defend the Constitution and general will be 100% my person, my can- didate, who will be approved by the par- Trump violated his oath of office by placing his impeach Donald J. Trump. liament and will start as a new prosecutor in personal and political interest above the na- Madam Speaker, I include in the RECORD September. He or she will look into the situ- tional interest by scheming to coerce Ukraine several supporting documents. ation, specifically to the company that you into investigating a potential election oppo- The President: I would like you to do us a mentioned in this issue. The issue of the in- nent. favor though because our country has been vestigation of the case is actually the issue Second, President Trump betrayed the na- through a lot and Ukraine knows a lot about of making sure to restore the honesty so we tional interest by withholding vital, congres- it. I would like you to find out what hap- will take care of that and will work on the sionally appropriated security assistance; $391 pened with this whole situation with investigation of the case. On top of that, I Ukraine, they say Crowdstrike . . . I guess would kindly ask you if you have any addi- Million to a beleaguered and besieged ally fac- you have one of your wealthy people. . . The tional information that you can provide to ing armed aggression from Russia, America’s server, they say Ukraine has it. There are a us, it would be very helpful for the investiga- implacable foe. lot of things that went on, the whole situa- tion to make sure that we administer justice Third, the essential purpose of the scheme tion. I think you’re surrounding yourself in our country with regard to the Ambas- concocted by President Trump was to enlist a with some of the same people. I would like to sador to the United States from Ukraine as foreign country to help him fix the 2020 presi- have the Attorney General call you or your far as I recall her name was Ivanovich. It dential election in his favor, the very type of people and I would like you to get to the bot- was great that you were the first one who interference most feared by the Framers. tom of it. As you saw yesterday, that whole told me that she was a bad ambassador be- nonsense ended with a very poor perform- These acts are Constitutional crimes and an cause I agree with you 100%. Her attitude to- ance by a man named Robert Mueller, an in- wards me was far from the best as she ad- abuse of power. competent performance, but they say a lot of mired the previous President and she was on The truth is this President did ask for a it started with Ukraine. Whatever you can his side. She would not accept me as a new favor—those were his own words. do, it’s very important that you do it if President well enough. The truth is 391 million dollars was withheld. that’s possible. The President: Well, she’s going to go He jeopardized not only Americans’ national President Zelenskyy: Yes it is very impor- through some things. I will have Mr. security by putting Ukraine at the mercy of tant for me and everything that you just Giuliani give you a call and I am also going Russia. He also threatened honest and fair mentioned earlier. For me as a President, it to have Attorney General Barr call and we is very important and we are open for any fu- will get to the bottom of it. I’m sure you will elections in 2020. In the July 25 call—no men- ture cooperation. We are ready to open a new figure it out. I heard the prosecutor was tion of corruption/only the mention of the page on cooperation in relations between the treated very badly and he was a very fair Bidens. United States and Ukraine. For that pur- prosecutor so good luck with everything. The President was engaged in wrongdoing pose, I just recalled our ambassador from Your economy is going to get better and bet- and is a clear and present danger. His pattern United States and he will be replaced by a ter I predict. You have a lot of assets. It’s a

VerDate Sep 11 2014 07:28 Dec 19, 2019 Jkt 099060 PO 00000 Frm 00032 Fmt 7634 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\K18DE7.056 H18DEPT1 SSpencer on DSKBBXCHB2PROD with HOUSE December 18, 2019 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — HOUSE H12145 great country. I have many Ukrainian bling that the outrage would eventually Since Russia’s stealthy takeover of Crimea friends, their incredible people. pass, as it did after Russia’s war with Geor- began, Mr. Putin has said very little in pub- President Zelenskyy: I would like to tell gia in 2008, because a newly assertive Russia lic about his ultimate goals. His only exten- you that I also have quite a few Ukrainian would be simply too important to ignore on sive remarks came in a news conference with friends that live in the United States. Actu- the world stage. As with any gamble, though, a pool of Kremlin journalists in which he ap- ally last time I traveled to the United the annexation of Crimea carries potentially peared uncomfortable, uncertain and angry States, stayed in New York near Central grave risks. at times. In the grandeur of the Kremlin’s Park and I stayed at the Trump. Only hours after Mr. Putin declared that walls on Tuesday, Mr. Putin sounded utterly ‘‘not a single shot’’ had been fired in the confident and defiant. PUTIN RECLAIMS CRIMEA FOR RUSSIA AND military intervention in Crimea, a group of Reaching deep into Russian and Soviet his- BITTERLY DENOUNCES THE WEST soldiers opened fire as they stormed a tory, he cast himself as the guardian of the (By Steven Lee Myers and Ellen Barry,— Ukrainian military mapping office near Sim- Russian people, even those beyond its post- Mar. 18, 2014) feropol, killing a Ukrainian soldier and Soviet borders, restoring a part of an empire MOSCOW.—President Vladimir V. Putin re- wounding another, according to a Ukrainian that the collapse of the Soviet Union had left claimed Crimea as a part of Russia on Tues- officer inside the base and a statement by abandoned to the cruel fates of what he de- day, reversing what he described as a his- Ukraine’s Defense Ministry. scribed as a procession of hapless democratic toric injustice inflicted by the Soviet Union The base appeared to be under the control leaders in Ukraine. 60 years ago and brushing aside international of the attacking soldiers, who like most of ‘‘Millions of Russians went to bed in one condemnation that could leave Russia iso- the Russians in Crimea wore no insignia, and country and woke up abroad,’’ he said. lated for years to come. the ministry said that Ukrainian forces in ‘‘Overnight, they were minorities in the In an emotional address steeped in years of Crimea were now authorized to use force to former Soviet republics, and the Russian resentment and bitterness at perceived defend themselves. people became one of the biggest—if not the The episode underscored the fact that the slights from the West, Mr. Putin made it biggest—divided nations in the world.’’ fate of hundreds of Ukrainian soldiers, as clear that Russia’s patience for post-Cold He cited the 10th-century baptism of War accommodation, much diminished of well military bases and ships, remains dan- gerously unresolved. Prince Vladimir, whose conversion to Ortho- late, had finally been exhausted. Speaking to dox Christianity transformed the kingdom the country’s political elite in the Grand In the capital, Kiev, Ukraine’s new prime minister, Arseniy P. Yatsenyuk, declared then known as Rus into the foundation of Kremlin Palace, he said he did not seek to the empire that became Russia. He called divide Ukraine any further, but he vowed to that the conflict had moved from ‘‘a polit- ical to a military phase’’ and laid the blame Kiev ‘‘the mother of Russian cities,’’ making protect Russia’s interests there from what clear that he considered Ukraine, along with he described as Western actions that had left squarely on Russia. Mr. Putin’s determined response to the Belarus, to be countries where Russia’s own Russia feeling cornered. interests would remain at stake regardless of ‘‘Crimea has always been an integral part ouster of Ukraine’s president, Viktor F. the fallout from Crimea’s annexation. of Russia in the hearts and minds of people,’’ Yanukovych, last month has left American Mr. Putin declared in his address, delivered and European leaders scrambling to find an He listed the cities and battlefields of Cri- in the chandeliered St. George’s Hall before adequate response after initially clinging to mea—from the 19th-century war with Brit- hundreds of members of Parliament, gov- the hope that Mr. Putin was prepared to find ain, France and the Turks to the Nazi sieges ernors and others. His remarks, which lasted a political solution—or ‘‘off ramp’’—to an es- of World War II—as places ‘‘dear to our 47 minutes, were interrupted repeatedly by calating crisis that began with the collapse hearts, symbolizing Russian military glory thunderous applause, standing ovations and of Mr. Yanukovych’s government on the and outstanding valor.’’ at the end chants of ‘‘Russia, Russia.’’ Some night of Feb. 21. He said that the United States and Europe in the audience wiped tears from their eyes. Within a week, Russian special operations had crossed ‘‘a red line’’ on Ukraine by A theme coursing throughout his remarks troops had seized control of strategic loca- throwing support to the new government was the restoration of Russia after a period tions across Crimea, while the regional au- that quickly emerged after Mr. Yanukovych of humiliation following the Soviet collapse, thorities moved to declare independence and fled the capital following months of protests which he has famously called ‘‘the greatest schedule a referendum on joining Russia that and two violent days of clashes that left geopolitical catastrophe of the 20th cen- was held on Sunday. scores dead. tury.’’ Even as others criticized the vote as a Mr. Putin, as he has before, denounced the He denounced what he called the global fraud, Mr. Putin moved quickly on Monday uprising as a coup carried out by domination of one superpower and its allies to recognize its result, which he called ‘‘Russophobes and neo-Nazis’’ and abetted by that emerged. ‘‘They cheated us again and ‘‘more than convincing’’ with nearly 97 per- foreigners, saying it justified Russia’s efforts again, made decisions behind our back, pre- cent of voters in favor of seceding from to protect Crimea’s population. senting us with completed facts,’’ he said. Ukraine. By Tuesday he signed a treaty of ‘‘If you press a spring too hard,’’ he said, ‘‘That’s the way it was with the expansion of accession with the region’s new leaders to ‘‘it will recoil.’’ NATO in the East, with the deployment of make Crimea and the city of Sevastopol the He justified the annexation using the same military infrastructure at our borders. They 84th and 85th regions of the Russian Federa- arguments that the United States and Eu- always told us the same thing: ‘Well, this tion. rope cited to justify the independence of The treaty requires legislative approval, doesn’t involve you.’ ’’ Kosovo from Serbia and even quoted from but that is a mere formality given Mr. The speed of Mr. Putin’s annexation of Cri- the American submission to the United Na- Putin’s unchallenged political authority and mea, redrawing an international border that tions International Court when it reviewed the wild popularity of his actions, which has been recognized as part of an inde- the matter in 2009. pendent Ukraine for 23 years, has been have raised his approval ratings and un- Mr. Putin did not declare a new Cold War, breathtaking and so far apparently leashed a nationalistic fervor that has but he bluntly challenged the post-Soviet unstoppable. drowned out the few voices of opposition or While his actions, which the United States, even caution about the potential costs to order that had more or less held for nearly a Europe and Ukraine do not recognize, pro- Russia. quarter-century, and made it clear that Rus- voked renewed denunciations and threats of Mr. Putin appeared Tuesday evening at a sia was prepared to defend itself from any tougher sanctions and diplomatic isolation, rally and concert on Red Square to celebrate further encroachment or interference in it remained unclear how far the West was an event charged with emotional and histor- areas it considers part of its core security, willing to go to punish Mr. Putin. The lead- ical significance for many Russians. Among including Russia itself. ers of what had been the Group of 8 nations the music played was a sentimental Soviet He linked the uprisings in Ukraine and the announced they would meet next week as the song called ‘‘Sevastopol Waltz.’’ Arab world and ominously warned that there Group of 7, excluding Russia from a club ‘‘After a long, hard and exhaustive journey were efforts to agitate inside Russia. He sug- Russia once desperately craved to join. at sea, Crimea and Sevastopol are returning gested that dissenters at home would be con- Certainly the sanctions imposed on Russia to their home harbor, to the native shores, sidered traitors, a theme that has reverber- ahead of Tuesday’s steps did nothing to dis- to the home port, to Russia!’’ Mr. Putin told ated through society with propagandistic suade Mr. Putin, as he rushed to make a the crowd. When he finished speaking, he documentaries on state television and moves claim to Crimea that he argued conformed to joined a military chorus in singing the na- to mute or close opposition news organiza- international law and precedent. In his re- tional anthem. tions and websites. marks he made clear that Russia was pre- He recited a list of grievances—from the ‘‘Some Western politicians already threat- pared to withstand worse punishment in the Soviet Union’s transfer of Crimea to the en us not only with sanctions, but also with name of restoring a lost part of the country’s Ukrainian republic in 1954, to NATO’s expan- the potential for domestic problems,’’ he historic empire, effectively daring world sion to Russia’s borders, to its war in Kosovo said. ‘‘I would like to know what they are leaders to sever political or economic ties in 1999, when he was a little-known aide to implying—the actions of a certain fifth col- and risk the consequences to their own President Boris N. Yeltsin, to the conflict in umn, of various national traitors? Or should economies. Libya that toppled Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi we expect that they will worsen the social Mr. Putin, the country’s paramount leader in 2011 on what he called the false pretense of and economic situation, and therefore pro- for more than 14 years, appeared to be gam- a humanitarian intervention. voke people’s discontent?’’

VerDate Sep 11 2014 07:28 Dec 19, 2019 Jkt 099060 PO 00000 Frm 00033 Fmt 7634 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\A18DE7.031 H18DEPT1 SSpencer on DSKBBXCHB2PROD with HOUSE H12146 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — HOUSE December 18, 2019

JETLINER EXPLODES OVER UKRAINE; STRUCK quoted by Russia’s RIA Novosti news agency, Despite the turmoil, the commercial air- BY MISSILE, OFFICIALS SAY Mr. Putin said, ‘‘This tragedy would not space over eastern Ukraine is heavily traf- (By Sabrina Tavernise, Eric Schmitt and have happened if there was peace in the ficked and has remained open. Questions are Rick Gladstone, July 17, 2014) country, if military operations had not re- likely to be raised in the coming days about sumed in the southeast of Ukraine.’’ why the traffic line, which is controlled by GRABOVO, UKRAINE.—A Malaysia Airlines The United Nations Security Council Ukraine and Russia, was not closed earlier. Boeing 777 with 298 people aboard exploded, scheduled a meeting on the Ukraine crisis With the news of the crash on Thursday, crashed and burned on a flowered wheat field for Friday morning. Ukraine declared the eastern part of the Thursday in a part of eastern Ukraine con- Adding to Ukrainian and Western sus- country a no-fly zone. American and Euro- trolled by pro-Russia separatists, blown out picions that pro-Russia separatists were cul- pean carriers rerouted their flights, and of the sky at 33,000 feet by what Ukrainian pable, Ukraine’s intelligence agency, the Aeroflot, Russia’s national carrier, an- and American officials described as a Rus- State Security Service, known as the S.B.U., nounced that it had suspended all flights to sian-made antiaircraft missile. released audio from what it said were inter- Ukraine for at least three days. The con- Ukraine accused the separatists of car- cepted phone calls between separatist rebels spicuous exception was Aeroflot flights to rying out what it called a terrorist attack. and Russian military intelligence officers on Crimea, the southern peninsula that Russia American intelligence and military officials Thursday. In the audio, the separatists ap- annexed in March, a pivotal point in the said the plane had been destroyed by a Rus- peared to acknowledge shooting down a ci- Ukraine crisis. sian SA-series missile, based on surveillance vilian plane. It was unclear late Thursday whether any satellite data that showed the final trajec- The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry sent re- Americans had been aboard the flight. Rus- tory and impact of the missile but not its porters a link to the edited audio of the sia’s Interfax news agency said there had point of origin. calls, with English subtitles, posted on been no Russians aboard. There were strong indications that those YouTube by the S.B.U. In Amsterdam, a Malaysia Airlines offi- responsible may have errantly downed what According to a translation of the Russian cial, Huib Gorter, said the plane had carried they had thought was a military aircraft audio by the English-language Kyiv Post, 154 Dutch passengers; 45 Malaysians, includ- only to discover, to their shock, that they the recording begins with a separatist com- ing the crew; and 27 Australians, 12 Indo- had struck a civilian airliner. Everyone mander, identified as Igor Bezler, telling a nesians, nine Britons, four Belgians, four aboard was killed, their corpses littered Russian military intelligence official, ‘‘We Germans, three Filipinos and one Canadian. among wreckage that smoldered late into have just shot down a plane.’’ The rest of the passengers had not been iden- the summer night. In another call, a man who seems to be at tified. Russia’s president, Vladimir V. Putin, the scene of the crash says that a group of Prof. David Cooper, director of the Kirby blamed Ukraine’s government for creating Cossack militiamen shot down the plane. He Institute at the University of New South what he called conditions for insurgency in adds that it was a passenger jet and that the Wales in Sydney, Australia, said that a eastern Ukraine, where separatists have debris contains no sign of military equip- prominent AIDS researcher traveling to the bragged about shooting down at least three ment. Asked if there are any weapons, he 20th International AIDS conference in Mel- Ukrainian military aircraft. But Mr. Putin says: ‘‘Absolutely nothing. Civilian items, bourne was among those on the flight. did not specifically deny that a Russian- medical equipment, towels, toilet paper.’’ Professor Cooper, who was heading to the made weapon had felled the Malaysian jet- Asked if there are any documents among conference from Sydney, said he was un- liner. the debris, the man says, ‘‘Yes, of one Indo- aware how many other passengers were also Whatever the cause, the news of the nesian student.’’ on their way to the conference, which is crashed plane, with a passenger manifest Myroslava Petsa, a Ukrainian journalist in scheduled to start on Sunday. that spanned at least nine countries, ele- Kiev, said that the people in the audio Andrei Purgin, deputy prime minister of vated the insurgency into a new inter- sounded shocked by what they had found in the Donetsk People’s Republic, an insurgent national crisis. The day before, the United the wreckage. group in eastern Ukraine, denied in a tele- States had slapped new sanctions on Russia By Thursday night, American intelligence phone interview that the rebels had anything for its support of the pro-Kremlin insur- analysts were increasingly focused on a the- to do with the crash. He said that they had gency, which has brought East-West rela- ory that rebels had used a Russian-made SA– shot down Ukrainian planes before but that tions to their lowest point in many years. 11 surface-to-air missile system to shoot their antiaircraft weapons could reach only Making the crash even more of a shock, it down the aircraft and operated on their own to around 4,000 meters, far below the cruising was the second time within months that Ma- fire-control radar, outside the checks and level of passenger jets. laysia Airlines had suffered a mass-casualty balances of the national Ukrainian air-de- ‘‘We don’t have the technical ability to hit flight disaster with international intrigue— fense network. a plane at that height,’’ Mr. Purgin said. and with the same model plane, a Boeing 777– ‘‘Everything we have, and it is not much, Mr. Purgin did not rule out the possibility 200ER. says separatists,’’ a senior Pentagon official that Ukrainian forces themselves had shot The government of Malaysia’s prime min- said. ‘‘That said, there’s still a lot of conjec- down the plane. ‘‘Remember the Black Sea ister, Najib Razak, is still reeling from the ture.’’ plane disaster,’’ he said, referring to the 2001 unexplained disappearance of Flight 370 over Russian troops, who have been deployed crash of a Siberia Airlines passenger jet, the Indian Ocean in March. Mr. Najib said he along the border with eastern Ukraine, have bound for Novosibirsk from Tel Aviv, that was stupefied at the news of Flight 17, which similar SA–11 systems, as well as larger the Ukrainians shot down by accident during had been bound for Kuala Lumpur, the Ma- weapons known as SA–20s, Pentagon officials a military training exercise. laysian capital, from Amsterdam with 283 said. In comments broadcast on Ukrainian tele- passengers, including three infants, and 15 Petro O. Poroshenko, Ukraine’s president, vision, Vitali Klitschko, the mayor of Kiev, crew members. Aviation officials said the said he had called the Dutch prime minister, said the crash illustrated the threat to peace plane had been traveling an approved and Mark Rutte, to express his condolences and in Europe posed by the fighting in eastern heavily trafficked route over eastern to invite Dutch experts to assist in the in- Ukraine. ‘‘This is not just a local conflict in Ukraine, about 20 miles from the Russia bor- vestigation. ‘‘I would like to note that we Donetsk and Luhansk, but a full-scale war in der, when it vanished from radar screens are calling this not an incident, not a catas- the center of Europe,’’ he said. ‘‘I’m certain with no distress signal. trophe, but a terrorist act,’’ Mr. Poroshenko the international community this time will ‘‘This is a tragic day in what has already said. pay attention and understand.’’ been a tragic year for Malaysia,’’ Mr. Najib Reporters arriving at the scene near the told reporters in a televised statement from town of Grabovo described dozens of lifeless [From Defense One] Kuala Lumpur. ‘‘If it transpires that the bodies strewn about, many intact, in a field IN UKRAINE, THE US TRAINS AN ARMY IN THE plane was indeed shot down, we insist that dotted with purple flowers, and remnants of WEST TO FIGHT IN THE EAST the perpetrators must swiftly be brought to the plane scattered across a road lined with justice.’’ fire engines and emergency vehicles. ‘‘It fell (By Ben Watson, News Editor) Mr. Najib said he had spoken with the lead- down in pieces,’’ one rescue worker said as For more than two years, the U.S. mili- ers of Ukraine and the Netherlands, who tents were set up to gather the dead. The tary’s contingent of 300 or so soldiers have promised their cooperation. He also said that carcass of the plane was still smoldering, and been quietly helping train an enormous al- he had spoken with President Obama, and rescue workers moved through the dark field lied military in western Ukraine. Meanwhile, that ‘‘he and I both agreed that the inves- with flashlights. Russian-backed separatists appear to be tigation must not be hindered in any way.’’ For months, eastern Ukraine has been the keeping pace some 800 miles to the east, The remark seemed to point to concerns scene of a violent pro-Russia separatist up- showcasing entire parking lots full of new about evidence tampering at the crash site, rising. Rebels have claimed responsibility for tanks and artillery just a 15-minute drive which is in an area controlled by pro-Russia attacking a Ukrainian military jet as it from the front lines. insurgents. landed in the city of Luhansk on June 14, ‘‘Every 55 days we have a new battalion Mr. Obama and Mr. Putin also spoke about and for felling an AN–26 transport plane on come in and we train them,’’ said U.S. Army the disaster and the broader Ukraine crisis, Monday and an SU–25 fighter jet on Wednes- National Guard Capt. Kayla Christopher, White House officials said, and Mr. Putin ex- day. But this would be the first commercial spokesperson for the Joint Multinational pressed his condolences. But in a statement airline disaster to result from the hostilities. Training Group-Ukraine, at Yavoriv Combat

VerDate Sep 11 2014 07:28 Dec 19, 2019 Jkt 099060 PO 00000 Frm 00034 Fmt 7634 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\A18DE7.033 H18DEPT1 SSpencer on DSKBBXCHB2PROD with HOUSE December 18, 2019 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — HOUSE H12147 Training Center in western Ukraine. ‘‘And at pulled away from the front lines and kept in U.S. Despite the Trump administration’s the end of that 55-day period, we’ll do a field monitored storage. By that time, more than hesitancy, its approach in Ukraine is not ter- training exercise with that battalion.’’ The 5,400 civilians had already been killed in the ribly different from the Obama administra- U.S. and partnered armies have trained fighting. In the months after Minsk II was tion’s. seven battalions in the past roughly two signed, the death toll barely slowed. ‘‘The U.S. will continue to press Russia to years or so. The UN calls these statistics ‘‘a conserv- honor its Minsk commitments and our sanc- That’s what she calls the ‘‘main line of ef- ative estimate based on available data,’’ and tions will remain in place until Moscow re- fort that you tend to see most of the time in inevitably incomplete ‘‘due to gaps in cov- verses the actions that triggered them,’’ said the news.’’ erage of certain geographic areas and time Mattis in August during the visit with Building a host-nation’s military, the U.S. periods.’’ Military casualties, especially in- Ukraine’s Poroshenko. has learned painfully in the 21st century, has juries, have been particularly underreported, For its part, Moscow’s latest move has rarely been a good news story. And Ukraine’s the UN says. been not to reverse its annexation of Crimea, conflict has largely taken a backseat to the Most of the civilians killed in the fighting but rather to fence off some 30 miles of land sequel to one of those stories: the war on were killed by tanks and artillery, 55 per- on the seized peninsula. One Russian law- ISIS, in which eight Americans have lost cent; followed by IEDs, 36 percent; and small maker even said in May that Moscow would their lives fighting since 2014. In the same arms fire, 9 percent. For months it puzzled use nuclear weapons if the U.S. or NATO period, Ukraine is believed to have lost near- observers how allegedly local separatists tried to enter Crimea. ly 4,000 soldiers to Russian-backed separat- could have obtained so much heavy weap- Which would suggest that the U.S. Army’s ists. onry, even factoring in Ukraine’s legacy as a quiet mission in Ukraine may go quietly on Since Crimea was annexed in 2014, the U.S. sort of junkyard of old Soviet weapons fac- for many, many months to come. and partner militaries have helped grow tories. The appearance of more advanced Mr. COLLINS of Georgia. Madam 1 Ukraine’s forces from just over 100,000 troops equipment—drones and armored vehicles, for Speaker, I yield 1 ⁄2 minutes to the gen- to nearly 250,000 today. Just since January, example—revealed Russia’s hand in Ukraine tleman from Michigan (Mr. MITCHELL). Capt. Christopher’s unit of 250 soldiers has as early as January 2015, although President Mr. MITCHELL. Madam Speaker, added another 3,000 or so Ukrainian soldiers Vladimir Putin didn’t admit Russia’s role today, the House of Representatives to Kiev’s ranks. until that December. Since then, their ad- votes on two Articles of Impeachment ‘‘But that’s not the real end state,’’ she vanced equipment has only grown more so- phisticated and deadly for Ukraine’s front- for President Trump. said. ‘‘Essentially, what we’re trying to do is Members, and all Americans, must get them to the point where they are run- line soldiers. International ceasefire monitors aren’t recognize that impeachment was in- ning their own combat training center,’’ like having an easy go of their job in 2017, either. tended to be a safety valve, rarely the U.S. Army’s National Training Center at During the first six months, they were re- Fort Irwin, Calif., or the Joint Readiness used, only when a President acts in stricted from or intimidated through armed Training Center at Fort Polk, Louisiana. such an immoral and blatantly unlaw- In other words, their task is to build an confrontation (see photo below) inside re- ful manner as to threaten the very army’s entire training infrastructure almost gions mandated by the Minsk agreement no basis of our Republic. from the ground up—a tall order following fewer than 480 times. More than 75 percent of As we cast votes on these articles, decades of not-so-casual corruption that has those occurred in separatist-held areas. the future tone of this House and poli- plagued Ukraine’s and many post-Soviet A WORLD AWAY tics in this Nation must be carefully countries’ militaries across eastern Europe. U.S. troops are largely kept away from the considered. The issue is not whether we ‘‘Our overall goal is essentially to help the conflict. That is by design; the U.S. and the agree with or like the President’s rhet- Ukrainian military become NATO-interoper- international community have struggled able,’’ Christopher said. ‘‘So the more they with the appropriate response to Russia’s in- oric, political tactics, use of Twitter, have an opportunity to work with different vasion of Ukraine and annexation of Crimea. policy choices, or his political rallies. countries—not just the U.S., but all their Speaking alongside Ukrainian Prime Min- One of our Founders, Alexander Ham- Slavic neighbors, and all the other Western ister Petro Poroshenko in August, U.S. De- ilton, warned of the risks of impeach- European countries that come’’ and train or fense Secretary James Mattis said, ‘‘We do ment becoming a solely partisan act in exercise with Ukraine’s military. not, and we will not, accept Russia’s seizure the Federalist Papers. That includes Poland, Estonia, Lithuania, of Crimea and despite Russia’s denials, we This impeachment inquiry and these Canada, and the U.K. The U.S. has also sent know they are seeking to redraw inter- articles clearly do not heed that warn- a variety of non-lethal military help to national borders by force, undermining the sovereign and free nations of Europe.’’ ing. These proceedings are weaponizing Ukraine—equipment like Humvees, medical impeachment, making it another elec- supplies, bulletproof vests, and radars to So far, sanctions have been the U.S. and its track the hundreds of artillery shells that European allies’ preferred response, hitting tion tool. have fallen on the eastern Donetsk and Russia’s major banks and energy companies. I have carefully examined the evi- Luhansk regions. Maybe Javelin anti-tank But President Trump has indicated that he dence presented throughout the in- missiles, Defense Secretary Mattis said in feels sanctions may not be in the best inter- quiry and, contrary to some, consid- August. But Christopher’s unit is far from est of the U.S. In August, he complained ered our history, our founding docu- the fighting. Their mission is ‘‘training the about a new round of sanctions passed by ments, and our future. It is clear, trainers’’ and in particular, adding to Congress, calling it ‘‘seriously flawed.’’ But President Trump’s actions, as de- Ukraine’s NCO corps—the stern disciplinar- the measure reached the Oval Office with a veto-proof majority, and so he grudgingly scribed in these articles, do not con- ians who help ensure that units are fit and stitute treason, bribery, or high crimes ready for combat. signed it into law. But that is a world away from the U.S. and misdemeanors. You simply don’t TERRORISM IN THE EAST Army in Yavoriv, and even the fighting on like him. For Ukraine’s new soldiers, combat means the other side of Ukraine feels remote, Chris- I will be voting ‘‘no’’ on these arti- fighting terrorists—at least according to the topher said. ‘‘It’s actually pretty remarkable cles and will hope, someday, we return U.S. military’s way of looking at things. how little you feel the effect of the conflict to serving the needs of the American ‘‘They’re called anti-terrorism operations on the western side of Ukraine. It’s almost people. rather than something else because of the as if nothing is happening,’’ she said. ‘‘And if issue with the Russian-backed separatists,’’ I didn’t work directly with soldiers every b 1345 said Capt. Christopher. ‘‘So they’re not real- day, I don’t think you would really know. I Mr. NADLER. Madam Speaker, I ly Russians, you know. They’re essentially mean, we see it on the news every day, and yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from terrorists.’’ I work with soldiers every day. So we know So the U.S. calls eastern Ukraine’s most about it. But you go out into Lviv, or any of Louisiana (Mr. RICHMOND). troubled regions an Anti Terrorism Oper- the other big cities around this area and you Mr. RICHMOND. Madam Speaker, ation zone, or ATO, where those Russian- really don’t feel the effects of there being President Trump, on January 20, 2017, backed forces have attacked and counter- war here.’’ raised his hand and swore to preserve, attacked Ukraine’s soldiers and civilians. Except, perhaps, for the U.S. and NATO protect, and defend the Constitution. (See, for example, this interactive day-by- soldiers who for months have had their Now we must preserve, protect, and de- day map of alleged shelling by Ukrainian phones and social media accounts breached fend the Constitution from him. government and separatist forces.) by what appear to have been Russian hack- Madam Speaker, I rise today, not to In just the first two days of this month, ers. On top of that, Moscow has spent the disparage and embarrass the President UN monitors recorded dozens of violations to past few months ferrying troops around its of the United States, but to defend our the Minsk II ceasefire, an agreement reached border with Ukraine and into Belarus for ex- in February 2015 between Russia, Ukraine, tended exercises that run from the Barents precious democracy. France and Germany. The deal never really Sea to the Mediterranean. I speak today, not because I hate this stuck. It called for all heavy weapons— So Russia is hardly backing down from a President, but because I love this body, tanks, rocket launchers and artillery—to be tense region. And apparently, neither is the the people’s House.

VerDate Sep 11 2014 06:37 Dec 19, 2019 Jkt 099060 PO 00000 Frm 00035 Fmt 7634 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\A18DE7.034 H18DEPT1 SSpencer on DSKBBXCHB2PROD with HOUSE H12148 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — HOUSE December 18, 2019 I have heard Republicans say: Why Even with the odds so blatantly Clinton would never intend to jeop- are we rushing to judgment? This is stacked against the President, Demo- ardize our national security. Again, the not a rush to judgment; it is a rush to crats still came up with absolutely following April, the next month, Peter justice, and we must not delay. nothing. Strzok wrote the statement that was Corruption is corrosive; it eats away A while ago, the Speaker spoke of the delivered by James Comey: They have like acid. The longer we wait, the more Pledge of Allegiance. The last phrase of spent Democrat money and Hillary time we allow for this President to do the pledge is ‘‘justice for all.’’ Clinton money in Russia to pick up irreparable harm to our country and Justice was not something afforded dirt on Donald Trump. our democracy. the President during the investigation. And then Joe Biden goes to Ukraine Just last week, Rudy Giuliani was He was denied due process, something and makes the statement: Here is a bil- back at it in Ukraine. So please don’t the Supreme Court said should be af- lion dollars, but you must do what I tell us to wait, because the corruption forded in all congressional investiga- told you to do. continues. tions. That makes this process illegal You are accusing Donald Trump of There is a famous quote that says: and illegitimate. doing that which Joe Biden has con- Politicians worry about the next elec- What a shame. What a sham. fessed to doing. tion; statesmen worry about the next Mr. NADLER. Madam Speaker, I And, by the way, Joe Biden was not generation. Today calls upon us to be yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman the opponent of Donald Trump. He is in statesmen and stateswomen—Demo- from Texas (Ms. GARCIA). a 21-way primary, and he is running crat, Republican, and Independent. Our Ms. GARCIA of Texas. Madam Speak- third in that race. His opponents are election is under attack from within. er, I didn’t come to Congress to im- the other 20 Democrats. How would So, to my Republican colleagues, peach the President—even when he sep- anybody dig into that mess of 21 people many of whom spent a lifetime trying arated babies from their parents at the and decide he is going to go overseas to build a reputation of honesty and border, even when he took money from and pull some maneuver like this? courage, I beg you: Don’t throw that our troops to build his wall. You have to assign him a motive. away for President Trump. He doesn’t No, I didn’t call for impeachment be- You assign him a motive, then you cre- deserve it, nor will he appreciate it cause I am here to make a difference in ate the dots, then you go dot to dot. past the next tweet or next week. the lives of my constituents. Yet, here But the reality is that it was Biden My fear and my prediction is that his we are in the middle of a constitutional who was doing the extortion of the actions will continue. crisis. power play in order to protect his own Madam Speaker, Donald Trump re- As a former judge, I took my respon- son, and it was Donald Trump that was cently said: I can do anything I want. sibility seriously to weigh the evidence following the law that said you have to He also bragged that he could shoot and determine if the President’s ac- ensure that there is not corruption someone on Fifth Avenue and get away tions were impeachable. Unfortunately, here before this money is handed over. with it. Well, he is shooting holes in the evidence in the Intelligence and By the way, there was a violent war our Constitution on Pennsylvania Ave- Judiciary reports leaves us with no going on in Ukraine, and that is when nue, and our House, the people’s House, choice but to impeach the President. we sent blankets and MREs over there, So I stand on my oath that I have must defend the Constitution from a under Barack Obama. sworn to the Constitution and to the domestic enemy to the rule of law: But when I hear this from the gen- American people, and, today, I urge my Donald Trump. tleman from Georgia (Mr. JOHNSON): He Because I don’t want generations to colleagues to stand by their oaths, too. doesn’t think he can win the election The Framers of the Constitution in- come to blame me for letting our de- fair and square, so he would cheat—and cluded impeachment as a safeguard mocracy die, I, therefore, rise in favor I have heard that here on this floor. against a corrupt President whose mis- of impeaching Donald Trump. No, it is the other way around. Demo- conduct could destroy the very founda- Mr. COLLLINS of Georgia. Madam crats’ number one proponent of im- tions of our country. Speaker, I yield 11⁄2 minutes to the gen- L REEN Donald J. Trump abused his power peachment is A G of Texas, and tleman from Missouri (Mr. LUETKE- when he obstructed Congress and or- he said those very same things; and MEYER). dered government officials not to ap- they brought this case November 9, the Mr. LUETKEMEYER. Madam Speak- pear before us. day after Trump was elected. er, I rise today in strong opposition to Donald J. Trump corrupted our elec- Mr. NADLER. Madam Speaker, I this political charade that has tor- tion when he asked a foreign govern- yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman mented our country for nearly 3 years. ment to interfere for his personal and from Pennsylvania (Ms. DEAN). If there was ever any doubt that this political gain. Ms. DEAN. Madam Speaker, words entire illegitimate investigation is 100 Today, sadly, I ask my colleagues: matter. We have heard many words percent politically motivated, earlier Will you put your party over our coun- over the course of these last weeks. this month, Speaker PELOSI actually try, or will you help save our democ- Still, what strikes me are the words admitted the impeachment process racy and vote ‘‘yes’’ on the Articles of that are missing from my colleagues on 1 began 2 ⁄2 years ago. Impeachment before you? I urge you to the other side of the aisle, a gaping Let me say that again. The Speaker vote ‘‘yes.’’ hole in this conversation, the words of the House said publicly that the Mr. COLLLINS of Georgia. Madam they cannot or will not mouth, defend- Democrats have been trying to remove Speaker, I do have an inquiry as to the ing a President’s conduct, conduct that our President from office since the day time remaining for both sides. threatens our constitutional order. he got elected, simply because it was The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gen- So, Madam Speaker, I ask: When is it not the outcome they wanted. tleman from Georgia has 2 hours and ever right for a President to coerce a Another of my Democrat colleagues 221⁄2 minutes remaining. The gentleman foreign power to interfere in our elec- publicly admitted, in May, that the from New York has 2 hours and 271⁄2 tions? driving force behind their actions was: minutes remaining. When is it ever right for a President ‘‘If we don’t impeach the President, he Mr. COLLINS of Georgia. Madam to intimidate a foreign leader into an- will get reelected.’’ Speaker, I yield 11⁄2 minutes to the gen- nouncing false investigations into a po- This wasn’t an investigation, Madam tleman from Iowa (Mr. KING). litical rival? Speaker; this was a political crusade. Mr. KING of Iowa. Madam Speaker, I When is it ever right for that Presi- In order to arrive at their Stalinistic, thank the gentleman for yielding. dent to withhold congressionally ap- predetermined conclusion, House I start out, first, that this is the larg- propriated aid to that country at the Democrats spent the last several est, most massive coverup of such a list expense of its national security and our months staging well-rehearsed hear- of crimes against our country, and to very own? ings where the charges were drawn up go so far as to bring impeachment And when is it ever right for a Presi- by their own focus groups; Democrat hearings to try to cover all of this up. dent to block a coequal branch of gov- donors served as witnesses; and Demo- I would take you back to October of ernment from investigating this crat staff served as judge and jury. 2015, when Barack Obama said Hillary scheme to cheat an election?

VerDate Sep 11 2014 06:37 Dec 19, 2019 Jkt 099060 PO 00000 Frm 00036 Fmt 7634 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\K18DE7.058 H18DEPT1 SSpencer on DSKBBXCHB2PROD with HOUSE December 18, 2019 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — HOUSE H12149 The answer, of course, is never. But bribery, then extortion, and the list in doing so. No American should take joy in that word does not come trippingly goes on; yet, not one of those is listed the impeachment of a president. But as Mem- from the tongues of those who are in the Articles of Impeachment. bers of Congress, we took an oath to support making the choice to stand behind a To my Democrat colleagues, Madam and defend the Constitution of the United man whose behavior is not worthy of Speaker, I say: Please stop tearing the States. Today we are living up to that respon- your tortured words. country apart. Stop this sham. sibility. My impeachment vote is also a signal By our vote today, we are speaking Mr. NADLER. Madam Speaker, I to future presidents that they are not above to future Presidents and to future gen- yield myself such time as I may con- the law and will be held accountable if they erations. We are declaring that we will sume. violate our Constitution. When our children not tolerate foreign interference in our The gentlewoman is correct. Presi- and grandchildren look back on this historic Presidential elections. Americans dent Trump’s behavior is not new. He time, I hope they will know we did not shy alone will determine the outcome. has a pattern of engaging in mis- away from our oath of office and that we And we will not permit a President conduct and then obstructing any in- fought to protect our democracy and to pre- to order the complete defiance of a co- vestigation into his misconduct to serve our Constitution for them and for future equal branch of government. cover up his actions and hide the truth generations. In the end, regardless of the outcome from the American people. Mr. NADLER. Madam Speaker, I of this impeachment, the President’s Madam Speaker, I yield to the gen- yield 1 minute to the distinguished tenure will end, and this body and our tlewoman from California (Ms. ROY- gentleman from Rhode Island (Mr. grandchildren will be left with what we BAL-ALLARD) for the purpose of a unan- LANGEVIN). did here today. imous consent request. Mr. LANGEVIN. Madam Speaker, our Ours is a somber generational duty (Ms. ROYBAL-ALLARD asked and Nation was founded on certain prin- about love of country and lifting our was given permission to revise and ex- ciples: that government should be of, Constitution to its gravest protections tend her remarks.) by, and for the people; that a system of but its highest aspirations. Ms. ROYBAL-ALLARD. Madam three coequal branches of government Our democracy is a matter of con- Speaker, I rise in support of today’s would provide the checks and balances necessary to ensure the people’s voices science and, by voting to safeguard our impeachment proceedings. I include are heard; and that no one is above the Constitution, mine is clear. my statement in the RECORD. law. Mr. COLLINS of Georgia. Madam Madam Speaker, today, the House of Rep- Speaker, I yield myself such time as I Today, sadly, we are voting to im- resentatives will vote to impeach the President peach President Donald John Trump may consume. of the United States. In America’s 243-year As I have reminded many times, we because he has fundamentally broken history, he is only the third president to be im- his covenant with the American people. have followed a sham process that we peached. The rarity of this process reminds us have had to deal with, and we have fol- In doing so, we are using the powers impeachment is an extraordinary remedy and the Founding Fathers enshrined in the lowed the facts and won both. should be taken only against a president if I will remind that, if you want to Constitution to address a President their actions are simply beyond the pale. talk about elections, remember, it was who has violated his oath of office. When Congress learns a president may the Speaker of the House who said we The evidence is clear and the facts have committed an impeachable act, it is can’t trust the voters; it is too dan- are not in question: Congress’s constitutional duty to investigate gerous to leave it with the voters for President Trump has consistently en- whether the president’s actions are impeach- President Trump next year. gaged in a pattern of behavior incon- Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to able. Our House did just that when we learned sistent with the rule of law; the gentlewoman from Arizona (Mrs. the president may have undermined the Con- He has refused to take responsibility stitution in his dealings with the Ukrainian gov- for his actions; LESKO). Mrs. LESKO. Madam Speaker, as you ernment. He has undermined the checks and all know, I serve on both the Judiciary I disagree with President Trump on almost balances we rely on by obstructing Committee and Rules Committee, and I every issue. I do not agree with the way he Congress at every turn; And, most importantly, he has have literally spent hours—hours— runs his government. I do not agree with his abused his power by using his office to poring over testimony, looking at doc- spending priorities. I do not agree with his solicit foreign interference in our elec- uments, sitting in hearings. treatment of migrants seeking asylum in this tions, undermining the will of the peo- And do you know the conclusion I got country. I believe he is temperamentally ill- ple. from all of that? This impeachment is suited to his office, to put it mildly. But I have had disagreements, of one kind or another, So, on this sad day for our Nation, I a total joke and a total sham. And let will do what the President has so often me tell you one of the reasons why I with every president with whom I have served. However, disagreements over policy, tone, failed to do: I will fulfill my oath to think that. support and defend the Constitution, All of those witnesses, the 17 wit- and style are simply not enough to justify im- and I will vote in favor of impeach- nesses that the Democrats brought for- peaching a president. ment. ward, not one single one of them was The voters of our country placed incredible able to establish that President Trump trust in this president when they elected him. b 1400 committed bribery, treason, high He now holds the most powerful office in the Mr. COLLINS of Georgia. Madam crimes, or misdemeanors, which is re- most powerful country in the world, the United Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gen- quired in the U.S. Constitution. States of America. As president, he has a duty tleman from Ohio (Mr. CHABOT). And, again, 17 out of 24 Democrat to use that power to uphold the Constitution Mr. CHABOT. Madam Speaker, today Members on the Judiciary Committee and the rule of law. Sadly, this president has is a sad day in our Nation’s history as voted on this floor to move forward Ar- violated that trust by soliciting and pressuring House Democrats are poised to ap- ticles of Impeachment before the phone a foreign nation to interfere in the 2020 U.S. prove, on a strictly party-line vote, Ar- call, and five out of nine Rules Com- presidential election and by obstructing ticles of Impeachment based on what mittee Democrat Members did the Congress’s impeachment investigation. His ac- constitutional scholar Jonathan same thing. tions undermine our Constitution, our system Turley called wafer-thin evidence. This So, if the main part of your impeach- of government, and the rule of law. will set a dangerous precedent where ment is the call, why did you vote for Today, the House is considering two sepa- impeachment becomes the norm rather impeachment prior to the call? rate articles of impeachment. The first is that than the exception. I also want to remind the American the president abused his power and second, That is not what our Founding Fa- public and others that, for 2 years, that the obstructed Congress. Both of these thers intended. They wanted impeach- ADAM SCHIFF claimed he had proof— charges needed substantial evidence in order ment to be rare. They set a high bar for proof—that President Trump had to be proven, and the investigations of the impeachment: treason, bribery, high colluded with Russia. That turned out House Intelligence and Judiciary Committees crimes and misdemeanors. to be false. have given us that evidence. Alleged abuse of power, the first arti- And then, overnight, it was obstruc- Having reviewed that evidence, I will vote to cle, is not a high crime and mis- tion of justice, then quid pro quo, then impeach the president. I take no partisan joy demeanor. In fact, that is not even a

VerDate Sep 11 2014 06:37 Dec 19, 2019 Jkt 099060 PO 00000 Frm 00037 Fmt 7634 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\K18DE7.059 H18DEPT1 SSpencer on DSKBBXCHB2PROD with HOUSE H12150 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — HOUSE December 18, 2019 crime. And since there is no concise This is a vote for our Constitution, scribes, because the threats to our de- legal definition of abuse of power, the setting the precedent for all future mocracy are real and present. majority party in the House can des- Presidents, Democrat or Republican. With this vote, we affirm that no ignate nearly any disagreement with Donald Trump must be held account- one, including the President, is above the President from now on an impeach- able for his actions. Today, we send a the law. able offense. clear signal to this President and all Madam Speaker, impeachment was de- The second article, alleged obstruc- future Presidents: No one is above the signed by our framers as the ultimate constitu- tion of Congress, would produce a simi- law. tional protection against presidential mis- larly dangerous precedent. Asserting Mr. COLLINS of Georgia. Madam conduct, reserved, as North Carolina’s James executive privilege, a practice that Speaker, I yield 11⁄2 minutes to the gen- Iredell put it, for ‘‘acts of great injury to the began with George Washington, is not tleman from Kansas (Mr. MARSHALL). community.’’ The impeachable acts the fram- obstruction of Congress; rather, it is a Mr. MARSHALL. Madam Speaker, I ers envisioned were not disputed policy posi- function of the essential checks and rise today in opposition to the im- tions, as disastrous as they might be, nor balances contemplated under the Con- peachment of the legitimately elected flaws in character, as deep as those might be, stitution. President of the United States. but acts that threaten the very foundation of Here is what nearly every grade Enough. Madam Speaker, for the love the country and Constitution we vowed to pro- school student in America knows but, of this country, enough. Enough of this tect. apparently, House Democrats do not: If impeachment circus. Enough of these In this moment, the future of our democracy Congress disagrees with the President, sham witch hunts. hangs in the balance. if they don’t agree with the President, I am voting ‘‘no’’ because the Presi- The evidence is abundantly clear: President take it to court. Let the third branch dent has done nothing wrong. The only Donald Trump abused his power by asking a of government decide. They are the thing that President Trump is guilty of vulnerable foreign leader both to investigate refs. is doing the things he said he would do; his political rival and to validate a baseless The House has never—I repeat, and if my Democrat colleagues were conspiracy theory propagated by Russia, while never—approved either abuse of power honest, they would tell us the only congressionally appropriated defense aid and or obstruction of Congress as an Arti- thing President Trump is guilty of is a coveted White House visit hung in the bal- cle of Impeachment, but that is going not being Hillary Clinton. ance. He then blocked Congressional inves- to change today. The only party guilty of obstruction, tigations into his abuses. Today, House Democrats are pur- abuse of power, or whatever focus These abuses threaten the integrity of our suing a wacky constitutional theory group terms they are using today is the elections, corrupt our diplomacy, and under- under which all four Presidents on party on the other side of this aisle. mine our national security. Underlying it all is Mount Rushmore could have been im- They are obstructing the will of the the President’s often-expressed conviction that peached. If all of this sounds absurd, American people. They are obstructing his powers are constitutionally unlimited. Madam Speaker, it is because it is ab- the very foundations of our country. We often regard constitutional ‘‘checks and surd. In fact, this whole process is ab- By politically weaponizing impeach- balances’’ as indestructible underpinnings of surd and has been from the outset. But here is what is not absurd but, ment, they have dangerously shattered our democracy. In fact, they are neither fixed rather, frightening: House Democrats, precedent and abused our Constitution. nor unbreakable. President Trump has dem- today, are setting a dangerous prece- They, alone, will bear this responsi- onstrated this beyond all doubt. dent under which no future President bility. When constitutional boundaries are broken, will be immune from impeachment, Madam Speaker, they will fail, and it it’s we—living, breathing people within our in- and that will forever negatively tar- is no wonder the American people don’t stitutions who must rise to defend our democ- nish the history of this House. trust this body. It is past time to be racy. It is this accountability that prevents Mr. NADLER. Madam Speaker, the done with this circus and get to the creeping authoritarianism and protects our President’s conduct constituted the work that matters, like securing our representative democracy, where no one, in- highest of high crimes against our borders and passing trade deals. cluding the President, is above the law. country. An offense does not have to I will vote ‘‘no’’ and encourage this It’s up to the Congress, the first branch of violate a criminal statute to be im- body to move on from this heart- government, to apply the remedy that the peachable. That was confirmed in breaking, disgraceful day to things Constitution prescribes, because the threats to President Nixon’s case and again in that actually matter. our democracy are real and present. The eyes President Clinton’s. There is no higher Mr. NADLER. Madam Speaker, I of history are upon us. crime than for the President to use the yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Mr. COLLINS of Georgia. Madam power of his office to corrupt our elec- North Carolina (Mr. PRICE). Speaker, I yield 11⁄2 minutes to the gen- tions. Mr. PRICE of North Carolina. Madam tleman from Kentucky (Mr. COMER). Madam Speaker, I yield 1 minute to Speaker, the moment our Founders an- Mr. COMER. Madam Speaker, since the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. ticipated in establishing the power of the beginning of this impeachment in- POCAN). impeachment has arrived. quiry, it has been extremely troubling Mr. POCAN. Madam Speaker, this The evidence is clear: President to see the partisan, divisive way in July, President Trump blocked $400 Trump abused his power by asking a which Democrats have carried out this million in congressionally approved aid vulnerable foreign leader to investigate entire process. that Ukraine desperately needed to de- both his political rival and a baseless I guess we shouldn’t be surprised, fend itself against Russia because he Russian conspiracy theory, while with- though. They promised they would un- needed Ukraine to do him a favor first. holding congressionally appropriated seat this President since the day he He asked the President of Ukraine to defense aid and a coveted White House took his oath of office. From the start, launch a public investigation into a po- visit. He then blocked congressional in- this has been a baseless attempt to litical rival. Military aid and other vestigation into these abuses. undo the will of 63 million Americans benefits would only come after. These abuses threaten the integrity who voted for President Trump. But this is not about a single call or of our elections, they corrupt our di- I can tell you the people I represent a single transcript; this is about a per- plomacy, and they undermine national in Kentucky, the very people who fect storm, months of activity directly security. voted for this President to enact ordered by the President to his senior We sometimes regard constitutional change and fight for this country, are Cabinet and political appointees, an or- checks and balances as the indestruct- appalled at the charade they have seen chestrated plan demanding a foreign ible underpinnings of our democracy. in the House in recent months. They power interfere in our democracy. In fact, they’re not fixed. They’re not are appalled at the actions from House President Trump betrayed his oath of indestructible. The President has dem- Democrats who have failed to even office. He abused the power of his office onstrated this beyond all doubt. come close to proving their case. for personal and political gain and has It’s up to the Congress, the first I hope all of my congressional col- refused to cooperate with a coequal branch of government, to apply the leagues carefully consider the prece- branch of government. remedy that the Constitution pre- dent they are setting by voting in favor

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Because of their radical leftwing, sumptions, cherry-picked witnesses, The Constitution also guarantees Democrats are willing to make all fu- and vastly disputed facts. that the accused can call witnesses to ture Presidential elections invalid The President did not commit any testify on their behalf, but the Repub- until judged worthy by the majority in impeachable offense, and it is clear for licans and the President were contin- the House of Representatives. all of us to see through the now very ually denied that right throughout this The President of the United States well-known transcript. This rigged process. does not serve at the pleasure of the process sets a concerning precedent for The Sixth Amendment guarantees House of Representatives. impeachable offenses moving forward, the right of the defendant to face their Perhaps the greatest denial of reality and I wholeheartedly oppose these accuser, but not only have the Demo- regarding President Trump is acknowl- baseless Articles of Impeachment. crats prohibited Republicans and the edging that, under his policies, things Mr. NADLER. Madam Speaker, I President from questioning the so- are actually going much better than yield 1 minute to the gentleman from called whistleblower, his identity has they have in decades for working California (Mr. PETERS). been kept secret. Americans. Mr. PETERS. Madam Speaker, many Before Members take this historic We are a democratic constitutional have lamented that this effort is not vote today, one week before Christmas, Republic in which power flows from we bipartisan, but that is on my Repub- I want Members to keep this in mind: the people to our President and elected lican colleagues. When Jesus was falsely accused of trea- officials. Republicans have not sought the son, Pontius Pilate gave Jesus the op- The Democrat majority thinks other- truth. They have sought to avoid the portunity to face his accusers. During wise. They believe that they are enti- truth. They have demeaned and in- that sham trial, Pontius Pilate af- tled to rule us even if they have to sulted witnesses, patriots, warriors, forded more rights to Jesus than the change the rules to invalidate the will and career diplomats who have pro- Democrats have afforded this President and the votes of the people of America. vided evidence against the President. in this process. No House Republican has joined us to That is why the absence of a case does Mr. NADLER. Madam Speaker, the demand the documents and witnesses not matter in this charade of impeach- President was given the opportunity to that President Trump has refused to ment. come and testify before the Judiciary produce. I believe that the American people And Senate Republican leaders, this Committee, to send his counsel, to recognize and share my urgency about week, have announced that President question witnesses. He declined to do what is at stake here. Trump, himself, can set the rules of his so. Madam Speaker, you and your major- trial and there will be no fact wit- Madam Speaker, I yield 1 minute to ity may decide today, but I have faith nesses. the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. KIL- that the American people will decide Republicans refuse to seek the truth DEE). otherwise next November. and condemn the abuse of power or to Mr. KILDEE. Madam Speaker, this is Mr. NADLER. Madam Speaker, I work with us to prevent this ongoing a sad day for our country and for our yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman behavior in the future, and that is the democracy. The President has abused from Washington (Ms. DELBENE). the powers of his office, betrayed the tragedy of today’s events. b 1415 In our Nation’s history, thousands of public trust, and undermined Amer- Ms. DELBENE. Madam Speaker, I rise Americans have gone into battle with- ica’s national security by pressuring a today in support of this resolution. out reservation to fight for our Repub- foreign government to interfere in our After carefully reviewing all of the lic as they still do today. Many have elections for his own political gain. evidence and the Articles of Impeach- been gravely injured, and some have In this moment in our history, the ment before us, it is clear that Presi- made the ultimate sacrifice. But today, Constitution is clear: The remedy for dent Trump abused the power of the in contrast, for fear of losing an elec- such misconduct by a President is im- Presidency and obstructed Congress. tion, my colleagues will not speak up peachment. I did not come to this conclusion for the rule of law or against Presi- I didn’t come here to Congress to im- lightly. dential abuse of power. Voters may peach a President of the United States, Impeachment is an extremely serious give them a pass, but history will judge but, sadly, the President’s misconduct matter, but no President can be al- them harshly. leaves us no choice but to follow the I will vote for the Articles of Im- Constitution. lowed to pressure a foreign country for peachment. I have two grandchildren. My grand- personal and political gain. No Presi- Mr. COLLINS of Georgia. Madam daughter, Caitlin, is 8, and my grand- dent is above the law. His behavior has jeopardized the in- Speaker, I yield 11⁄2 minutes to the gen- son, Colin, is 4. Some day a long time tleman from Georgia (Mr. from now, they will ask me about this tegrity of our elections, put our na- LOUDERMILK). day. They will ask about the time a tional security at risk, and placed his Mr. LOUDERMILK. Madam Speaker, President put himself above the law, personal interests above those of the I thank my colleague and friend from and they will want to know what I did American people. Georgia (Mr. COLLINS) for yielding. to stop him. And I will have an answer His obstruction has prevented the Madam Speaker, I rise today in oppo- for them. House from conducting its constitu- sition not only to these Articles of Im- Today, I vote to uphold the Constitu- tional duty of oversight of the execu- peachment, but in strong opposition to tion. I will vote to impeach Donald tive branch. the process that has brought us to this Trump. By failing to uphold his oath of of- point. Mr. COLLINS of Georgia. Madam fice, President Trump forces each of us Our Constitution and Bill of Rights Speaker, it is interesting that the as Members of the House of Represent- are all about process. Our Founders President was supposedly given rights atives to uphold ours. knew that a government without con- in the Judiciary Committee, but maybe Madam Speaker, I urge my col- straints could accuse anyone of any who would he have asked questions of, leagues to do just that, and defend our crime at any time, even without com- three law school professors and a staff democracy. pelling evidence. That is why the Fifth member? Not a lot of due process there. Mr. COLLINS of Georgia. Madam 1 and the Fourteenth Amendment have Madam Speaker, I yield 11⁄2 minutes Speaker, I yield 1 ⁄2 minutes to the gen- established a bedrock principle of inno- to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. tleman from Virginia (Mr. RIGGLEMAN). cent until proven guilty beyond a rea- BABIN). Mr. RIGGLEMAN. Madam Speaker, I sonable doubt. Mr. BABIN. Madam Speaker, we are oppose this impeachment effort and But on November 14, Speaker PELOSI here today because House Democrats will vote ‘‘no’’ on the Articles of Im- informed the press that the President have spent upwards of $30 million in 3 peachment.

VerDate Sep 11 2014 06:37 Dec 19, 2019 Jkt 099060 PO 00000 Frm 00039 Fmt 7634 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\K18DE7.064 H18DEPT1 SSpencer on DSKBBXCHB2PROD with HOUSE H12152 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — HOUSE December 18, 2019 I represent the Fifth District of Vir- liance. At Putin’s direction, Russia il- subpoenas and then he sues to block ginia, which was home to so many legally invaded Ukraine in 2014. As third parties from complying with such Founding Fathers whose vision shaped Ukrainians defend Europe’s eastern subpoenas. the great country we are living in flank, 14,000 people have been killed at Even as he pursues his own interests today. Putin’s hand, with over 2 million dis- in court, his administration simulta- Thomas Jefferson and James Madi- placed. neously argues that Congress is barred son are not around to see what their Rather than stand up to Putin, Presi- from obtaining judicial enforcement creation has become, but I don’t think dent Trump and his minions aided when executive branch officials dis- they would be pleased to see Congress Putin, first in hastening Russian inter- regard its subpoenas. subverting the will of democracy by ference in our 2016 elections, and then So when can the President be held holding an impeachment vote because more recently withholding vital mili- accountable for his wrongdoing? In his the majority party simply cannot ac- tary aid from Ukraine to coerce its in- mind, never. cept the 2016 election. terference in our 2020 elections for Mr. The Constitution, however, disagrees. Instead of wasting the taxpayers’ Trump’s personal gain. Madam Speaker, I yield 1 minute to time and money on specious investiga- Might I end by saying: Onward to lib- the gentlewoman from the District of tions, we could have passed legislation erty. Vote for the Articles of Impeach- Columbia (Ms. NORTON). to address surprise medical billing, se- ment. Ms. NORTON. Madam Speaker, my cure the border, address the opioid epi- Mr. COLLINS of Georgia. Madam words are my only remedy today, in demic, reduce student debt, and solve a spite of the upcoming D.C. statehood Speaker, I yield 11⁄2 minutes to the gen- vote we expect to be successful. litany of other issues that Americans tleman from North Carolina (Mr. MUR- The people of the District of Colum- actually care about. PHY). bia have no vote on impeachment or on Tomorrow, we might have a vote on Mr. MURPHY of North Carolina. any other matter on this floor now. the USMCA, which we should have Madam Speaker, I rise in opposition to I spoke on this floor on the impeach- passed months ago had it not been for these baseless Articles of Impeachment ment of President Clinton 20 years ago. the obstruction and delays from Demo- and the unprecedented process that has Unlike the Clinton impeachment on crats, delays that have made farmers been used in this effort to impeach- perjury concerning an affair with an in my district and other districts suf- ment the duly elected President of the intern, Trump’s impeachment turns on fer. United States. Votes like the one we will take sabotage of national security to get It is a mockery of American justice. today, the decisions that have led up to himself reelected. In 1788, one of our Founding Fathers, today’s vote, the nature and entire Clinton repented. Trump insists that Alexander Hamilton, wrote in the Fed- process of this proceeding reeks of ca- he did nothing wrong. That is a prom- eralist Papers: reerist bureaucrats and politicians that ise to continue his long pattern of put politics over people. In many cases, impeachment will connect abuse of power and obstruction of Con- I was not elected to take political itself with the preexisting factions . . . and gress. in such cases, there will always be the great- votes that attempt to overturn the will Impeachment is our only recourse. est danger that the decision will be regulated Mr. COLLINS of Georgia. Madam of the American people. I ran for office more by the comparable strength of parties, to serve my constituents. Let’s remem- majority and minority, than by real dem- Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gen- ber: that is why we are here. onstrations of innocence or guilt. tleman from Colorado (Mr. BUCK), a Weaponizing emotion is not the way What does this mean? It means that member of the Judiciary Committee. Mr. BUCK. Madam Speaker, I thank to serve the United States of America. the majority can exert its influence re- the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. COL- And, Madam Speaker, to my col- gardless of justice. LINS) for yielding. leagues who do just that, I offer a In this statement, Hamilton warned Today, Democrats lower the bar for quote Thomas Paine wrote in ‘‘The Cri- us about the danger of mob rule. impeachment. sis’’: ‘‘To argue with a person who has Democrats have a criminal and have renounced the use of reason is like ad- Under this standard, a President can been searching for a crime for 3 years, be impeached in the absence of a crime, ministering medicine to the dead.’’ but this President has not committed a Mr. NADLER. Madam Speaker, I without due process, and for asserting crime. would remind the gentleman that the a legally, constitutionally recognized As the leader of American foreign House has passed over 400 bills, 275 bi- privilege. policy, the President has a constitu- partisan bills: driving down costs of History shows Democrat Presidents tional obligation to root out corrup- healthcare and prescription drugs, rais- have abused power and undermined de- tion in countries to which we provide ing wages, rebuilding infrastructure, mocracy to win elections, and yet they aid. This is not an abuse of power. It is taking on corruption and self-dealing have not been impeached. his job. in Washington. Eighty percent of these President Franklin Roosevelt used One of the articles is obstruction of bills are languishing on Senator the IRS to target his political oppo- Congress. The only thing that has been MCCONNELL’s desk. nents. His son later admitted FDR used Madam Speaker, I yield 1 minute to obstructed is this President’s right to ‘‘the IRS as a weapon of political ret- due process. the gentlewoman from Ohio (Ms. KAP- ribution.’’ I don’t blame the President for refus- TUR). President John F. Kennedy used the Ms. KAPTUR. Madam Speaker, I ing to fully participate in this guilty- FBI to wiretap and monitor political thank the chairman for yielding. until-proven circus. This is not how opponents, including congressional I wish to place on the record that our Founding Fathers framed Amer- staff. He deported one of his mistresses Members of Congress swear a solemn ican justice. to avoid scandal. oath to protect and defend the Con- This is a tragic day in our Nation’s President Lyndon Johnson spied on stitution against all enemies, foreign history. We have individuals that hate Goldwater’s campaign, signing off on and domestic. Today we fulfill our oath this President more than they love this wiretapping his opponent and Gold- by defending liberty. country. water’s airplane, and using a CIA spy The central figure testing America’s Our country needs prayer, and not to obtain advance copies of Goldwater’s resolve is not here in Washington this disruptive partisanship. strategies and speeches. today. Rather, the closeted villain sits Mr. NADLER. Madam Speaker, I President Barack Obama refused to in Moscow at the Kremlin. yield myself such time as I may con- provide documents to Congress related Vladimir Putin has coordinated mur- sume. to Fast and Furious. His unconstitu- ders, election hacking, propaganda, the Madam Speaker, the President’s ob- tional recess appointments were unani- entrapment of willing fools and greedy struction is unprecedented and cat- mously struck down by the Supreme underlings who put their own selfish egorical. President Trump claims that Court. He used national security agen- interests over liberty. the House cannot investigate his mis- cies to lie to the American people Putin seeks to sow disarray and de- conduct outside of an impeachment in- about Benghazi to win the 2012 elec- stabilize democracies and the NATO al- quiry. He defies lawful congressional tion. He spied on reporters. Finally, it

VerDate Sep 11 2014 06:37 Dec 19, 2019 Jkt 099060 PO 00000 Frm 00040 Fmt 7634 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\K18DE7.066 H18DEPT1 SSpencer on DSKBBXCHB2PROD with HOUSE December 18, 2019 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — HOUSE H12153 was the Obama administration that You know, I have been on all sides of was ever denied them, and when they committed 17 serious violations before the courtroom. I was a prosecutor in got through, they actually got the the FISA Court to spy on Trump cam- the Navy, I was a defense attorney in money, and they never did anything for paign associates. the Navy, I was a district judge in my it. Despite these clear abuses of power hometown. We have talked about the facts. That by FDR, JFK, LBJ, and Obama, Repub- And let me tell you, as a lawyer, I is a distraction that doesn’t need to licans did not impeach. would defend this case every day of the happen. Why? Because the Framers did not week. As a judge, I would dismiss this Madam Speaker, I yield 11⁄2 minutes want a low bar for impeachment. They on day one for lack of merit. There is to the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. DA- wanted Congress and the President to no prima facie case here. VIDSON). work out their differences. I will tell you who I would prosecute, Mr. DAVIDSON of Ohio. Madam When I asked Professor Turley in a though. I would prosecute ADAM SCHIFF Speaker, I have heard numerous col- Judiciary Committee hearing if any for abuse of power. Why? How about leagues say they didn’t run for Con- President could avoid impeachment the fact that he used his position as gress to impeach the President. Well, with those low standards, he said, chairman to leak phone records of maybe not originally, but, unfortu- ‘‘No.’’ Ranking Member DEVIN NUNES? How nately, from the moment proceedings Mr. NADLER. Madam Speaker, I re- about the fact that he dumped over began, after the fourth vote to launch mind the gentleman that President 8,000 pages of documents on Repub- an impeachment inquiry, today’s vote Obama provided thousands of pages of licans less than 48 hours before a hear- was inevitable. Many of them cam- information to congressional requests, ing? That is the abuse of power. paigned on it. and that Attorney General Holder and And obstruction? I would prosecute I love this country with a soldier’s others testified, unlike now. the Democrats for obstruction. How passion. I came here to defend freedom, Madam Speaker, I yield 1 minute to about the fact that the Judiciary Com- not to deny due process to anyone. I the gentlewoman from Illinois (Ms. mittee Democrats voted down my re- came here to solve problems and KELLY). quest to subpoena the whistleblower? change the broken status quo, not to Ms. KELLY of Illinois. Madam How about the fact that Chairman distract or disrupt those, like Presi- Speaker, today is a solemn day in NADLER refused every single Repub- dent Donald Trump, who deliver on America, a day that none of us hoped lican request for a fact witness? That is promises to put America back on the for when we came to Congress, but the obstruction of Congress. path of peace and prosperity that has events of today are something that So, again, let me be clear: Today is made and kept our country free. each of us swore that we were prepared nothing more than a political hit job. For months now, Americans have to execute in defense of the Constitu- Mr. NADLER. Madam Speaker, once heard speculation about the Presi- tion of the United States against all again, I hear a lot of attacks on Demo- dent’s motives in Ukraine. Despite enemies, foreign and domestic. months of effort, dozens of hearings, This is the oath that binds the men cratic Members of Congress, but not and countless documents, Americans and women of the 116th Congress, as one single word of substantive defense have not seen proof that the President our democracy implores we defend her. of the President’s conduct. committed a high crime or a mis- A clear and present threat to Amer- Madam Speaker, I yield 1 minute to demeanor. ican democracy is what brings us here. the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. CON- We have a republic, if we can keep it. The architect, a President who asked NOLLY). This is a disgraceful and dishonest that a foreign nation interfere in our Mr. CONNOLLY. Madam Speaker, process. It is a discredit to this body election: this was our Founding Fa- each of us here took an oath to protect and to our Nation. thers’ greatest fear. and defend the Constitution of the I cast this solemn vote for the many United States, not the President, and Madam Speaker, I urge the House to individuals in my district who en- not our political party. drop these divisive Articles of Im- trusted me to be their voice in Con- Today, history will judge. Did we peachment and get to work for the gress. They entrusted me to uphold our abide that oath? American people. Mr. NADLER. Madam Speaker, how Constitution for them. To extort a foreign country to inves- I vote ‘‘yes’’ for Sarah in Chicago, tigate your political opponent is an un- much time do both sides have remain- Doug in Kankakee, Diane in constitutional abuse of power. To so- ing, please? Flossmoor; ‘‘yes’’ for Kathy in licit foreign interference in an Amer- The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gen- Momence, Kathryn in Crete, and ican election is an unconstitutional tleman from New York has 1 hour and Jimmy in Park Forest. abuse of power. 2 minutes remaining. The gentleman The facts are simple. The path for- The need to protect against just such from Georgia has 2 hours and 3 minutes ward is clear. Impeachment is not an abuses prompted our Founders to grant remaining. option, it is an obligation, because no the sole power of impeachment to this Mr. NADLER. Madam Speaker, I one is above the law. House. yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman Mr. COLLINS of Georgia. Madam The delicate balance of power that from New York (Ms. VELA´ ZQUEZ). ´ Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gen- underpins our democracy is threatened Ms. VELAZQUEZ. Madam Speaker, tleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. when a President disregards the Con- the facts are clear. The President of RESCHENTHALER), another member of stitution by obstructing Congress’ the United States withheld $400 million the Judiciary Committee. power in order to cover up illegal be- in military aid to an ally of the United Mr. RESCHENTHALER. Madam havior. In doing that, President Trump States and also held back a White Speaker, I thank Ranking Member violated his oath. House meeting to compel a foreign na- tion to investigate his political oppo- COLLINS for yielding. b 1430 You know, in the Navy, we had a say- nent. ing: BLUF, bottom line up front. Today, we must put country over At the exact time the President was Well, I will give you the bottom line. party, conscience over complicity. doing this, Ukraine was engaged in a Democrats are terrified that President Today, we must assert no one is above battle for its very existence with one of Trump is going to win reelection. the law. Today, we are summoned by America’s adversaries, Russia. They can’t beat him on the merits, so history to do the right thing. The President abused his power to Democrats are caving to their far left Mr. COLLINS of Georgia. Madam persuade a foreign nation to dig up dirt radical base and they are using the Speaker, I know this is probably not on a political opponent, and that is the thoughts and feelings and the assump- true, but I think the speakers are not truth. This was, quite simply, a geo- tions of some unnamed bureaucrats working on the majority side because I political shakedown. rather than relying on facts and law to have talked about it, and many of our The President then tried to block impeach a duly elected President. Members have talked about the facts. Congress from exercising its constitu- Let me be clear: This is nothing more Let’s just go over them real quickly: tionally mandated duty to uncover the than a political hit job. no pressure, no conditionality, nothing truth.

VerDate Sep 11 2014 06:37 Dec 19, 2019 Jkt 099060 PO 00000 Frm 00041 Fmt 7634 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\K18DE7.067 H18DEPT1 SSpencer on DSKBBXCHB2PROD with HOUSE H12154 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — HOUSE December 18, 2019 Every single one of us, today, faces a I agree that elections are the appro- rity, and to the rule of law. Congress stark choice. If we choose to turn a priate venue for public policy disputes. must vote to impeach him to protect blind eye, to put political expediency However, we are not talking about a our constitutional Republic. There is before the Constitution, then we are public policy dispute. We are talking no alternative. complicit in this subversion of democ- about a President who subverted na- Mr. COLLINS of Georgia. Madam racy. If we do not hold this President tional security by soliciting foreign in- Speaker, the only urgent threat to this accountable, we have failed the people terference in our elections, the exact body is the clock and the calendar and who sent us here, and we have abdi- thing our Founding Fathers feared and the desire to impeach the President be- cated our own oath to defend the Con- the exact circumstance for which they fore we go home for Christmas. stitution. drafted the impeachment clause. Madam Speaker, I yield 11⁄2 minutes In the United States of America, no Our democracy, our Constitution, de- to the gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. one is above the law, not even the serves standing up for, not Donald DAVID P. ROE). President. John Trump. Mr. DAVID P. ROE of Tennessee. Mr. COLLINS of Georgia. Madam I will leave my colleagues with this Madam Speaker, today is a sad day in Speaker, it is my pleasure to yield 2 last thought as they decide how to cast the people’s House. Since Donald minutes to the gentleman from Ala- this historic vote: For what shall it Trump was elected in 2016, Democrats bama (Mr. BYRNE). profit a man to gain the whole world have been on a crusade to stop him by Mr. BYRNE. Madam Speaker, in 3 only to lose his own soul. any means. months, we have gone from receiving Mr. COLLINS of Georgia. Madam I believe the American people are the an unsubstantiated, hearsay, and dis- Speaker, I yield 11⁄2 minutes to the gen- fairest people on this Earth. They be- credited whistleblower complaint to tleman from Texas (Mr. GOODEN). lieve that everyone should be treated the production of Articles of Impeach- Mr. GOODEN. Madam Speaker, this equally under the law, no matter what ment against a President of the United is the day the Founding Fathers feared station you occupy in life: rich or poor, States. Not since Andrew Johnson has when they granted Congress the power President or factory worker—fair. This the House engaged in such a partisan of impeachment, where we have a polit- process has been anything but fair. political stunt. ical party so dead set against the For 2 years, we have been told that From the beginning, this has been a President that they will do anything to then-candidate Donald Trump colluded sham, and this House has been nothing impeach him. And they are about to with Russians to interfere with our but a star chamber. The Democratic get away with it, simply because they elections. Two years and millions of majority literally locked themselves in have the votes. But that is not how dollars spent on the Mueller investiga- the basement of this building, hiding this process is supposed to work. tion: no collusion. from the American people. When my It is not meant to be dictated by a You would think, after being that colleagues and I refused to stand for it, thin partisan majority, nor is it meant wrong, Democrats would finally decide Democrats moved to public hearings to be used when an election is just to work on the problems that the but denied us questions, denied us wit- around the corner. American people sent us here to do. nesses, and denied the President any No one understands that better than You would be wrong again. meaningful opportunity to defend him- our Speaker, for whom I have great re- Then, we were told that the Presi- self. With this complete abuse of process, spect. And I agree with the comments dent withheld money to the Ukrainians the Democratic majority has produced she made on March 6 of just this year: in a quid pro quo. No, no, a bribery. No, the flimsiest and most legally unsound ‘‘Impeachment is so divisive to the abuse of power. I guess whatever polls Articles of Impeachment in the history country that unless there is something best—to gather information on a po- of this Nation. Never before has the so compelling and overwhelming and tential political rival. House reported an Article of Impeach- bipartisan, I don’t think we should go Well, here are some facts about what ment that does not allege an under- down that path because it divides’’ the happened: lying crime, yet this majority will do Nation. Fact number one: The transcript of so today. That is exactly what has happened. the July 25 phone conversation that Read the transcripts. There was no When we walk out of here tonight, we the President released shows no pres- quid pro quo, no bribery, no extortion, all know how this result is going to go. sure. no crime, and no abuse of power. They The Democrats are voting for this. Not Fact number two: President Zelensky don’t even allege a crime in their Arti- one Republican is breaking. This is not did not know the money was withheld. cles of Impeachment. The President bipartisan. Fact number three: No investigation raising Ukrainian corruption is not an The American people are disgusted occurred or was announced. impeachable offense. with the United States House of Rep- Fact number four: The money was re- If the dealings of Hunter Biden were resentatives, and we bring shame upon leased September 11, 2019. so aboveboard, you would think the this body today by moving forward Facts are stubborn things. One Mem- majority would be just fine looking with this impeachment. ber on the other side of the aisle said: into this matter. Yet, they haven’t Mr. NADLER. Madam Speaker, I ‘‘I’m concerned that if we don’t im- moved my resolution asking for an in- yield 1 minute to the gentleman from peach this President, he will get re- vestigation, and our subpoenas for California (Mr. LOWENTHAL). elected.’’ That, Madam Speaker, says it Hunter Biden have all been denied. Mr. LOWENTHAL. Madam Speaker, all. Hunter Biden doesn’t get a pass be- the facts in this case are as simple as Mr. NADLER. Madam Speaker, I cause his dad was Vice President. they are tragic. Witness after witness yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman I am proud to have fought against attested to these facts. No one has from Oregon (Ms. BONAMICI). this charade every step of the way, and credibly refuted them. Ms. BONAMICI. Madam Speaker, I I will proudly vote ‘‘no’’ today. President Trump tried to coerce take seriously my oath to uphold and Mr. NADLER. Madam Speaker, I Ukraine to interfere in the 2020 elec- defend the Constitution, and I do not yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman tions. He used the power of his office take today’s proceedings lightly. from Wisconsin (Ms. MOORE). for personal political gain. The Founding Fathers included the Ms. MOORE. Madam Speaker, the By withholding aid to Ukraine, the impeachment process in the Constitu- facts are uncontestable. The evidence President has endangered our ally tion to uphold our values and to main- is overwhelming. The President grossly Ukraine and undermined our own na- tain the checks and balances that are misused the Office of President and ob- tional security. When he got caught, essential to separation of powers and structed Congress, and justice requires the President attempted to cover up to democracy. They knew way back in this impeachment. the crime and shut down any investiga- 1787 that a President could abuse the I feel compelled to respond to the tion by obstructing Congress. power of the office. In fact, they adopt- false narrative that Democrats are We have overwhelming evidence that ed the phrase ‘‘high crimes and mis- using this process to overturn an elec- this President poses an urgent threat demeanors’’ from a phrase that had tion. to our elections, to our national secu- been used in the English Parliament

VerDate Sep 11 2014 06:37 Dec 19, 2019 Jkt 099060 PO 00000 Frm 00042 Fmt 7634 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\K18DE7.069 H18DEPT1 SSpencer on DSKBBXCHB2PROD with HOUSE December 18, 2019 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — HOUSE H12155 since 1386 intended to cover situations b 1445 President Trump is keeping his cam- where an official abused his power and In a republic, no person is above the paign promises, and you hate him for included disobeying an order from the law. In a republic, the President may that. Parliament. not abuse his power by withholding The SPEAKER pro tempore. Mem- Donald Trump has abused the power critical foreign assistance for his own bers are again reminded to address of his office by inviting a foreign gov- personal political gain nor may he stop their remarks to the Chair. Mr. NADLER. Madam Speaker, I ernment to interfere in the U.S. elec- witnesses from talking. tion. He did this not to help the United I did not come to Congress to im- yield myself such time as I may con- States but to benefit himself. That is peach a President, but I did take an sume. We do not hate President Trump, but wrong, and it is an impeachable of- oath to keep the Republic. For our we do know that President Trump will fense. children and our grandchildren, we continue to threaten the Nation’s secu- Then, when Congress exercised our should do nothing less. One day, I will rity, democracy, and constitutional constitutional duty to investigate tell my grandson that I stood up for system if he is allowed to remain in of- these wrongdoings, he obstructed the our democracy. fice. That threat is not hypothetical. investigation every step of the way. I will vote ‘‘yes’’ to impeach the That is also wrong, and it is also an President Trump has persisted, dur- President. ing this impeachment inquiry, in solic- impeachable offense. Mr. COLLINS of Georgia. Madam iting foreign powers to investigate his In our country, no one is above the Speaker, I yield 1–2/3 minutes to the law. That includes the President of the political opponent. gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. The President steadfastly insists United States. GROTHMAN). that he did nothing wrong and is free Mr. COLLINS of Georgia. Madam Mr. GROTHMAN. Madam Speaker, I to do it all again. That threatens our Speaker, I yield 11⁄2 minutes to the gen- thank the gentleman for yielding. next election as well as our constitu- tleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Madam Speaker, I would like to ad- tional democracy. dress why we are here. KELLY). Madam Speaker, I yield 1 minute to We are certainly not here because of Mr. KELLY of Pennsylvania. Madam the gentleman from California (Mr. Speaker, December is such a great a misquoted phone call in July of 2019. The Washington Post ran an article, MCNERNEY). month, and there are so many great Mr. MCNERNEY. Madam Speaker, headlined, ‘‘The Campaign to Impeach dates in December. We talk about the the House of Representatives, the peo- President Trump Has Begun,’’ the day wonderful things that have happened in ple’s House, is vested by the Constitu- he was sworn in. Decembers of the past. tion with the power of impeachment to In addition to Christmas being some- The gentleman from Maryland who spoke earlier today called for impeach- balance the power of the Presidency. thing we celebrate, the Boston Tea Without this essential duty, the Presi- Party took place in December. Also, on ment 2 days before President Trump was sworn in. dent could exploit his sacred office December 7, 1941, a horrific act hap- without any regard for the law. pened in the United States, one that The gentleman from Texas was intro- ducing impeachment resolutions 2 On January 3, 2019, every Member of President Roosevelt said: This is a date the House swore an oath to defend the that ‘‘will live in infamy.’’ years ago and said: President Trump should be impeached so he can’t get re- Constitution, and this week, we are Today, December 18, 2019, is another being asked to do just that. date that will live in infamy. Just be- elected. This impeachment is not about any- When allegations arose that the cause you hate the President of the President tried to coerce a foreign gov- United States, and you can find no thing that happened on a phone call. This impeachment is about what Presi- ernment to help undermine the 2020 other reason other than the fact that election, the House carried out its duty you are so blinded by your hate that dent Trump has done. The people in this country who are to investigate a potential abuse of you can’t see straight, you have de- let in who are inadmissible or appre- power; but the President refused to co- cided the only way we can make sure hended and don’t have legal authority operate and forbade his administration this President doesn’t get elected again fell from 100,000 people in May to under from doing so, obstructing Congress is to impeach him. 5,000 people in November, and you hate from carrying out our sworn responsi- On the floor of the people’s House, him for it. bility. the bastion of democracy and liberty in Ben Carson thinks that low-income If these actions bear no consequence, the whole world, we have decided that housing should be used by American future Presidents may act without con- political power is far more important citizens and not people who are here il- straint and American democracy will than principle. legally, and you hate him for it. be at an end. Therefore, compelled by Madam Speaker, I urge all Members President Trump doesn’t want people my sworn duty to defend the Constitu- of the House to vote ‘‘no’’ on impeach- coming here and going on welfare, and tion, I will vote to impeach this Presi- ment and to look their voters in the you hate him for it. dent. eye. President Trump wants able-bodied Mr. COLLINS of Georgia. Madam Listen, let me tell you, the voters people on food stamps to try to work, Speaker, I yield 11⁄2 minutes to the gen- will remember next November what and he is hated for it. tleman from Florida (Mr. YOHO), my you are doing this December. This is a President Trump renegotiated that friend. terrible time. This is a date that will rip-off trade agreement with Mexico Mr. YOHO. Madam Speaker, I would live in infamy. and Canada and that was put in place like to address my colleagues on the The SPEAKER pro tempore. Mem- by President Bush and President other side of the aisle and reiterate bers are reminded to address their re- Obama, and you hate him for it. President Washington’s warning to the marks to the Chair. President Trump sides with law en- Republic 223 years ago. Mr. NADLER. Madam Speaker, I forcement instead of criminals and The Constitution rightly sets a high yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman murders dropped 1,000 people last year, bar for impeachment, but the integrity from Florida (Ms. FRANKEL). and you hate him for siding with the of the process also depends on the abil- Ms. FRANKEL. Madam Speaker, in police. ity of the legislators to vote their 1787, at the conclusion of the Constitu- President Trump lets Christian adop- minds, independent of party politics. tional Convention, Benjamin Franklin tion agencies choose whom they want Removing a President is too impor- was asked: Do we have a republic or a to be parents, and you don’t like him tant and lawmakers are given too monarchy? for that. much latitude to define ‘‘high crimes He responded: ‘‘A republic, if you can President Trump won’t let foreign and misdemeanors’’ for it to be any keep it.’’ aid go to agencies that perform abor- other way. Otherwise, excessively par- Madam Speaker, a republic is a form tions, and you hate him for that. tisan politicians could overturn an of government in which the country is President Trump’s judges stick to election simply because the President considered a public matter, not the pri- the Constitution, and he is disliked for is a member of the opposite and oppos- vate concern or property of the rulers. that. ing party.

VerDate Sep 11 2014 06:37 Dec 19, 2019 Jkt 099060 PO 00000 Frm 00043 Fmt 7634 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\K18DE7.070 H18DEPT1 SSpencer on DSKBBXCHB2PROD with HOUSE H12156 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — HOUSE December 18, 2019 It is in regard to this impeachment self-determination has been the shining stand by this man; how they put blind, process that George Washington fore- beacon by which our Nation has char- partisan loyalty or fear of Donald warned us as a nation at this moment tered its course over the last two cen- Trump above their duty to defend the in history. When political parties ‘‘may turies. Constitution; how they made absurd now and then answer popular ends, From a new democratic experiment partisan arguments and tried to ob- they are likely, in the course of time struggling to survive to the greatest struct these proceedings; and how, in- and things, to become potent engines Nation on Earth, America has been stead of pushing back when their party by which cunning, ambitious, and un- powered, over the years, not by govern- fell under the dark spell of principled men’’ and women ‘‘will be ment, but by the ingenuity, the brav- authoritarianism, they embraced it as enabled to subvert the power of the ery, and the faith of its people, con- if the Constitution, the rule of law, and people to usurp for themselves the fident in their place as one nation our oath of office mean nothing. reins of government. . . . ’’ under God, indivisible, with liberty and Madam Speaker, for our future gen- How wise he was. justice for all. erations, our children, the judgment of Vote ‘‘no’’ on this assault to our Re- So it is we the people who determine history, let me be clear: I stand with public, the Constitution, and against our President, not we the Judiciary our Constitution, with the rule of law President Trump. Committee nor we the Congress. The and our democracy. I will be voting Mr. NADLER. Madam Speaker, John Constitution is clear. It is only when ‘‘yes’’ to impeach Donald J. Trump. Adams warned in a letter to Thomas we see clear proof of the impeachable Mr. COLLINS of Georgia. Madam Jefferson that these risks are unavoid- offenses outlined in Article II, Section Speaker, I yield 11⁄2 minutes to the gen- able and might sometimes overlap: 4, treason, bribery, or other high tleman from Texas (Mr. WILLIAMS). ‘‘You are apprehensive of foreign inter- crimes and misdemeanors, that we are Mr. WILLIAMS. Madam Speaker, I ference, intrigue, influence. So am I— to challenge the decision of the voters, thank the gentleman for yielding me but, as often as elections happen, the break the figurative glass, and pull the time. Today’s vote to impeach the duly danger of foreign influence recurs.’’ emergency rip cord that is impeach- Madam Speaker, I yield 1 minute to ment. elected President of the United States the gentlewoman from Michigan (Mrs. We do not have that proof today. is truly historical. However, its unique Thomas Jefferson said: ‘‘I know no safe place in history is not for the reasons LAWRENCE). Mrs. LAWRENCE. Madam Speaker, depository of the ultimate powers of the Democratic Party and their main- today, history is being written. The the society but the people themselves; stream media overlords are so des- facts are conclusive: The President at- and if we think them not enlightened perately trying to convey. Today, will be remembered as the tempted to use the power of the power- enough to exercise their control with a day that the Democrats, claiming a ful Office of President to force Ukraine wholesome discretion, the remedy is false moral supremacy over the desire to influence our 2020 election. not to take it from them, but to inform of the American people, executed a de- In the process, President Trump jeop- their discretion by education.’’ But rather than educate, this major- liberate and orchestrated plan to over- ardized our national security and with- ity has chosen today to obfuscate with turn a Presidential election. held vital military assistance intended hearsay, innuendo, and speculation. It will be the first time in history to prevent further Russian aggression And when history looks back on this that a party paraded out their Ivy in the region. shameful period for this House, it will League academics to explain to 31 However, as our committees—includ- judge it for what it truly is: the ugly States and almost 63 million people ing the Committee on Oversight and hijacking, by the majority, of our Con- that their voice should not be heard Reform, of which I am a member— stitution and the powers it so solemnly and why their votes should not be sought to interview additional wit- entrusts to us to engage in a blatantly counted. nesses and obtain documents, the political process designed to finally I pray for our Nation every day, but President ordered, from the power of achieve what they could not achieve at today, I am praying for my colleagues his office, that the executive branch the ballot box: the removal of a duly across the aisle who arrived at this not participate and obstructed the con- elected President. partisan and self-directed fork in the gressional oversight. Compelled by my sworn duty to up- road and chose the road never before Article I provides the House of Rep- hold this Constitution and for the peo- traveled and one that has a dead end. resentatives with the sole power of im- ple, I vote ‘‘no’’ on impeachment Donald J. Trump is our President, peachment, as well as the authority to today. chosen by the American people, fair conduct oversight of the executive Mr. NADLER. Madam Speaker, I and square. As we say in Texas: ‘‘It’s a branch. yield 1 minute to the gentleman from done deal.’’ Democrats’ attempt to What did he have to hide? California (Mr. HUFFMAN). change history will never undo that. When the Framers met over 200 years Mr. HUFFMAN. Madam Speaker, as May God bless the greatest country ago, they went to great lengths to en- we take this solemn, necessary step of in the world, the United States of sure future Presidents will be forced to impeaching President Trump, my Re- America. answer to their constitutional respon- publican colleagues have made up their Mr. NADLER. Madam Speaker, I sibility. I stand today in support of the minds. We can’t persuade them to do would remind the gentleman that the two Articles of Impeachment. the right thing, so I will address my re- impeachment clause is placed in the Mr. COLLINS of Georgia. Madam marks to the future. Constitution to protect the American Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gen- Today’s vote will be judged by future people and our form of government tleman from Virginia (Mr. CLINE). generations, including my precious against a President who would subvert Mr. CLINE. Madam Speaker, today is children, Abby and Nathan—maybe our constitutional liberties in between a sad day for this body, for the voters grandkids. elections. who sent me here last November, and Historians will study what Members Madam Speaker, I yield 1 minute to for our Nation. of this Congress did when our democ- the distinguished gentleman from Benjamin Franklin cautioned, when racy was tested like never before by a Texas (Mr. GREEN). asked what he had given us: ‘‘A repub- President who put personal interests Mr. GREEN of Texas. Madam Speak- lic, if you can keep it.’’ above country, who compromised na- er, and still I rise. Today, we take a step further toward tional security to cheat his way to re- Madam Speaker, I rise because I love losing the Republic that our Founding election and, when caught, not only my country, and, Madam Speaker, Fathers envisioned by engaging in ac- lied and refused to admit wrongdoing, ‘‘Shall any man be above justice?’’ tivity that they specifically warned but flouted Congress’ authority. He That is the question posed in 1787 by against: the misuse of the constitu- even called the constitutional im- George Mason at the Constitutional tional power of impeachment for one peachment mechanism unconstitu- Convention. party’s political gain. tional. Shall any man be beyond justice? Our Constitution is the very founda- Historians will marvel how some Madam Speaker, if this President is al- tion of our Republic. Its assurance of Members of Congress continued to lowed to thwart the efforts of Congress

VerDate Sep 11 2014 06:37 Dec 19, 2019 Jkt 099060 PO 00000 Frm 00044 Fmt 7634 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\K18DE7.072 H18DEPT1 SSpencer on DSKBBXCHB2PROD with HOUSE December 18, 2019 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — HOUSE H12157 with a legitimate impeachment in- Mr. COLLINS of Georgia. Madam J. Trump, and I urge my colleagues to quiry, the President will not only be Speaker, I yield 11⁄2 minutes to the gen- do the same. above the law, he will be beyond jus- tleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. JOYCE). Mr. COLLINS of Georgia. Madam tice. We cannot allow any person to be Mr. JOYCE of Pennsylvania. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I beyond justice in this country. Speaker, I rise today on this dark day may consume. In the name of democracy, on behalf in the United States House of Rep- The chairman hears us. He doesn’t of the Republic, and for the sake of the resentatives to voice my opposition to want to acknowledge it. When you many who are suffering, I will vote to the shameful impeachment process have nothing but a process that was impeach, and I encourage my col- that has occurred in the people’s completely amuck, you talk about leagues to do so as well. House. process. I have already debunked the No one is beyond justice in this coun- Some of my colleagues on the other facts many times. Let’s do it one more try. side of the aisle do not like President time. Mr. COLLINS of Georgia. Madam Trump. We know this because they No pressure by either Mr. Trump or Speaker, I also remind my chairman proudly boasted about their intention Mr. Zelensky. In fact, what really just that the impeachment was not to be to impeach our President before he was horrifies me is they continue to say used between election cycles to defeat even sworn into office. that Mr. Zelensky, who is the supposed a sitting President who you think will Out of disdain for the President and victim here, said many times there was be reelected. for those of us who elected him, the no pressure. The Democrats are calling Madam Speaker, I yield 1 minute to House of Representatives is considering him a liar and weakening him in his the gentleman from Florida (Mr. two Articles of Impeachment that are own country. That is deplorable. BUCHANAN). so very weak that they even fail to in- There is no conditionality in the transcript or conditionality after that. clude specific crimes. b 1500 Five meetings prove that. They were Mr. BUCHANAN. Madam Speaker, I The people that I represent in south– central and southwestern Pennsylvania all high-level meetings. No condition- will vote today against both Articles of ality. Two of those meetings were after know the truth. The American people Impeachment because they are without the Ukrainians actually knew of the know the truth. This impeachment cir- merit and setting a dangerous prece- possibility that aid was being held. dent for our country. This political cus has never been about the facts. They have not ever addressed the vendetta is an abuse of the impeach- This process has always been about truths and the facts. After there was ment process and would subvert the seeking revenge for the President’s nothing done to get the money, guess votes of 63 million Americans. election in 2016 and attempting to pre- what? They got the money. That is the Just because the President’s oppo- vent him from winning again in 2020. fact. That is what they don’t want to nents are afraid that he will win reelec- Madam Speaker, I wholeheartedly deal with. That is where we are today. tion is no excuse for weaponizing im- oppose this partisan and shameful ef- So let’s continue to see how the sham peachment. No President in history has fort to impeach our democratically and was perpetrated. That is what many of been impeached 10 months before an duly elected President. our Members are talking about. Madam Speaker, for the sake of our election. Madam Speaker, I yield 11⁄2 minutes Elections are the heart of our democ- Nation, I urge my colleagues to join to the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. racy. Our Founding Fathers devised a with me and vote ‘‘no’’ on the Articles BERGMAN). simple way to remove a President if of Impeachment. Mr. BERGMAN. Madam Speaker, I you disagree with him. It is called an Mr. NADLER. Madam Speaker, all rise today in opposition to the Articles election, and we have one coming up in we keep hearing from the other side of Impeachment against President less than a year. are attacks on the process and ques- Trump. I believe all American people Madam Speaker, let’s let the people tions of our motives. We do not hear, need to be looked in the eye by all decide this next November. because we cannot hear, because they their Representatives. Mr. NADLER. Madam Speaker, I cannot articulate a real defense of the Today is the culmination of the yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman President’s actions. Democrats’ 3-year-long quest to from Michigan (Ms. TLAIB). Madam Speaker, I yield 1 minute to delegitimize the President. This has Ms. TLAIB. Madam Speaker, I rise the gentlewoman from Massachusetts been in the works since November 2016 today in support of impeachment. I (Ms. PRESSLEY). and was all but promised when the learn so much every single day from Ms. PRESSLEY. Madam Speaker, I Democrats took the majority. my residents at home. Their common rise today to protect our democracy. This sham process began without a sense and understanding of what is Today, we take a stand against corrup- formal vote in the House and was con- right and wrong is centered on why tion and abuses of power. tinued over these past several months, they oppose any person using the most What we are doing here today is not willfully trampling on decades of bipar- powerful position in the world for per- only patriotic, it is uniquely American. tisan precedent—no due process; sonal gain. America is a story of ordinary people closed-door depositions, even though We honor our veterans in this Cham- confronting abuses of power with a nothing in this investigation was clas- ber almost on a daily basis. Do we ever steadfast pursuit of justice. sified; and leaking only details that fit follow their lead, where we serve the Throughout our history, the op- their narrative. people of the United States and uphold pressed have been relegated to the mar- If this isn’t partisan politics, I don’t the Constitution, not as Republicans or gins by the powerful, and each time we know what is. Holding our elected offi- Democrats, but as Americans? have fought back, deliberate in our ap- cials accountable is a job I take ex- We should learn from their sense of proach, clear-eyed. tremely seriously, but the impeach- duty and responsibility to country and Each generation has fought for the ment votes today represent the worst democracy, not political party. Doing preservation of our democracy, and of Washington, D.C., yet another rea- nothing here, Madam Speaker, is not that is what brings us to the House son my constituents are so disillu- an option. Looking away from these floor today. Efficient and effective in sioned with the process and dis- crimes against our country is not an the pursuit of our truth. appointed by the 116th Congress. option. Congress has done its due diligence. Michigan’s First District sent me to This is about protecting the future of Today we send a clear message. We will Washington to get things done, to get our Nation and our democracy from not tolerate abuses of power from the the government off their backs, and to corruption, abuse of power, criminal President of the United States of help rural Michiganians and other peo- coverups, and bribery. America. The future of this Nation ple around the country keep more of Madam Speaker, this vote is also for rests in our hands. their hard-earned currency, not to im- my sons and the future of so many gen- Madam Speaker, it is with a heavy peach our duly elected President. erations. I urge my colleagues to please heart, but a resolved one, and because Madam Speaker, I urge my col- vote ‘‘yes’’ on these Articles of Im- I believe our democracy is worth fight- leagues to vote against the Articles of peachment. ing for, I will vote to impeach Donald Impeachment. I

VerDate Sep 11 2014 06:37 Dec 19, 2019 Jkt 099060 PO 00000 Frm 00045 Fmt 7634 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\K18DE7.074 H18DEPT1 SSpencer on DSKBBXCHB2PROD with HOUSE H12158 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — HOUSE December 18, 2019 Mr. NADLER. Madam Speaker, I our Attorney General. The Ukrainians vote your character. That is how you yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman were already getting the military hard- are going to be judged, and that is how from California (Ms. BARRAGA´ N). ware, and they got the assistance we are all going to be judged. Ms. BARRAGA´ N. Madam Speaker, it money and the meeting they desired. Mr. COLLINS of Georgia. Madam is with a solemn sense of duty that I These are not crimes. These are dis- Speaker, I inquire how much time is rise today in support of impeachment. agreements over foreign policy and the remaining. As this Chamber debates two Articles fact that this President is conducting The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gen- of Impeachment against the President it. tleman from Georgia has 1 hour and for his abuse of power and obstruction If it weren’t so sad, it would be 441⁄2 minutes remaining. The gentleman of Congress, I want history to know laughable, Madam Speaker. My col- from New York has 1 hour and 471⁄2 that I stood up to say that I stand for leagues are not driven by a quest for minutes remaining. the Constitution and our democracy. facts or truth; they are driven by their Mr. COLLINS of Georgia. Mr. Speak- When my immigrant mom became a partisan animus and a timetable. These er, I yield 11⁄2 minutes to the gentleman United States citizen, she took an oath are the reckless and irresponsible acts from Colorado (Mr. TIPTON). of allegiance to our country and Con- of elitists in the swamp, and they un- Mr. TIPTON. Madam Speaker, I rise stitution. When I stood on this floor as dermine the fabric of our Republic. in strong opposition to this partisan a new Member of Congress, I took an Madam Speaker, I urge a ‘‘no’’ vote. impeachment process. oath to uphold and defend our Con- Mr. NADLER. Madam Speaker, I Make no mistake, this process did stitution. yield myself such time as I may con- not begin with the whistleblower re- The President abused his power when sume to remind the gentleman that port. In fact, impeachment efforts he used his official office and power to there is, in fact, extensive direct evi- began shortly after the President was ask a foreign government to interfere dence—including the President’s own elected. The theatrics and political in our elections. When he asked a for- words and actions—which is corrobo- posturing that have ensued are not eign government for a personal favor to rated and supported by indirect and part of an effort that this body is actu- dig up dirt on his political opponent so circumstantial evidence. ally pursuing to preserve checks and he could cheat, the President got The record leaves the following key balances, rather, this process echoes caught, and then he tried to cover it facts indisputable: President Trump’s the calls by some who refuse to accept up. personal lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, pushed the 2016 election results. Today we say no more. Today we say Ukraine to investigate Vice President Neither of the articles receiving a we will not allow this President to Biden and a debunked conspiracy the- vote justify the removal of the Presi- abuse his power and endanger our na- ory about the 2016 elections. dent from office. The first article sug- President Trump directed U.S. offi- tional security. I stand to say that no gests that the President pressured a cials and President Zelensky himself to one is above the law, not even this foreign government to be able to assist work with Mr. Giuliani to fulfill his de- President. in an upcoming election. Ukraine re- Mr. COLLINS of Georgia. Madam mands. President Trump withheld critical ceived its aid without a prearranged Speaker, I yield 11⁄2 minutes to gen- agreement, proving this article to be tleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. military aid for Ukraine. And President Trump stonewalled an unsubstantiated allegation. PERRY). Congress’ investigation to cover up his The second article is premised that Mr. PERRY. Madam Speaker, since misconduct. obstruction occurred when the White before inauguration, the press and Madam Speaker, I yield 1 minute to House ignored subpoenas issued by the Members of this Congress have been for the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. House. Our Federal courts are the ulti- impeachment. Members refused to at- CASTEN). mate arbiters of these decisions. In tend the inauguration. They called for Mr. CASTEN of Illinois. Madam fact, previous administrations, Repub- impeachment, and they voted for im- Speaker, this should not be a partisan lican and Democrat both, have dealt peachment without any evidence. They vote. This is a vote about America. It with these issues and claimed execu- voted for impeachment creating and is a vote about our democracy and our tive privilege. manufacturing evidence. oath to the Constitution. Madam Speaker, the articles that are Recall and votes of no confidence are We all took an oath to protect the before this House are unsubstantiated. not included in our Constitution for a Constitution against all enemies, for- I intend to vote ‘‘no’’ on these articles, reason. Our system demands evidence eign and domestic. We all know that and I encourage my colleagues to do of high crimes and misdemeanors. If what President Trump did was wrong. the same. such evidence existed, there would be We all know it is wrong to withhold Mr. NADLER. Madam Speaker, I an agreement in this Chamber, but foreign aid for a political favor. We yield 1 minute to the gentleman from there is not. There is not an agreement know it is wrong to ignore congres- Arizona (Mr. GALLEGO). because there is no evidence. sional subpoenas. We know it is wrong Mr. GALLEGO. Madam Speaker, Madison and Hamilton warned us to default to silly partisan and process today I will vote to impeach President that this might happen and that im- arguments rather than to rise and de- Donald Trump for abuse of power and peachment would veer toward political fend this beautiful, but all too fragile, obstruction of Congress. factions, and that is exactly what this democracy. Those still defending the President’s is. This is bitterly and nakedly par- When those in elected power abuse actions are desperately grasping at tisan. their position for personal advantage, straws while living in an alternate uni- My colleagues on the other side of it is on us to somberly uphold and de- verse where facts do not exist. the aisle have made a mockery of this fend the responsibility that the Found- b 1515 process and this government. They de- ers bestowed on us. spise the President and are themselves So, when my colleague talks about To those still unwilling to search abusing the power of their office all to partisanship, I would remind him of their souls, ask yourselves: Would you settle the political score they were un- those great words of Lincoln. I am support a Democratic President using able to resolve at the ballot box. paraphrasing him slightly: taxpayer dollars to pressure a foreign Madam Speaker, they hope that if When one party would inflame par- government to investigate a Repub- they repeat them over and over and tisanship rather than let the Nation lican political opponent based on false stay on message that you will believe survive, I am proud to be the party Russian conspiracy theories? their charges. Repeating things that that would accept partisanship rather Of course not. That is absurd. are not true does not make them true. than let the Nation perish. Any President who does that has The call record between the two So in this moment the answer is abused the power of the Presidency for Presidents was clear: President Trump clear, not because we want to impeach personal gain and undermined our most was interested in getting to the bottom but because we must. sacred tradition: our elections. of what happened in the 2016 election. So, Madam Speaker, when you vote In a few hours, every Member will He asked the Ukrainians to work with in a few hours, don’t vote your party; make a choice. Will you fall into the

VerDate Sep 11 2014 06:37 Dec 19, 2019 Jkt 099060 PO 00000 Frm 00046 Fmt 7634 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\K18DE7.076 H18DEPT1 SSpencer on DSKBBXCHB2PROD with HOUSE December 18, 2019 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — HOUSE H12159 age-old political trap of thinking blind eign interference in our elections. This It was abuse of power by the Presi- partisanship is all that matters? Will is the very definition of the willful sus- dent to ask a foreign nation to inter- you vote to defend the Constitution pension of disbelief. They know in their fere in our election to benefit his per- and our democracy so that President hearts that what the President has sonal and political interests and to Trump and every future President will done is deeply wrong. They know that condition bipartisan, congressionally know that they are not above the law they would vote without hesitation to approved aid on that interference. and will be held accountable for their impeach a Democratic President who Unchecked, these actions could lead actions? had done these things. us down a path that will unravel the I have made my choice. I hope every I remind all Americans, the Presi- fabric of our Nation. Member puts the defense of our Nation dent did not rebut the facts—the many, Madam Speaker, I am saddened we first and joins me. many facts—which have led to these are here today, but in the interest of Mr. COLLINS of Georgia. Madam Articles of Impeachment today. defending our Nation, I will vote for Speaker, I yield 11⁄2 minutes to the gen- For the sake of our democracy, our the Articles of Impeachment. tleman from Nebraska (Mr. SMITH). Constitution, and our country, we must Mr. COLLINS of Georgia. Madam Mr. SMITH of Nebraska. Madam do the right thing and vote to impeach Speaker, I yield 11⁄2 minutes to the gen- Speaker, I rise today to speak out President Trump. tleman from Texas (Mr. ROY). against this attempt to remove the Mr. COLLINS of Georgia. Madam Mr. ROY. Madam Speaker, our duly elected President of the United Speaker, I am just amazed by what the Founders intentionally did not em- States. chairman just said. If it was obvious brace recalls or votes of no confidence. Impeachment is importantly estab- that he violated the bribery statute Rather, we demand from Congress evi- lished in our Constitution. The im- clearly, then why didn’t we add it as an dence of high crimes and mis- peachment of a President has only hap- Article of Impeachment? demeanors. pened twice in our country’s 243-year The reason why? It didn’t. While my colleagues are free to dis- Madam Speaker, I yield 11⁄2 minutes history. Yet, today, for highly political like the President, and while they may to the gentleman from Mississippi (Mr. purposes, the House majority is trying reasonably view the infamous phone GUEST). to remove President Trump from office call and negotiations with Ukrainians Mr. GUEST. Madam Speaker, Article as something less than perfect, they based on secondhand, indirect ac- II, Section 4 of the United States Con- counts. are not free to impeach for something stitution states that the President of less than a high crime and mis- The Articles of Impeachment we are the United States may be removed voting on today offer no evidence of a demeanor. from office for treason, bribery, or high In just over 10 months, though, the crime but, instead, are purposely broad crimes and misdemeanors. people are free to decide, and we should to fit the majority’s narrative. As a former prosecutor, I am con- let them. Less than 1 year until the next Presi- fident that no court would accept these Madam Speaker, the eyes of the dential election, we are being asked to Articles of Impeachment as having met world are upon us. The press galleries override the choice of the American the standards set forth by our Found- are full. Our floor is filled with Mem- people. This lopsided, hyperpartisan, ing Fathers. The impeachment articles bers. When will we give the world biased impeachment process has been rely almost exclusively on hearsay and something better than this? predetermined as an outcome from the opinion testimony, and they present no My colleagues wax eloquent about very beginning. direct evidence of wrongdoing. the Constitutions they found under This is an unfortunate day in the his- As a former district attorney, I am mothballs. Where is the respect for the tory of our great country. We must dismayed that the Democrats have sub- Constitution when the people’s House hope this political game does not set a mitted Articles of Impeachment daily refuses to do its actual job while precedent of which to follow in the fu- against a sitting President using cir- shredding federalism and limited gov- ture. cumstantial evidence that fails to offer ernment? Surely, there will be disagreements proof of an impeachable offense. Today, in Mexico, a young girl will between the President and Congress for Additionally, the charges levied be abused while being trafficked to- many years to come. Instead of unnec- against the President in the Articles of ward our open borders, while some yell essarily dividing our country, as we are Impeachment lack historical precedent ‘‘kids in cages’’ and play race politics seeing today, we should be looking at and are motivated by pure political in the false name of compassion. ways to bring our country together. reason. If the House of Representatives Today, in New York, a young mother Mr. NADLER. Madam Speaker, passes the Articles of Impeachment, will be coerced into abortion by tax- President Trump’s actions are both im- the Democrats will have set a dan- payer-funded Planned Parenthood, peachable and criminal. Although the gerous precedent by undoing America’s while we allow the genocide of the un- violation of the Federal criminal stat- vote for President because a single born in the false name of choice. ute is neither necessary nor sufficient party disagreed with the 2016 Presi- Today, across America, diabetics will to justify impeachment, President dential election results. struggle to afford insulin due to a Trump’s conduct violated the Federal Madam Speaker, I urge my col- healthcare system ravished by govern- antibribery statute very clearly. leagues to vote ‘‘no’’ on the Articles of ment and insurance bureaucrats em- Madam Speaker, I yield 1 minute to Impeachment. powered in the false name of coverage. the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Mr. NADLER. Madam Speaker, I Today, our children inherit $100 mil- BEYER). yield 1 minute to the distinguished lion of debt an hour, borrowed in the Mr. BEYER. Madam Speaker, today, gentleman from California (Mr. THOMP- false name of what government can I vote to impeach President Donald SON). provide. Trump for abuse of power and obstruc- Mr. THOMPSON of California. It is this conduct by Congress failing tion of Congress. I don’t hate the Presi- Madam Speaker, I find no pleasure to do its jobs that should be im- dent, but I love my country, and I have coming to the floor today to consider peached. One might ask if America no other choice. impeachment. I ran for Congress to would be better off taking the first 435 Voting for these Articles of Impeach- represent my community and to serve names out of the phonebook to rep- ment is the only moral course of ac- the country I love. resent us in the United States House tion, the only way to honor our oath of As a combat veteran and having than what is on display here today. office. served 8 years on the Intelligence Com- Today is not a dark day because the I have no doubt that the votes I cast mittee, I understand the threat that American people know this: America is today will stand the test of time. This foreign actors can play in our elec- great. Washington is broken. And we has nothing to do with the 2016 elec- tions. Every elected official must dedi- are taking our country back tions. cate themselves to protecting our de- Mr. NADLER. Madam Speaker, I I am so disappointed that my Repub- mocracy. No one should invite a for- yield 1 minute to the distinguished lican friends approve of the President’s eign country to interfere with our most gentlewoman from California (Ms. abuses of power and solicitation of for- sacred act of voting. MATSUI).

VerDate Sep 11 2014 06:37 Dec 19, 2019 Jkt 099060 PO 00000 Frm 00047 Fmt 7634 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\K18DE7.078 H18DEPT1 SSpencer on DSKBBXCHB2PROD with HOUSE H12160 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — HOUSE December 18, 2019 Ms. MATSUI. Madam Speaker, I rise Mr. GARAMENDI. Madam Speaker, am disappointed in a broken and par- today with a heavy heart. I came to impeaching a President is one of the tisan process that has consumed House Congress to serve the great people of most solemn and consequential deci- Democrats. Sacramento and to build a better fu- sions the United States Congress can We were told this investigation was ture for our children and grand- make. It is not an action that I or my going to be bipartisan and transparent. children, including my grandkids, fellow House colleagues take lightly. Instead, the proceedings were held in Anna and Robby. Investigations and hearings con- secret behind closed doors with no at- The facts before us are crystal clear. ducted by the House provide over- tempt at a fair hearing. We heard testimony from 17 brave pa- whelming evidence that President All this was done deliberately in an triots who value our democracy and Trump abused his power and endan- effort to undo the results of the 2016 the Constitution. They testified that gered our national security. election. President Trump threatened to with- President Trump also issued a blan- Madam Speaker, my constituents in hold congressionally approved money ket order prohibiting all executive of- Florida want to see us get to work. in exchange for dirt on a political rival fice personnel from testifying, respond- They are counting on us to actually fix and, worse, that he continues to invite ing to subpoenas, or turning over docu- the surprise medical billing, to lower foreign powers to violate our sov- ments. Therefore, he has obstructed the cost of prescription drugs. Instead, ereignty even today. the legitimate and constitutional obli- we are here a week before Christmas, On its face, these are impeachable of- gation of Congress. voting to impeach the legitimate fenses that represent a clear and The President’s actions leave me no President, Donald J. Trump, on the present danger to our country. That is choice. President Trump violated his strength of nothing but rumors. why the only answer is to act now. We oath of office. Now, I will uphold my We have wasted almost a year on this need to stand together and stop Presi- oath of office to preserve and protect process while House Democrats chose dent Trump immediately so that he our Constitution and my promise to political theater over serving the cannot violate the next election. my constituents to carefully analyze American people. This shameful vote Madam Speaker, for the sake of our all issues before me. I will vote in favor to impeach our President will be a last- country and our democracy, I will vote of both Articles of Impeachment ing stain on our House. ‘‘yes’’ to impeach the President. against President Donald John Trump. Madam Speaker, I urge all of my col- Mr. COLLINS of Georgia. Madam Madam Speaker, impeaching a President is leagues to vote ‘‘no.’’ Speaker, I yield 11⁄2 minutes to the gen- one of the most solemn and consequential de- Mr. NADLER. Madam Speaker, I tleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. cisions the United States Congress can make. yield 1 minute to the distinguished SMUCKER). It is not an action I or my fellow House col- gentleman from Oregon (Mr. DEFAZIO). Mr. SMUCKER. Madam Speaker, I leagues take lightly. Impeachment exists to Mr. DEFAZIO. Madam Speaker, it is rise today to ask my colleagues on the protect our democracy. As Alexander Hamilton clear-cut. The President of the United other side of the aisle: How much is the wrote in the Federalist Papers, the impeach- States has violated his oath of office trust of the American people worth? ment clause in the Constitution exists to ad- and betrayed the Constitution and the When the American people are dissat- dress ‘‘the misconduct of public men,’’ which American people. isfied with their government, the pri- involves ‘‘the abuse or violation of some public He admitted to soliciting assistance mary tool that the Constitution gives trust.’’ from a foreign leader to interfere in the them to make a change is their vote. The investigations and hearings conducted U.S. election and aid his political re- On November 8, 2016, Americans from by the House Intelligence and Judiciary Com- election campaign. That is a violation every part of this Nation packed the mittees provide overwhelming evidence that of law, a violation of the Constitution, polls to elect Donald J. Trump to be President Trump abused his power and en- a betrayal of the American people, and the President of the United States. The dangered our national security when he co- an impeachable offense. country wanted a disruptor, a fighter, erced Ukraine into investigating his likely rival Overwhelming evidence also dem- a dealmaker, a President who would in the 2020 election by withholding $391 mil- onstrates the President withheld con- put America first. lion in critical military aid and a White House gressionally approved taxpayer dollars Sadly, on that very same day, Demo- meeting from the Ukrainian government. With- to blackmail the young, new President crats had no plan or interest in hon- holding this military assistance to Ukraine as it of Ukraine under attack from Russia. oring the vote of the American people. enters the fifth year of its deadly war against The gentleman from Georgia says They were going to attempt, from day Russia endangers Ukraine’s sovereignty and Ukraine didn’t feel any pressure. They one, to delegitimize this President and, safety as well as the United States’ national are being invaded by Russia, Vladimir ultimately, remove him from office. security interests. Putin, you know, Trump’s friend. He Right after the President was sworn President Trump has also issued a blanket withheld that aid until the whistle- in, The Washington Post wrote: ‘‘The order prohibiting all executive office personnel blower report came out, then the aid campaign to impeach President Trump from testifying in Congressional impeachment was released. It wasn’t released for any has begun.’’ Even before he took office, hearings, responding to subpoenas and turn- good purpose. a Politico article headline read: ‘‘Could ing over documents. Therefore, he has ob- Congress voted for that aid; the Trump Be Impeached Shortly After He structed the legitimate and Constitutional obli- President signed the bill. That is an- Takes Office?’’ gation Congress has to conduct an impeach- other impeachable offense. House Democrats have been planning ment inquiry when there is evidence of wrong- The Committee on the Judiciary has for this day since January 2017. It is doing by the President. put together an extensive document clear that facts have never mattered to No one is above the law. The President’s which shows that there is evidence of the House Democrats. They never actions leave me no choice. President Trump numerous other Federal crimes, includ- planned to work with the President. In- has violated his oath to ‘‘faithfully execute the ing bribery and wire fraud. stead, they intended only to fulfill Office of the President of the United States,’’ Madam Speaker, the President’s ac- their divisive partisan agenda. and to, ‘‘preserve, protect and defend the tions threaten the continuation of our Again, I ask, how much is the trust Constitution of the United States against all representative democracy. I am proud- of the American people worth? Because enemies foreign and domestic.’’ Now I will up- ly voting for impeachment today. after the vote today, for what you hold my Oath of Office to preserve and protect think is a short-term partisan gain, our Constitution and my promise to my con- b 1530 you can be sure that the American peo- stituents to carefully analyze all issues before Mr. COLLINS of Georgia. Madam ple will have lost their trust in our in- me. I will vote in favor of both articles of im- Speaker, I yield myself such time as I stitution; they will have lost their peachment against President Donald John may consume. trust in Congress; and most impor- Trump. I am glad to know that Mr. Trump tantly, they will have lost trust that Mr. COLLINS of Georgia. Madam was giving them lethal aid, actually, their vote counts. Speaker, I yield 11⁄2 minutes to the gen- something to fight back with, not what Mr. NADLER. Madam Speaker, I tleman from Florida (Mr. DUNN). was previously given to them. And yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Mr. DUNN. Madam Speaker, I stand there was, again, from the President, California (Mr. GARAMENDI). before you today a disappointed man. I himself, no pressure put on him.

VerDate Sep 11 2014 06:37 Dec 19, 2019 Jkt 099060 PO 00000 Frm 00048 Fmt 7634 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\K18DE7.079 H18DEPT1 SSpencer on DSKBBXCHB2PROD with HOUSE December 18, 2019 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — HOUSE H12161 Your whole case is sort of destroyed the America we would be proud to have out. That is exactly what is being done if you are coercing somebody if there our future generations inherit. And here. was no pressure felt; yet, we don’t seem that is why, today, I must vote to im- And for those who say we don’t ad- to get that part on this floor debate peach the President of the United dress the defenses of fact, here you go. today. States and fulfill my oath to the Con- The impeachment served two purposes: Madam Speaker, I yield 11⁄2 minutes stitution. Number one, stop the investigation to the gentleman from Montana (Mr. Mr. ARMSTRONG. Madam Speaker, I by the U.S. Department of Justice and GIANFORTE). yield 11⁄2 minutes to the gentleman Ukraine into the corruption of Ukraine Mr. GIANFORTE. Madam Speaker, from Texas (Mr. HURD). interference into the U.S. election in today this Chamber is pushing through Mr. HURD of Texas. Madam Speaker, 2016. the most partisan, baseless Articles of throughout this process, the American You have said this was about, oh, Impeachment in our history. people have learned of bungling foreign this terrible Russia collusion. Oh, then House Democrats’ hyperpartisan im- policy decisions, but we have not heard that fell through. It is about emolu- peachment has been a sham since day evidence, beyond a reasonable doubt, of ments. It is about bribery. It is about one, driven by those whose bitter rage bribery or extortion. Allegations of extortion. It has changed. against President Trump has blinded these two crimes aren’t even men- But one thing hasn’t changed, and their better judgment. tioned in the Articles of Impeachment that is the intent to impeach this The fact is they resolved to overturn being debated today. President. It has always been there. the results of the 2016 election the day Today, we have seen a rushed process But let’s be honest. The President President Trump won. Earlier this divide our country. Today, accusations turning his back on Ukraine, that hap- year, Speaker PELOSI said: ‘‘Impeach- have been hurled at each other, ques- pened in 2009, because in 2008 Ukraine ment is so divisive to the country that tioning one another’s integrity. Today, invaded Georgia. unless there’s something so compelling a dangerous precedent will be set: im- What happened? Bush put sanctions and overwhelming and bipartisan, I peachment becoming a weaponized po- on Russia to teach them a lesson. What happened after that? Well, in don’t think we should go down that litical tool. March of 2009, Hillary Clinton was sent path.’’ We know how this partisan process over to Russia with a reset button to None of those standards have been will end this evening, but what happens say: Bush overreacted. We are okay met—none. tomorrow? Can this Chamber put down The committee hearings were a that you invaded Georgia. our swords and get back to work for scripted, substance-free, made-for-TV It was a green light to Russia to in- the American people? show. They would be comedy if im- vade Ukraine. This institution has a fabled history peachment weren’t so serious and And what do you do? Oh, yeah, you of passing legislation that has not only grave. Witnesses denied awareness of send blankets and MREs. They can eat changed our country, but has inspired an impeachable offense. And because and be warm while the Russians are the world. This feat has been possible the majority has failed to make the killing them. That is what the Obama because this experiment we call Amer- case for impeachment, there is no bi- administration did. ica has one perpetual goal: make a partisanship. This is a travesty, and we are in big more perfect Union. Compelling? Overwhelming? Bipar- trouble because SCHUMER was right. We can contribute to this history if tisan? Speaker PELOSI has not met her Now it has lowered the bar even far- we recognize the simple fact that way own criteria for impeachment, but here ther. It will be used for political bat- more unites our country than divides we are. Despite Democrats testing and tles, and this country’s end is now in us. Tomorrow, can we start focusing on tweaking their impeachment message, sight. I hope I don’t live to see it. that? the American people have rejected it. This is an outrage. I will vote against this partisan im- Mr. NADLER. Madam Speaker, I Mr. NADLER. Madam Speaker, I am peachment sham. Let’s get back to the yield 1 minute to the gentleman from deeply concerned that any Member of work that the American people sent us Illinois (Mr. DANNY K. DAVIS). the House would spout Russian propa- here to do on this sad day of an im- Mr. DANNY K. DAVIS of Illinois. ganda on the floor of the House. peachment charade. Madam Speaker, this is, indeed, a sad I yield 1 minute to the gentleman Mr. NADLER. Madam Speaker, I day for our country. This is, indeed, a from New York (Mr. HIGGINS). yield 1 minute to the gentleman from sad day for America. But it is a good Mr. HIGGINS of New York. Madam Texas (Mr. GONZALEZ). day for our Constitution. Speaker, the United States Constitu- Mr. GONZALEZ of Texas. Madam It is a sad day for our country be- tion is explicit: Bribery is an impeach- Speaker, I rise on a sad day for Amer- cause President Trump has defied our able offense. ica, a sad day for Texas, and a very sad Constitution, our rules, our require- Bribery involves the abuse of power, day for the people I represent. I am not ments, and our expectations. and the President of the United States gleeful for today. It is clear that President Trump abused the power of his office by solic- I came to Congress to lower the costs places himself above the law, above our iting a bribe of a foreign leader to of prescription drugs, fight for a debt- Constitution, and above the expecta- interfere in an election that he was free education, and improve the care of tions of the American people. afraid he could not win honorably, fair- special-needs children, our seniors, and At my last townhall meeting, which ly, or freely: You, President of our veterans. was held Saturday, December 15, at Ukraine, open and announce an inves- I did not come to Congress to im- Malcolm X College in Chicago, some- tigation of my political rival, and I, peach a sitting President, but we have one asked the question: What is our po- President of the United States, will re- been given no choice. He has eroded the sition on impeachment? lease $391 million in military aid and foundations of our democracy and used Madam Speaker, every person there give you the stature-amplifying White the office of the Presidency for per- rose and said: Impeach. House meeting that you need. sonal and political gain. When I speak, I speak for the people This is a this-for-that, something-for- Our Founding Fathers feared that of the Seventh District of Illinois, and something transaction. Soliciting a one day the power of the Presidency my vote will be impeach, impeach, im- bribe from a foreign leader is an abuse would stretch beyond its limits; thus, peach. of power and a Federal crime. they enshrined in the Constitution a Mr. ARMSTRONG. Madam Speaker, I Mr. ARMSTRONG. Madam Speaker, I system of checks and balances. yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from yield 11⁄2 minutes to the gentleman We cannot and will not lower the eth- Texas (Mr. GOHMERT). from Florida (Mr. BILIRAKIS). ical standards of our Presidency. We Mr. GOHMERT. Madam Speaker, in Mr. BILIRAKIS. Madam Speaker, I cannot afford to wither like a cheap 1998, Senator SCHUMER said: ‘‘This im- want to thank my Republican col- flower in bad weather, watching our de- peachment will be used as a routine leagues who have toiled honorable in mocracy crumble and rot from within. tool to fight political battles.’’ defense of the Constitution and the That is not the America the world We thought it was a prediction. It rule of law under difficult cir- knows and loves, and it is certainly not was a promise, and now it is playing cumstances. Madam Speaker, it is a

VerDate Sep 11 2014 06:37 Dec 19, 2019 Jkt 099060 PO 00000 Frm 00049 Fmt 7634 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\K18DE7.081 H18DEPT1 SSpencer on DSKBBXCHB2PROD with HOUSE H12162 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — HOUSE December 18, 2019 darn shame that we have found our- Those facts could not be more clear: I would cast in my tenure as a Rep- selves in this position today. The President committed no crime, resentative. It isn’t asking too much, Every time I step into this Chamber, broke no laws, and there was no quid but, no, they want to get out of here I am humbled to be serving in the pro quo. before Christmas, so it is okay to rush greatest legislative body in the history I look forward to doing the right the process. of the world. However, it is deeply dis- thing, representing the Hoosiers in my I am ashamed to be part of this appointing that the hyperpartisanship district, and voting against this im- today, even as I vote against the im- that has gripped this country has made peachment charade. I stand with Presi- peachment. My constituents are call- its way into this Chamber. dent Trump and look forward to pass- ing every day mad as hell, saying we I pride myself on being a consensus ing policies that continue to move our should be ashamed that this historic builder who works across the aisle to country forward. Chamber has fallen so low as to allow something like this to happen. get things done for the American peo- b 1545 ple, but when it comes to the matter of Mr. NADLER. Madam Speaker, I impeachment, I have no doubt that the Mr. NADLER. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may con- entire process has been politically mo- yield 1 minute to the gentleman from sume. tivated. Oregon (Mr. BLUMENAUER). Madam Speaker, my friend, the gen- There is absolutely no evidence that Mr. BLUMENAUER. Madam Speaker, tleman from Georgia, has a tagline President Trump committed an im- thanks to the hard work of our com- about the clock and the calendar. peachable offense, which is why I will mittees and the leadership of the Madam Speaker, this is not about the clock and the calendar. It is about cor- vote ‘‘no.’’ Speaker, we found overwhelming evi- This whole process has been a ploy to dence Trump invited foreign interests ruption and the Constitution. It is circumvent the will of the people by re- to interfere in our elections for his per- about a President who abuses power to coerce an ally to intervene in our elec- moving a duly elected President of the sonal gain, and then he took unprece- tion and poses a continuing threat to United States. It is a national disgrace, dented efforts to cover it up, obstruct- ing Congress. the integrity of our next election. and it sets a dangerous precedent. The President’s defense is built on But we are a great nation, and we I am proud of the courage of new three pillars, and when those three pil- will survive this indignity. Let’s put Members to do their duty, so that, for the first time in his privileged life, lars fall, the entire defense of the this ugly chapter behind us, Madam President collapses. Speaker, and get to work. Donald Trump will be finally held ac- countable for his reckless personal be- First, they claim there was no quid Mr. NADLER. Madam Speaker, I pro quo. Well, the evidence is undis- havior and business practices. yield 1 minute to the gentleman from puted. President Trump conditioned a I vote proudly for these two Articles Mississippi (Mr. THOMPSON). White House visit and military aid on of Impeachment. And then I hope the Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi. President Zelensky’s public announce- House retains control of the articles Madam Speaker, the question that will ment of the investigations. Ambas- until the Speaker and Leader SCHUMER be answered today is: Will Members sador William Taylor wrote at the can negotiate an agreement on process honor their oath to uphold the Con- time, ‘‘I think it’s crazy to withhold and witnesses from MCCONNELL so that stitution? security assistance for help with a po- the next stage will be open and fair so Democrats are not supporting im- litical campaign.’’ peachment based on a policy disagree- that Donald Trump will ultimately be A reporter asked White House Chief ment or the election results of 2016. No held accountable. of Staff Mick Mulvaney if there had one is above the law. The President Mr. ARMSTRONG. Madam Speaker, I been a quid pro quo here, and he re- 1 must be held accountable. yield 1 ⁄2 minutes to the gentleman plied, ‘‘We do that all the time. Get A constitutional process is not a from Oklahoma (Mr. KEVIN HERN). over it.’’ The President refused to help hoax or a witch hunt. President Trump Mr. KEVIN HERN of Oklahoma. Pub- our ally until he got a personal polit- just opposes it. No one is above the lic hearings began November 13. Less ical favor, and so the first defense falls. law, not even President Donald J. than a month later, Speaker PELOSI an- Second, the minority claims that the Trump. nounced Articles of Impeachment on Ukrainians didn’t know about the hold. The President abused his power by December 5, saying the investigation The evidence, again, is undisputed. pressuring Ukraine to help his reelec- had revealed enough information to Ukraine knew about the hold on the tion campaign. Impeachment is a con- move forward with impeachment. military assistance within hours of the stitutional remedy for these actions. Let’s think about that 22-day inves- President’s July 25 call. Laura Cooper Trump betrayed his oath, betrayed tigation. Six of those days were week- of the Department of Defense testified the Constitution, and undermined the ends where hearings weren’t hap- under oath that on July 25 the State integrity of our elections. Those who pening, and the House was not in ses- Department sent two emails to the De- are against the impeachment inquiry sion. Seven of those days were week- partment of Defense notifying them are willing to turn a blind eye to con- days that the House was in recess, in- that Ukrainian officials were asking, stitutional violations by the President. cluding the week of Thanksgiving. Two Where is the aid? The Ukrainians un- As a nation, we have no other alter- of those days were fly-in days, where derstood exactly what President native. We must protect our Constitu- Congress doesn’t hold hearings. So out Trump was asking. He wanted a per- tion and the United States of America. of the 22 days, just 7 days were used to sonal political favor before the aid was In his own words: ‘‘No intelligent investigate, debate, and vote on the released. And so the second defense person believes what he is saying.’’ impeachment of the duly elected leader falls. Mr. ARMSTRONG. Madam Speaker, I of our country. Third, and finally, my Republican yield 11⁄2 minutes to the gentleman No wonder my constituents are friends say the aid was released. But from Indiana (Mr. BAIRD). upset; 7 days to impeach the President the aid was released only after the Mr. BAIRD. Madam Speaker, the to- of the United States. Not to mention President got caught. This House tality of this process is just another re- that this 7-day investigation uncovered launched its investigation on Sep- minder that my colleagues across the zero facts in support of impeachment. I tember 9. The hold on the aid was lifted aisle are more focused on politics than spent every minute I had in there as an on September 11. This is not evidence policy. The American people deserve observer of these hearings, and all I of innocence. It is evidence of culpa- better. Our Republic deserves better. learned is if you hate someone so bility. The evidence is overwhelming. The brave men and women of our strongly and enough people agree with And when the President got caught, he military, myself included, have fought you, that is grounds enough to be im- did everything in his power to prevent for freedom and democracy all around peached. the American people from learning the the world. Yet, today, my colleagues We asked for 12 hours of debate, the truth about his actions by defying the are eroding those freedoms through a same amount of time allotted to Presi- congressional investigation, by order- process that ignored facts, abused dent Clinton’s impeachment, 12 hours ing that all requests and demands for power, and was shrouded in secrecy. of debate for possibly the biggest vote information be denied.

VerDate Sep 11 2014 06:37 Dec 19, 2019 Jkt 099060 PO 00000 Frm 00050 Fmt 7634 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\K18DE7.082 H18DEPT1 SSpencer on DSKBBXCHB2PROD with HOUSE December 18, 2019 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — HOUSE H12163 With our national security and the Intelligence Committee, will now serve hopes of defeating Mr. Biden in the 2020 integrity of our election at risk, we as my designee and will control the re- Presidential election and enhancing his must act, not because of the clock and mainder of the time on the majority own prospects for reelection. He didn’t the calendar, but to fight against cor- side. even need the investigation to be un- ruption and for continued self-govern- Mr. SCHIFF. Madam Speaker, I yield dertaken, just simply announced to the ment by the American people. myself such time as I may consume. public; the smear of his opponent Madam Speaker, I reserve the bal- Madam Speaker, I thank my col- would be enough. ance of my time. league, Chairman NADLER, for yielding, To effectuate this scheme, President Mr. ARMSTRONG. Madam Speaker, I and I thank him for the extraordinary Trump withheld two official acts of would just point out that, to believe job that he has done as chairman of the vital importance to a nation at war everything that was just said, you have Judiciary Committee throughout these with our adversary, Vladimir Putin’s to also believe that President Zelensky difficult proceedings. Russia. The President withheld a White is a pathological liar. Madam Speaker, my colleagues, my House meeting that Ukraine des- I yield 11⁄2 minutes to the gentleman fellow Americans, I rise to support the perately sought to bolster its standing from South Carolina (Mr. DUNCAN). impeachment of President Donald J. on the world stage. And even more per- Mr. DUNCAN. Madam Speaker, we Trump. niciously, President Trump suspended are not debating impeachment of an ‘‘When a man unprincipled in private hundreds of millions of dollars of mili- American President today. Your minds life desperate in his fortune, bold in his tary aid approved by this Congress to are already made up. The Democrat temper, possessed of considerable tal- coerce Ukraine into doing his electoral majority has had a verdict, impeach- ents, having the advantage of military dirty work. ment, looking for a crime since the in- habits—despotic in his ordinary de- The President of the United States auguration. meanor—known to have scoffed in pri- was willing to sacrifice our national se- The Washington Post ran the head- vate at the principles of liberty—when curity by withholding support for a line, ‘‘The Campaign to Impeach Presi- such a man is seen to mount the hob- critical strategic partner at war in dent Trump Has Begun’’ just 19 min- byhorse of popularity—to join in the order to improve his reelection pros- utes after President Trump took the cry of danger to liberty—to take every pects. oath of office. opportunity of embarrassing the gen- But for the courage of someone will- The freshman Congresswoman from eral government and bringing it under ing to blow the whistle, he would have Michigan told a group of supporters, suspicion—to flatter and fall in with gotten away with it. Instead, he got ‘‘We are going to impeach the mother- all the nonsense of the zealots of the caught. He tried to cheat, and he got blank’’ shortly after she was sworn in. day—it may justly be suspected that caught. Even Speaker PELOSI admitted last his object is to throw things into con- Now, this wasn’t the first time. As a week that the impeachment effort has fusion that he may ride the storm and candidate in 2016, Donald Trump in- been going on for 21⁄2 years, long before direct the whirlwind.’’ These are the vited Russian interference in his presi- any phone call between two world lead- words of Alexander Hamilton written dential campaign, saying at a cam- ers. in 1792. Could we find a more perfect paign rally, ‘‘Russia, if you’re listen- In fact, 71 percent of the Democrats description of the present danger ema- ing, I hope you’re able to find the 30,000 on the Judiciary Committee supported nating from 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue? emails that are missing,’’ a clear invi- an impeachment before the phone call. The Framers crafted a Constitution tation to hack Hillary Clinton’s The impeachment sham is based on that contemplated free and fair elec- emails. Just 5 hours later Russian Gov- hearsay, conjecture, and opinion. And tions for the highest office in the land, ernment hackers tried to do exactly you know what, you can’t even get a but also afforded the Congress with a that. speeding ticket in this country based power to remove a President who What followed was an immense Rus- on hearsay, yet we are going to im- abused the powers of his office for per- sian hacking and dumping operation peach an American President based on sonal gain, who compromised the pub- and a social media disinformation cam- just that. lic trust by betraying our Nation’s se- paign designed to help elect Donald Where are the crimes of treason, high curity or who sought to undermine our Trump. Not only did candidate Trump crimes or misdemeanors committed democratic system by seeking foreign welcome that effort, but he made full here? Those are things that constitute intervention in the conduct of our elec- use of it, building it into his campaign impeachable offenses, not hatred or tions. plan and his messaging strategy. And policy disagreements. If memory serves I would say that the Founders could then he sought to cover it up. me right, Congress told the administra- have little imagined that a single This Russian effort to interfere in tion to withhold aid to Ukraine until President might have done all of these our elections didn’t deter Donald they got their act together, addressed things, except that the evidence has Trump. It empowered him. The day corruption, and straightened it out. sadly proved this is exactly what this after Special Counsel Bob Mueller tes- That was in multiple NDAAs voted on President has done. Hamilton, among tified before Congress about Russia’s by both parties in this Chamber. others, seems to have predicted the rise sweeping and systematic effort to in- So in the simplest terms, we are im- of Donald Trump with a staggering pre- fluence the outcome of our last elec- peaching the President for doing some- science. tion, the day after President Trump be- thing we told him to do. Give me a Having won freedom from a king, the lieved that the investigation into his break. We have wasted precious time drafters of our Constitution designed a first electoral misconduct had come to we were given to serve the American government in which ambition was an end, the President was back on the people while you held secret hearings made to check ambition, in which no phone urging yet another country, this and depositions behind closed doors in branch of government would predomi- time Ukraine, to help him cheat in an- Chairman SCHIFF’s chamber of secrets. nate over another, and no man would other election. But the American people have a be allowed to be above the law, includ- Three consecutive days in July tell great sense of fairness, I promise you. ing the President, especially the Presi- so much of the story, three consecutive They see President Trump has not been dent, since with whom would the dan- days in July of 2019: treated fairly in this process. Impeach- ger be greater than with the officer July 24, the day that Special Counsel ment based on hearsay and opinion, charged with being our Commander in Mueller testified before Congress and not facts. It is a sad day in this Cham- Chief? President Trump thought he was fi- ber, the people’s House. Over the course of the last 3 months, nally in the clear. The SPEAKER pro tempore. Mem- we have found incontrovertible evi- July 25, the day that President bers are reminded to address their re- dence that President Trump abused his Trump got on the phone with the marks to the Chair. power by pressuring the newly elected Ukrainian President and, in the con- Mr. NADLER. Madam Speaker, I now President of Ukraine to announce an text of a discussion about military sup- inform you that the gentleman from investigation into President Trump’s port for that embattled nation that the California (Mr. SCHIFF) the chair of the political rival, Joe Biden, with the President had recently frozen, said, ‘‘I

VerDate Sep 11 2014 06:37 Dec 19, 2019 Jkt 099060 PO 00000 Frm 00051 Fmt 7634 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\K18DE7.084 H18DEPT1 SSpencer on DSKBBXCHB2PROD with HOUSE H12164 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — HOUSE December 18, 2019 would like you to do us a favor, ing, ‘‘China should start an investiga- script is out. Everybody can read it. though,’’ and asked Ukraine to do two tion into the Bidens,’’ too. The American people can read it. There investigations to help his reelection ef- President Trump sent his chief of is no conditionality or aid discussed on forts in 2020. That was July 25. staff to the White House podium, and that call. The two principals on that And then we come to July 26, the day he told the world that, of course, they call, President Trump and President Gordon Sondland called President had linked aid to investigations, and Zelensky, have said there was no pres- Trump on his cell phone from a res- that we should just ‘‘get over it.’’ sure. President Zelensky has basically taurant in Ukraine. Gordon Sondland, And even as these articles have made screamed from the rooftops on numer- not some anonymous ‘‘never Trump- their way to this House floor, the ous occasions that there was no pres- er,’’ but a million-dollar donor to the President’s personal attorney has con- sure, no bribery, no quid pro quo. President’s inauguration, and his hand- tinued pursuing these sham investiga- The Ukrainian Government got the picked ambassador to the European tions on behalf of his client, the Presi- money and didn’t know the aid was Union. dent. being paused, and no investigation was b 1600 The President and his men plot on. announced and a meeting with the The danger persists. The risk is real. President took place, and the aid was What does President Trump ask Our democracy is at peril. released. Sondland? The day after this call, what But we are not without a remedy pre- The SPEAKER pro tempore. Mem- does President Trump ask? What does scribed by the Founders for just these bers are once again reminded to ad- the President want to know? circumstances: impeachment. Did he ask about Ukraine’s efforts to dress their remarks to the Chair. The only question is this: Will we use Mr. ARMSTRONG. Madam Speaker, I battle corruption? Of course not. Did it? Or have we fallen prey to another yield 11⁄2 minutes to the gentleman he ask how the war with Russia was evil that the Founders forewarned? The from Missouri (Mr. SMITH), my friend. going? Not a chance. On the phone, his voice loud enough excess of factionalism, the elevation of Mr. SMITH of Missouri. Madam for others to hear, President Trump party over country. Speaker, I come from a State that Many of my colleagues appear to asked Sondland, ‘‘So he is going to do raises corn and cotton, cockleburs and have made their choice: to protect the the investigation?’’ And the answer Democrats. President, to enable him to be above was clear. Sondland assured Trump Your frothy eloquence neither con- the law, to empower this President to that the Ukrainian president was vinces nor satisfies me. cheat again as long as it is in the serv- ‘‘going to do it’’ and that ‘‘he would do I am from the Show Me State. You ice of their party and their power. anything you ask him to.’’ have to show me. Madam Speaker, I say to my col- They have made their choice, despite The only thing that you all have leagues, if that wasn’t telling enough, this President and the White House shown so far is that you are about to in a conversation that followed, an stonewalling every subpoena, every re- impeach a duly elected President who American diplomat dining with quest for witnesses and testimony from has done nothing wrong. Sondland asked if it was true that this co-equal branch of government. Democrats are not impeaching the President Trump didn’t give a blank They have made their choice, know- President because they are scared for about Ukraine. ing that to allow this President to ob- our republic or that he has committed Sondland agreed, saying, the Presi- struct Congress will empower him and a crime; they are impeaching him be- dent cared only about ‘‘big stuff.’’ any other President that follows to be cause they fear the President’s policies The diplomat noted that there was as corrupt, as negligent, or as abusive and how well they are working for the big stuff in Ukraine, like a war with of the power of the Presidency as they American people. Most of all, they fear Russia. choose. the election, because they know they And Sondland replied that the Presi- They have made their choice, and I can’t beat him. dent cared only about big stuff that believe they will rue the day that they In fact, one of my Democrat col- benefits him personally, like the did. leagues is quoted as stating: ‘‘I am con- ‘‘Biden investigation that Mr. Giuliani When Donald J. Trump was sworn in cerned if we don’t impeach him, he will was pushing.’’ on January 20, 2017, he repeated these get reelected.’’ In that short conversation, we words: ‘‘I do solemnly swear that I will This kind of rhetoric is disgusting. learned everything we need to know faithfully execute the Office of the Impeachment is not a political weap- about the 45th President of the United President of the United States, and on, and any Member who votes for im- States. He doesn’t care about Ukraine will, to the best of my ability, pre- peachment should be ashamed today. or the impact on our national security serve, protect, and defend the Constitu- You cannot undo the results of the caused by withholding military aid to tion of the United States.’’ 2016 election simply because your that country fighting for its demo- Has he lived up to that sacred obliga- flawed candidate did not win. cratic life. All that matters to this tion? Has he honored his oath of office? And I thank God she didn’t. President is what affects him person- Has he preserved, protected, and de- Over the last 3 years, unemployment ally: an investigation into his political fended the Constitution of the United has dropped to the lowest point in gen- rival and a chance to cheat in the next States? erations, we are seeing better trade election. The uncontested evidence provides agreements with our trading partners, As Professor Gerhardt testified be- the simple yet tragic answer: He has and record numbers of taxes and regu- fore the Judiciary Committee 2 weeks not. lations that stifle economic growth ago: ‘‘If what we are talking about is In America, no one is above the law. have been rolled back, all thanks to not impeachable, then nothing is im- Donald J. Trump sacrificed our na- President Trump’s leadership and com- peachable.’’ tional security in an effort to cheat in mitment. Even as this body uncovered the facts the next election, and for that and his The SPEAKER pro tempore. The of this Ukraine scheme, even as we continued efforts to seek foreign inter- time of the gentleman has expired. opened an impeachment inquiry, even ference in our elections, he must be im- Mr. ARMSTRONG. Madam Speaker, I as we gathered evidence, President peached. yield an additional 15 seconds to the Trump continued his efforts to seek Mr. ARMSTRONG. Madam Chair, I gentleman. foreign help in the next election. yield myself such time as I may con- Mr. SMITH of Missouri. Madam ‘‘Well, I would think,’’ he said from the sume. Speaker, this is very important. We White House lawn on October 3, ‘‘that, It is nice to see you here, Chairman shouldn’t be surprised. Democrats have if they are being honest about it, they SCHIFF. It would have been nice to have introduced Articles of Impeachment would start a major investigation into either you or the whistleblower present against five out of our last six Repub- the Bidens. It is a very simple answer,’’ in either the Judiciary or the Over- lican Presidents. he said. sight hearings. They are the party of impeachment. And he made it clear it is an open in- I think we are continuing to neglect The Democrats are the party of im- vitation to other nations as well, say- the four key facts of this. The tran- peachment.

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The SPEAKER pro tempore. Once Madam Speaker, I yield 11⁄2 minutes I notice I have a new manager on the again, Members are admonished to ad- to the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. JOHN- other side, who, as I came back in from dress their remarks to the Chair. SON). getting a quick bite, I noticed gave an Mr. SCHIFF. Madam Speaker, I yield Mr. JOHNSON of Ohio. Madam eloquent defense of his side of this 2 minutes to the gentleman from Cali- Speaker, this is a sad day for America. story that we are telling. I just wish we fornia (Mr. SWALWELL). This partisan impeachment sham seeks could have had that same eloquent de- Mr. SWALWELL. Madam Speaker, to disenfranchise 63 million American fense before the Judiciary Committee, Donald Trump is using the Presidency voters. where he could have been asked ques- to put his own personal gain above our I want to use my time to call on this tions instead of just giving one side. national interests. Chamber, for Members to rise and ob- Madam Speaker, I yield 11⁄2 minutes He is using our taxpayer dollars and serve a moment of silent reflection, to to the gentleman from Pennsylvania foreign interference to cheat the next give every Member here the chance to (Mr. KELLER). election, and it jeopardizes our na- pause for a moment and remember the Mr. KELLER. Madam Speaker, today tional security and integrity at the voices of the 63 million American vot- will forever be remembered as a stain ballot box. ers the Democrats today are wanting on our Republic. These impeachment proceedings are Not a single fact in this case is seri- to silence. not based upon facts, evidence, reason, ously in dispute. Madam Speaker, disenfranchising 63 or any inappropriate or impeachable I ask my colleagues: Who sent his million voters gives me 63 million rea- actions by our President. Instead, the personal lawyer to Ukraine to inves- sons to vote ‘‘no’’, and I urge my col- actions being taken by those favoring tigate his political rival? Who fired an leagues to do the same. impeachment are a product of their ambassador who stood in his way? Who Mr. SCHIFF. Madam Speaker, I yield disdain for President Trump, his Amer- conditioned a White House meeting on 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from ica First agenda, and, particularly, a investigations that only personally Alabama (Ms. SEWELL). disdain by the other party for the 63 benefited him and not the national in- Ms. SEWELL of Alabama. Madam million Americans who elected him as terest? Who cut off military aid to an Speaker, it is with a heavy heart and a President. ally that desperately needed it? Who profound sense of the gravity of this Again, these Articles of Impeach- pressured President Zelensky to con- moment that I rise today in support of ment are not based on any facts but, duct those investigations? Who stood the impeachment of President Donald rather, on hearsay, presumptions, in- on the White House lawn and asked not J. Trump. nuendo, and feelings, feelings by Demo- only Ukraine to investigate his rival, To be clear, I did not run for Con- crats and career bureaucrats who have but also China? Who has buried evi- gress to impeach a President. wanted President Trump removed from dence and blocked witnesses from tes- I come to work every day on behalf of office since the day he was elected. tifying? And who is still today sending the hardworking people of Alabama’s In defense of the Constitution, I urge his personal lawyer to Ukraine to dig Seventh Congressional District. all Members to oppose both Articles of up dirt and rig an election? But the facts are uncontested. The Impeachment. It is unclear who will The answer to all of these questions truth is clear. And I have been left no judge those voting for impeachment is President Donald Trump. other choice. today more harshly: history or voters. This is a crime spree in progress, but As a member of the Intelligence I want Democrats voting for im- we know how to stop it: courage. Committee, I sat in shock, in awe as peachment today to know that I will be Yes, this investigation has shown us witness after witness came forward, praying for them from the Gospel of how corrupt President Trump is, but it their stories painting a clear picture of Luke, the 23rd chapter, verse 34: ‘‘And has also shown us the courage of some the President’s abuse of power. Jesus said, ‘Father, forgive them, for of our fellow patriotic civil servants, they know not what they do.’’’ b 1615 who have used their courage to not Mr. SCHIFF. Madam Speaker, I yield only stand up around the world to ex- They testified that the President had myself such time as I may consume. tinguish corruption, but also to extin- direct orders to withhold vital military Madam Speaker, my colleagues have guish it at the White House. aid for Ukraine and a White House visit referred to patriotic Americans who How so? Well, my colleagues argue: in exchange for investigations into the testified before the Intelligence Com- ‘‘No harm, no foul. Ukraine got the Bidens. mittee as career bureaucrats. I want to remind people just who those career aid.’’ To date, all the military aid has not bureaucrats are. Wrong. Trump cheated. Patriots been released, and there still has been They are people like Ambassador Bill caught him. Then Ukraine got the aid. no White House meeting. Taylor, who has served this country for Standing up, it turns out, works. The bottom line is clear. President decades. He graduated top in his class Now is the time to summon the cour- Trump endangered our national secu- at West Point, served during Vietnam age of those patriots and to summon rity and the very essence of our democ- racy for his own personal political in combat, and earned a Bronze Star. the courage that they showed against They are people like Colonel gain. Then, President Trump sought to Donald Trump. Vindman, who served in Iraq and cover it up by subverting the oversight If they can risk their careers, even earned a Purple Heart. their lives, to do the right thing, can authority of Congress. They are people like Ambassador my colleagues also do the same? If Presidential abuse of power is left Marie Yovanovitch, who served in dan- After all, more is on the line than unchecked, we all become accomplices gerous places all over the world, one of just military aid to an ally. when he does it again. This cannot be- the most respected of all of our Foreign Our national security is at stake. come the new normal, not on our Service officers. Stand up for that. watch. These are the people who my col- Our election integrity is at stake. While President Trump’s indefensible leagues would pejoratively label as Stand up for that. actions set in motion this event, my ‘‘career bureaucrats.’’ Why? Because Our Constitution is at stake. Stand vote for impeachment today is not they have the courage to do their law- up for that. about the President. It is about my ful duty, to answer a subpoena and to Mr. ARMSTRONG. Madam Speaker, oath to defend and protect the Con- come and testify. For this, they are may I inquire as to how much time re- stitution of this United States of called career bureaucrats. Well, we mains on each side. America and to make sure that I up- should have more career bureaucrats of The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gen- hold and honor the sacred trust that that caliber. tleman from North Dakota has 1 hour, my constituents gave me. Madam Speaker, I am pleased to 231⁄4 minutes remaining. The gentleman President Trump has betrayed his yield 1 minute to the gentleman from from California has 1 hour, 18 minutes oath of office. Let us not betray ours. California (Mr. COSTA). remaining. Mr. COLLINS of Georgia. Madam Mr. COSTA. Madam Speaker, I rise Mr. ARMSTRONG. Madam Speaker, I Speaker, I am back. I also noticed with a heavy heart. The two most dif- appreciate the detail. some changes around here since I left. ficult votes any Member of Congress

VerDate Sep 11 2014 06:37 Dec 19, 2019 Jkt 099060 PO 00000 Frm 00053 Fmt 7634 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\K18DE7.087 H18DEPT1 SSpencer on DSKBBXCHB2PROD with HOUSE H12166 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — HOUSE December 18, 2019 ever has to cast is to vote to go to war itics above the issues that Americans Madam Speaker, I see how this is or to impeach. Today, I will vote for face today. It is time Democrats stop playing out. Instead of coming to tes- the Articles of Impeachment. playing partisan games that hurt hard- tify for 7 or 8 hours and answering all Over the last few months, I have lis- working taxpayers. It is time for the questions, we are going to do it in pot- tened carefully to my constituents. I American people to be Congress’ pri- shots. have weighed all the available informa- ority again. Again, let’s talk about Mr. Volker. tion to determine whether or not the Madam Speaker, I urge my col- He never testified that anyone wanted President committed any wrongdoing. leagues to join me in voting ‘‘no.’’ to investigate Vice President Biden. There are disturbing facts from this ad- Mr. SCHIFF. Madam Speaker, I yield What he did testify to, which was left ministration that informed my deci- myself such time as I may consume. out, was that they wanted to, if the sion, including the President’s own Madam Speaker, I am more than de- Ukrainians are doing bad things, place words. lighted to refer to the testimony of Hunter Biden on the board of Burisma His handpicked Ambassador to the Ambassador Volker and Mr. Morrison— to avoid anything that needed to be in- European Union testified there was a Ambassador Volker, who acknowledged vestigated and found out. quid pro quo to withhold aid to that, in retrospect, he should have rec- Let’s at least tell the story. Again, Ukraine for an investigation of former ognized that when they were calling for they had plenty of time to do this in an Vice President Biden, and that every- investigations of Burisma, it really actual hearing, not here. This is what one was in the loop. meant the Bidens, and that to ask a they want. This is what they have been His own National Security Advisor, foreign leader to investigate a political wanting. The majority has played this John Bolton, said he wanted nothing to rival was wrong. the whole time. We will play this out do with this drug deal, as he called it. I am happy to refer to his testimony as long as they want to. It would have Then, the President openly acknowl- as well as Mr. Morrison, who went to been better, though, if they actually edged that China and Ukraine should the National Security Council lawyer had a case, to have made it in the prop- investigate Mr. Biden. immediately after he listened to that er setting instead of not coming and There is much more evidence point- telephone call and who also testified not testifying. that he was informed by Ambassador ing to the President violating his own Madam Speaker, I yield 11⁄2 minutes oath of office. I have not made this de- Sondland that the President wanted to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. cision lightly, but I must uphold my Zelensky ‘‘in a public box,’’ that he WEBER). own oath of office because I believe the wanted him to be forced to go to the Mr. WEBER of Texas. Madam Speak- President has failed to uphold his oath mike and announce these sham inves- er, it is very interesting to hear the so- of office. tigations. cialistic left Democrats that have a The weight of history, my belief in I am happy to refer to their testi- newfound appreciation for the Con- the Constitution of the United States, mony as well. stitution and our Founders’ principles. Madam Speaker, I am now happy to and our own national security interests Would that those same socialists, yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman have led me to this vote. Madam Speaker, afford unborn babies Mr. COLLINS of Georgia. Madam from California (Ms. SPEIER). Ms. SPEIER. Madam Speaker, my fa- the right to life, liberty, and the pur- Speaker, I appreciate anybody who ther fled Nazi Germany for America be- suit of happiness, as well. would come and give testimony. But it Madam Speaker, history tells us, in cause he saw what happened when a is interesting to see that the same the first three impeachments in this despot became untethered. He fled be- chairman who just spoke eloquently country, crimes were involved. John- cause he believed in democracy, the about those who testified would have son violated a law that Congress had rule of law, and the right to vote. Be- to actually dismiss completely almost just passed, over his veto. Nixon was fore he died, he asked to be buried in a anything by Mr. Volker or Mr. Morri- involved in a coverup in Watergate. simple pine box with an American flag son. Clinton lied to a Federal grand jury to symbolize his love of this country. But, again, I will say, at least they Today, we are called upon to do our and expected Monica Lewinsky to fal- had the ability and the willingness to duty out of love of country. The Presi- sify an affidavit. Crimes, all instances come and testify, unlike the chairman, dent stands accused. We must judge of crimes. who wrote a report, sent it to the Judi- him as we judge any of our fellow citi- Now come the socialistic-leaning D’s, ciary Committee, and didn’t. in my opinion, Madam Speaker, osten- 1 zens: on the facts and on the law. Madam Speaker, I yield 1 ⁄2 minutes The facts show that the President’s sibly reading the President’s mind, to the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. North Star is Russia, not the Constitu- knowing what his intent was, and dic- GRANGER). tion. tating to us and the witnesses that Ms. GRANGER. Madam Speaker, I There is no question that President were in the hearings what his mindset rise today in strong opposition to the Trump delayed military aid to was. Quite frankly, they didn’t believe politically driven Articles of Impeach- Ukraine, our ally, as they were under that he had the right to be in charge of ment that have been brought before attack by Russia, our adversary. foreign policy. the House of Representatives today. There is no question the President We heard Ambassadors, and, yes, we For the past 3 years, Democrats have withheld a meeting with President heard career bureaucrats, career dip- been unable to accept the voters’ Zelensky at the White House, giving lomats, whatever you want to call choice to elect President Trump. They Russia the upper hand in peace nego- them. They get to ride the bus; they have used any and all undemocratic tiations with Ukraine. don’t get to drive the bus. The Presi- and unfair means necessary to try and There is no question that President dent is in charge of foreign policy. remove him from office. Trump promoted the Russian hoax that They said that the President had the My vote today is not only against il- Ukraine attacked our election in 2016, audacity to use his judgment on for- legitimate impeachment of our Presi- a canard that has been proven to be a eign policy instead of theirs. Opinions. dent, which began not with facts but lie, a Russian lie. Opinions. Suppositions, indeed. The with a foregone conclusion; it is The only question is his motive. The very swamp he is draining is objecting. against House Democrats making a fact is, his conduct and crimes are rep- Who knew? mockery of due process and the rule of rehensible and unquestionably im- Today, now, during the earlier rule law. peachable. debate, comes the floor manager of the This will not go anywhere in the Sen- When I vote today, my father’s leg- other side from Massachusetts citing ate, so all that Democrats have accom- acy is deep, very deep, within me. My not facts, nor fact witnesses, but news- plished is postponing the important father loved America, and I love Amer- paper articles from CNN and USA work the American people sent their ica. That is why I will vote to impeach Today, opinions and editorials. elected officials to Washington to do. the President of the United States. Unbelievable, Madam Speaker. Amer- This endless crusade of Democrats to Mr. COLLINS of Georgia. Madam icans are watching. The D’s are delu- remove the duly elected President of Speaker, I yield myself such time as I sional, deleterious, delirious, and in the United States has put partisan pol- may consume. deep yogurt.

VerDate Sep 11 2014 06:37 Dec 19, 2019 Jkt 099060 PO 00000 Frm 00054 Fmt 7634 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\K18DE7.088 H18DEPT1 SSpencer on DSKBBXCHB2PROD with HOUSE December 18, 2019 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — HOUSE H12167 Mr. SCHIFF. Madam Speaker, I evidence to support them. There wasn’t protect the sacred equalizer: our right would just remind my colleagues that one witness who said a crime or im- to vote. Ambassador Volker said that the at- peachable offense was committed. To defend the integrity of our elec- tacks on Joe Biden were meritless, and Madam Speaker, I remind my col- tions and to fulfill our duty to the Con- he tried to persuade Mr. Giuliani that leagues, no crime, no impeachable of- stitution, I will be voting in favor of there was no factual support for them. fense. That is a pretty good defense if impeachment today. Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to you ask me. Mr. COLLINS of Georgia. Madam the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. I will work diligently to further re- Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gen- LEWIS). veal the truths and further reveal the tleman from Colorado (Mr. LAMBORN). Mr. LEWIS. Madam Speaker, I thank abuses of power, Madam Speaker, that Mr. LAMBORN. Madam Speaker, the gentleman for yielding. Madam Democrats paid for and enacted during anyone watching this impeachment Speaker, I rise with a heavy heart to the last 3 years, abuses of power from sound and fury, signifying nothing, support this resolution. the other side of the aisle within this should look out for three misrepresen- When we came to Washington in 1961 body and within our FBI. Americans tations the Democrats are making: to go on the Freedom Rides, we chose deserve the truth. One, Trump endangered national se- that day. When we came here on Au- All in all, history will be remembered curity. gust 28, 1963, for the March on Wash- today as the political impeachment No. The 55-day delay did not stop ington, it was joyful. We met with a that set the precedent for Presidents to Ukrainians from defending themselves. young President, President John Fitz- be impeached every time there is a di- Trump actually gave them lethal aid, gerald Kennedy. vided government. which Obama never did. During When we came here on August 6, 1965, I oppose the articles before us today, Obama’s negligence, Democrats said for the signing of the Voting Rights and I yield to the other side and their nothing. Act, we were excited and hopeful. We superior imaginations. Two, Trump is not above the law. No met with President Lyndon Johnson. Mr. SCHIFF. Madam Speaker, I yield one is. But today, this day, we didn’t ask for 2 minutes to the gentleman from Illi- But why don’t the Democrats tell us this. This is a sad day. It is not a day nois (Mr. QUIGLEY). what law he broke? They can’t, because of joy. Mr. QUIGLEY. Madam Speaker, in- he didn’t break any. So Democrats Our Nation is founded on the prin- deed, we are here today because the have resorted to two vague and subjec- ciple that we do not have kings. We President of the United States abused tive articles: abuse of power and ob- have Presidents, and the Constitution his power and betrayed his oath of of- struction of justice. is our compass. fice. He laid siege to the foundation of And, three, the evidence is not in dis- When you see something that is not our democracy: the electoral process. pute. right, not just, not fair, you have a These actions have posed a direct No, the evidence is very much in dis- moral obligation to say something, to threat to the freedom and fairness of pute. In fact, for every statement do something. Our children and their the upcoming 2020 election. Democrats cherry-pick to indict children will ask us: What did you do? The very day after Robert Mueller Trump, more statements back up the What did you say? testified that Russia had systemati- President. In reality, this is nothing but a par- For some, this vote may be hard. But cally and relentlessly attacked the 2016 tisan ploy by Democrats to overturn an we have a mission and a mandate to be election, the President picked up the election. But this charade will fail, and on the right side of history. phone and made his now infamous July the Senate will exonerate Trump, and b 1630 25 call to Ukrainian President everyone knows it. Zelensky, asking President Zelensky Mr. COLLINS of Georgia. Madam Mr. SCHIFF. Madam Speaker, I yield on that call to ‘‘do us a favor though,’’ Speaker, I always like to be polite, and 2 minutes to the gentleman from Texas and announced investigations into his I do appreciate the gentleman from (Mr. CASTRO). California confirming everything I just political rival, Joe Biden. Mr. CASTRO of Texas. Madam said in my statement a moment ago. We have since learned from numerous Speaker, as my colleagues have said, Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to National Security Council and State the evidence of the President’s abuse of the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Department officials that the Presi- power and obstruction of Congress is WENSTRUP). dent did not even expect Ukraine to uncontested. But let’s outline a few Mr. WENSTRUP. Madam Speaker, open these investigations; rather, he key events involving the nearly $400 since 2016, America has seen a pattern just wanted them announced so he million in military aid that was held of failed and disproven attacks and al- could smear his rival. Rather than up by President Trump and for Presi- legations against President Trump. trusting the voters to decide who dent Trump despite congressional man- Today is the fourth impeachment-re- should hold the White House, he sought date. lated vote since President Trump took the aid of a foreign country to tip the The summer of 2019 was a summer of office. It is yet another attempt to scales in his favor—again. shame at the White House. reach their predetermined conclusion After Russia’s unprecedented inter- On July 3, the White House first of impeachment, a conclusion built on ference, a dark cloud hung over the blocked security assistance money for political bias, accusations, and innu- 2016 election; and instead of leading the Ukraine with no explanation. endo. These repetitive and false allega- American people out from under the On July 10, Gordon Sondland states, tions reveal a political obsession dis- cloud, the President, instead, during a White House meeting with guised as some kind of righteous over- emboldened by perceived lack of con- Ukrainian officials, that they will get a sight. sequence, attempted to pressure White House meeting only after an- When they didn’t win at the ballot Zelensky to interfere in the 2020 elec- nouncing an investigation into Presi- box, they pursued a Russian collusion tion. dent Trump’s political rival. narrative that Special Counsel Robert After a courageous whistleblower On July 18, a White House staffer an- Mueller had to waste time and tax- came forward and warned Congress and nounces the freeze on Ukrainian aid, payer dollars to prove false. the public about the President’s per direct Presidential order. When the Russian collusion mali- scheme, the President stood on the And just one day after Robert cious deception didn’t work, Madam White House lawn in front of TV cam- Mueller’s testimony before Congress, Speaker, Democrats sought a new path eras broadcasting around the world and President Trump makes a now infa- forward to impeach President Trump: called for China to interfere, too. mous phone call with Zelensky asking They created a made-for-TV set of Some of my colleagues have asked: him to investigate the Bidens. hearings complete with witness audi- Why not wait? Why are we proceeding? Then, things start to fall apart. tions held in the basement of the Cap- That is very simple. Because nothing The White House learns that a whis- itol. could be more urgent. We are on the tleblower has reported President Despite all of their efforts, the precipice of the 2020 election, and Con- Trump’s phone call with President charges the House considers today lack gress has ultimate responsibility to Zelensky in a complaint.

VerDate Sep 11 2014 06:37 Dec 19, 2019 Jkt 099060 PO 00000 Frm 00055 Fmt 7634 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\K18DE7.090 H18DEPT1 SSpencer on DSKBBXCHB2PROD with HOUSE H12168 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — HOUSE December 18, 2019 On September 9, Congress starts to Mr. SCHIFF. Madam Speaker, very ticular, the manager of this bill, be- investigate the President’s actions, and quickly, my colleagues have made re- cause the inspector general, his tran- then the jig is up. peated reference to some secret pro- script has not been released. There On September 11, the aid is suddenly ceedings in some secret star chamber. have not been documents that were released without explanation—over 2 This is apparently what they call depo- transferred that were supposed to be months later. sitions. transferred to the White House, and we When you read the call transcript I remind my colleagues that, when are still not sure we got everything we and follow the timeline I have laid out, they were in the majority, they con- are supposed to get in the Judiciary guilty is guilty. Nothing changed dur- ducted depositions, but they were dif- Committee. ing that time regarding the President’s ferent in this respect: I guess when you want to be trans- supposed concerns over corruption. In the depositions we conducted in parent and open, you hold it in a SCIF So let’s be clear. The military aid the Intelligence Committee, over 100 and do whatever you want. was released because the President got Members were able to participate. That Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to caught. is how secret they were. We revealed the gentleman from Florida (Mr. But getting caught doesn’t get you all of the transcripts of those deposi- STEUBE). off the hook. tions. Mr. STEUBE. Madam Speaker, this And I ask my colleagues: Is at- The repetition of this falsehood does impeachment charade did not start tempted murder a crime? Is attempted not make it true; it only makes the with the whistleblower complaint. The robbery a crime? Is attempted extor- falsehood that much more deliberate. campaign to impeach a duly elected tion and bribery by a President a I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman President and overturn the will of 63 crime? Yes, it is. from Michigan (Mr. AMASH). million Americans started 19 minutes The only question now is whether we Mr. AMASH. Madam Speaker, I rise after the President took the oath of of- will find the moral courage to stand up today in support of these Articles of fice. for our country and impeach the Presi- Impeachment. I come to this floor not Nineteen minutes after the inaugura- dent of the United States. as a Democrat, not as a Republican, tion, The Washington Post published a Mr. COLLINS of Georgia. Madam but as an American who cares deeply story, headline, ‘‘The Campaign to Im- Speaker, I yield 11⁄2 minutes to the gen- about the Constitution, the rule of law, peach President Trump Has Begun.’’ tleman from Alabama (Mr. PALMER). and the rights of the people. The first day of this Congress, on day Mr. PALMER. Madam Speaker, I rise Under our system of government, im- one, a Democratic member of my class in opposition to the impeachment of peachment is not about policy dis- called for the impeachment of the President Trump. agreements or ineffective governance, President long before the call to Today is a day that diminishes the nor is it about criminality based on Ukraine. Then it was the Russia collu- reputation and stature of the United statutes that did not exist at the time sion hoax, then obstruction of justice, States House of Representatives, a day our Constitution was written. Impeach- then bribery, then quid pro quo—none I never dreamed I would see. ment is about maintaining the integ- of which are included in these articles Today, my Democratic colleagues rity of the Office of the Presidency and before us today. seek to overturn an election by forcing ensuring that Executive power is di- The first Article of Impeachment a vote that will forever be a stain on rected toward proper ends in accord- crafted as a fiction is not an enumer- this Congress. They are not just voting ance with the law. ated basis in the Constitution for im- to impeach President Trump; my col- The Constitution grants the House peachment. The Democratic majority leagues are voting to impeach the judg- ‘‘the sole power of impeachment’’ and would have you believe that abuse of ment of every person who voted for the Senate ‘‘the sole power to try all power is a high crime or misdemeanor. him and the process by which we elect impeachments.’’ It is not. It is an opinion. It is not even a President and by which we will gov- We in the House are empowered to a crime that can be charged in a court ern our Nation. charge impeachable conduct. The Con- of law. My Democratic colleagues claim the stitution describes such conduct as Unlike Presidents Nixon and Clinton Russians influenced the outcome of the ‘‘high crimes and misdemeanors,’’ but who were tried for actual crimes, this 2016 election, but based on their cor- because it pertains to high office and President is being impeached on vague rupt impeachment proceedings, it ap- relates to the misuse of that office, we phrases that appear nowhere in our pears my colleagues have been influ- need not rely on any other branch or Constitution. enced by how Russia conducts political body to endorse our determinations. The second article, obstruction of trials: no real evidence, no real crime, We have ‘‘the sole power of impeach- Congress, again, doesn’t exist in the no due process, and no justice. ment.’’ Constitution as a basis for impeach- The Democrats have failed to show In Federalist No. 65, Alexander Ham- ment and is attempting to impeach a any legitimate justification for the im- ilton wrote that high crimes and mis- duly elected President for asserting peachment of President Trump. When demeanors ‘‘are those offenses which constitutionally based privileges that they could not find real evidence, they proceed from the misconduct of public have been asserted on a bipartisan made it up and called it a parity. men, or, in other words, from the abuse basis by administrations of both polit- They conducted most of the hearings or violation of some public trust. They ical parties throughout our Nation’s in secret. are of a nature which may with pecu- history. They instructed witnesses not to an- liar propriety be denominated polit- This House is impeaching a President swer Republican Members’ questions, ical, as they relate chiefly to injuries over a phone call to another world and they denied Republicans the right done immediately to the society leader, a few lines in a phone transcript to call witnesses, making it absolutely itself.’’ that have been completely and utterly clear their objective was, from the be- President Donald J. Trump has misrepresented by the majority. The ginning, pathetically political. abused and violated the public trust by process that ensued was anything but We all understand that elections using his high office to solicit the aid open, transparent, bipartisan, or equi- have consequences. of a foreign power, not for the benefit table. To all of my colleagues, Democrats of the United States of America, but, Abandoning all past historical due and Republicans alike, this day will instead, for his personal and political process afforded the minority and the surely have consequences, as well, as gain. His actions reflect precisely the President, the Democrats ran a par- we descend into more disrespect, dis- type of conduct the Framers of the tisan investigation, refusing rights of trust, and even contempt that will Constitution intended to remedy the minority, refusing the ability of eventually be destructive of this Cham- through the power of impeachment, the President’s counsel to call wit- ber and, I fear, eventually, our Repub- and it is our duty to impeach him. nesses, refusing to allow the Presi- lic. Mr. COLLINS of Georgia. Madam dent’s counsel to cross-examine fact I urge all Members to vote ‘‘no’’ on Speaker, undoubtedly, H. Res. 660 does witnesses, and refusing a minority impeachment. not matter to the majority, in par- hearing day, just to name a few.

VerDate Sep 11 2014 06:37 Dec 19, 2019 Jkt 099060 PO 00000 Frm 00056 Fmt 7634 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\K18DE7.092 H18DEPT1 SSpencer on DSKBBXCHB2PROD with HOUSE December 18, 2019 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — HOUSE H12169 The majority waves around a report whelming, and the process is undoubt- peached based on these factless arti- drafted that the Democratic staff con- edly and unquestionably not bipar- cles. There is no crime, and there is no cocted as a matter of fact. When they tisan. victim as Ukraine received their aid needed backup for their approach, they I am viewing this through the lens of before the December 30 deadline and no paraded out liberal professors with ani- a former United States Attorney, and witnesses who witnessed anything. mus against the President who gave as we take this vote, here is the bot- This isn’t about the rule of law. It is them license to impeach the President tom line for the American people: politics at its worst. It is disgraceful. for any reason they wish. there was no bribery, there was no ex- It is time to end the charade and scam House Democrats are making them- tortion, there was no quid pro quo, and on the American people. selves kings in a manner far worse and there were no high crimes and mis- Madam Speaker, I urge everybody to more obvious than what they are ac- demeanors committed by the Presi- vote ‘‘no’’ on these Articles of Im- cusing the President of doing. The only dent. peachment. abuse of power here is by the Demo- Mr. SCHIFF. Madam Speaker, I yield Mr. SCHIFF. Madam Speaker, I am cratic-led Congress. 1 minute to the gentlewoman from happy to remind my colleagues of Am- California (Ms. JUDY CHU). bassador Sondland’s testimony. b 1645 Ms. JUDY CHU of California. Madam He posed the question: Was there a Mr. SCHIFF. Madam Speaker, I yield Speaker, we know that President quid pro quo? 1 minute to the gentleman from Cali- Trump withheld needed military aid to The answer is yes. fornia (Mr. CISNEROS). Ukraine. We know that he used it to When he was asked about a quid pro Mr. CISNEROS. Madam Speaker, demand Ukraine interfere in the 2020 quo involving the military aid, he said when I was 18 years old, I joined the election for his own benefit, and we it was as clear as two plus two equals United States Navy and took the oath know that Ukraine knew. None of four. to support and defend the Constitution these facts have been disputed. Instead, Madam Speaker, I yield 1 minute to for the first time. I took that oath the White House has tried to hide the the gentlewoman from Illinois (Ms. again earlier this year as a Member of truth. But the President is not above SCHAKOWSKY). Congress; and every day I work hard to the law. Nobody is. Ms. SCHAKOWSKY. Madam Speaker, live by that oath and give the 39th Dis- Corruption and obstruction; the my adult son, Ian Schakowsky, I will trict the representation it deserves. President is guilty of both. The blatant always credit for my decision last June I have always maintained that im- abuse of power was made clear from to support the impeachment inquiry. It peachment is a serious undertaking over 100 hours of testimony before had never been my goal to impeach a and must be done with incredible care. three committees and was clear in the President, but Ian made such a compel- When the unprecedented allegations call summary released by the White ling case. He reminded me of the oath against the President and his inter- House. The obstruction has been made I have taken 11 times now to support actions with Ukraine were first re- clear by the President’s refusal to co- and defend the Constitution of the ported, I felt that it was Congress’ duty operate at every turn, even when or- United States. He said: Mom, this is to investigate and find out the truth. dered by a court. not about politics, and this is not Now the facts are before Congress Setting a precedent that any Presi- about party. and the American people. The Presi- dent can abuse their power to interfere Pushing back against my arguments, dent betrayed his oath to support and in our elections is an existential threat he said: This has nothing to do with defend the Constitution by attempting to our democracy. It is also a betrayal the final outcome. It is about doing the to undermine the integrity of our elec- of the oath of office and the Constitu- right thing, even if others don’t. tion for his own personal benefit. He tion. He made me see that it was about my Therefore, in fulfillment of my own asked a foreign government to inves- legacy, my modest place in history. oath of office, it is with solemn purpose I want to thank my son for helping tigate a political rival and endangered today that I vote to impeach President me do the right thing today to vote to our national security by withholding Donald Trump. impeach the President of the United military aid to an ally. Mr. COLLINS of Georgia. Madam For me, it is not about personal poli- States, Donald Trump, because no Speaker, I yield 11⁄2 minutes to the gen- tics or party affiliation. It is about up- American is above the law. tleman from Ohio (Mr. GIBBS). Mr. COLLINS of Georgia. Madam holding my oath to put our country Mr. GIBBS. Madam Speaker, Demo- Speaker, I also would like to remind and our Constitution first and protect crats started with quid pro quo. That the gentleman from California that Mr. our national security. This is why I didn’t work so well. Then it was brib- Sondland also said he had no direct evi- will vote to move forward with the im- ery and extortion. Then they brought dence; he presumed that that was going peachment of the President. I hope all the witnesses in, and not one could an- on. my colleagues will join me in recog- swer if they saw any evidence of brib- I guess we are back to presumption nizing this grave threat and stand up ery, extortion, or any crime when ques- again. to this administration in defense of our tioned. It was just silence. Then the Madam Speaker, I yield 11⁄2 minutes country and our Constitution. witnesses testified they heard this to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. FLO- Mr. COLLINS of Georgia. Madam from so-and-so. When the Democrats RES). 1 Speaker, I yield 1 ⁄2 minutes to the gen- brought their star witness in, Ambas- Mr. FLORES. Madam Speaker, on tleman from Tennessee (Mr. KUSTOFF). sador Sondland, when asked, he said: I March 11 of this year, the Speaker of Mr. KUSTOFF of Tennessee. Madam presumed the aid was held up. the House said the following in an Speaker, going back almost 3 years to I presumed? interview with The Washington Post: when the President was sworn into of- Testimony was all hearsay, conjec- ‘‘Impeachment is so divisive to the fice, we have seen some Members on ture, and assumptions. So now it is country that unless there’s something the other side of the aisle pledging and abuse of power with no underlying so compelling and overwhelming and promising to impeach President crime, which is opinion. Abuse of power bipartisan, I don’t think we should go Trump. Prior to the start of this in- to the Democrats is they don’t like his down that path, because it divides the quiry, Speaker PELOSI claimed that the policies, or he treated a reporter harsh- country.’’ impeachment must be compelling, ly. I think most Americans would agree overwhelming, and bipartisan. The im- Obstruction of Congress: there are with that statement because it sounds peachment inquiry was announced less three coequal branches of government. thoughtful and reasonable. than 3 months ago, and what we know When the executive branch and the leg- So here we are today to vote on the is that the process has been fast, islative branch have an impasse, that Articles of Impeachment. faulty, and flawed. is when the judicial branch intervenes. How did the majority party do in What we have witnessed since Sep- They didn’t do that. The Democrats meeting the objectives set forth by the tember 24, when the inquiry was an- didn’t take that route. Speaker? nounced, is that the evidence we have Every President, including George Here are the answers: First, the only seen is not compelling, it is not over- Washington, could have been im- compelling attribute about this sham

VerDate Sep 11 2014 06:37 Dec 19, 2019 Jkt 099060 PO 00000 Frm 00057 Fmt 7634 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\K18DE7.093 H18DEPT1 SSpencer on DSKBBXCHB2PROD with HOUSE H12170 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — HOUSE December 18, 2019 is the lengths the majority has gone to inable. There is no impeachable offense President Trump committed no appease the radical, Socialist wing of before us today. It is a complete and crime or impeachable offense—none. their party. total sham. His legacy won’t be stained; Demo- Second, the only overwhelming fea- I close, not by quoting a President crats’ will. We will look back at these ture about this sham is the abuse of from the past, but rather from the duly days in shame because Trump haters in power by the majority and the reckless elected President Donald Trump: ‘‘You Congress, like red haters of the past, disregard for fairness by the majority are the ones interfering in America’s are willing to plunge America into throughout this entire circus. election. You are the ones subverting darkness for raw political gain. Finally, the only bipartisan activity America’s democracy. You are the ones This impeachment betrays the Na- related to this sham will be the votes obstructing justice. You are the ones tion, the Constitution, and the Amer- against these flimsy Articles of Im- bringing pain and suffering to our Re- ican people. I vote ‘‘no.’’ peachment. public for your own selfish personal, b 1700 political, and partisan gain.’’ These are Madam Speaker, I ask my colleagues Mr. SCHIFF. Madam Speaker, I yield hard words I know, but that is the sad to join me in opposing these deplorable 1 minute to the gentleman from Texas Articles of Impeachment and to de- reality of this entire process. I will proudly vote ‘‘no’’ today, a (Mr. DOGGETT). mand that the House get back to work- Mr. DOGGETT. Tyranny rarely ap- vote that upholds our Constitution, de- ing on the priorities that hardworking pears full borne. It arises, it encroaches fends our President, and preserves the American families care about the as freedom ebbs. Our Nation’s great pillars of our Nation’s democracy. most. Founders sought to protect us from Mr. SCHIFF. Madam Speaker, I yield Mr. SCHIFF. Madam Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Ari- tyranny with a carefully crafted sys- 1 minute to the gentleman from Mary- tem of checks and balances. zona (Mr. GRIJALVA). land (Mr. RUPPERSBERGER). But now along comes a President Mr. GRIJALVA. Madam Speaker, I Mr. RUPPERSBERGER. Madam who actually says he is constitu- will vote in favor of impeachment Speaker, I spent 12 years on the House tionally empowered to do whatever he today. The facts are irrefutable, and Permanent Select Committee on Intel- wants, that he can neither be pros- the ongoing obstruction and coverup is ligence, including 4 as ranking mem- ecuted nor even investigated for any ber. My bipartisan cooperation with shameful. My parents came here as immigrants, crime, and that he can totally ignore the Republican chairman was widely and I am proud to live in a nation that any impeachment proceeding of which recognized. When it comes to national rewarded their hard work by providing he disapproves. security, there is no room for bipar- These are the claims of a wannabe a better future for my sisters and me. tyrant who has extolled the virtues of tisan politics. As a first generation American and All 17 witnesses—mostly Trump ap- tyrants and autocrats from Manila to now a Member of Congress, a story like pointees—told the same story during Moscow. mine is only made possible by a nation the Permanent Select Committee on To advance tyranny, he adopts an that upholds the rule of law and truly Intelligence hearings, each testifying open-border policy inviting foreigners lives out the values enshrined in our that our Commander in Chief jeopard- to come into our country and intrude Constitution. in our elections. Foreign nations have ized American national security for the Mona and I are blessed with three their own agendas, especially adver- sake of his reelection. The President wonderful daughters and five saries like Russia and China. held hostage military aid for the fight grandkids. Because of this living leg- against a common enemy, Russia. American citizens should be the only acy and the legacy I intend to pass on ones determining the fate of America. He willfully obstructed Congress’ to my grandchildren, my vote today is constitutionally prescribed impeach- If the President continues demanding rooted in protecting their future. more foreign interference, we will ment powers. The underpinnings for impeachment never have truly free elections, and we Over the last 2 years, I resisted calls are real and historic. Trump has per- to begin impeachment proceedings, and will not be free. verted the rule of law, abused his We act today, recognizing the solemn I resent those who say this is about re- power, and engaged in a coverup. No versing the election. This isn’t about responsibility to safeguard our security amount of misdirection, lies, and Constitution. We pledge allegiance whether or not you like Trump. It is disinformation, tantrums, and cries of about upholding our Constitution. to the flag and the Republic for which victimization by Trump and others can it stands, not to one man who would be Allowing this conduct to go unques- undo the abuse of power and obstruc- tioned sets a dangerous precedent and king. tion of Congress that remain clear and Mr. COLLINS of Georgia. Madam permanently damages our system of present. The President leaves us no Speaker, before I call my next speaker, checks and balances. No one is above choice but to vote to impeach, so that may I ask the time remaining. the law. President Trump’s actions are we can protect our democracy and cor- The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gen- a clear threat to our national security rect the damage that is already done. tleman from Georgia has 1 hour and 31⁄4 and democracy. We must uphold our I will vote in favor of the impeach- minutes remaining. The gentleman oath of office and support these arti- ment of Donald J. Trump, not as a par- from California has 571⁄4 minutes re- cles. tisan act but as a serious, urgent, and maining. Mr. COLLINS of Georgia. Madam necessary one. Mr. COLLINS of Georgia. Madam Speaker, I yield 11⁄2 minutes to the gen- Mr. COLLINS of Georgia. Madam Speaker, I yield 11⁄2 minutes to the gen- tleman from Michigan (Mr. WALBERG). Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gen- tleman from Georgia (Mr. ALLEN). Mr. WALBERG. Madam Speaker, I tleman from Texas (Mr. BRADY). Mr. ALLEN. Madam Speaker, I thank rise today in strong opposition to these Mr. BRADY. Madam Speaker, 21 my friend from Georgia for his great baseless Articles of Impeachment. years ago this week, I spoke here on work in dealing with this very sad day Our Founding Fathers never intended impeachment. Sadly, history will not in our country. impeachment to be a one-sided polit- treat Democrats well. They will forever Madam Speaker, today, for the third ical weapon. Sadly, the majority has be remembered as the Senator Joe time in our Nation’s history, a Presi- reduced this serious constitutional ac- McCarthys of our time, so blinded by dent will be impeached. This will be, tion to a purely partisan tactic to take their hatred of President Trump that however, the first time impeachment down President Trump. they abandoned American rights of due has been entirely partisan and without History will not be kind to the vote process, fairness, and just decency. merit. This charade is not because today. It will be remembered as a Reminiscent of Joe McCarthy, they President Trump is guilty of a high rushed process that lacks credibility or assaulted the Constitution, took glee crime or misdemeanor but because one transparency with a predetermined in secret hearings, blocked evidence, political party doesn’t like him or his outcome that puts a premium on polit- and switched charges like rogue pros- policies of America First. ical theater instead of facts. By any ob- ecutors. Ultimately, they chose abuse Fact one: We have a divided govern- jective standard, the Democrats’ im- of power because they practice it so ment, and House Democrats are at war peachment case is the thinnest imag- well. with the executive branch.

VerDate Sep 11 2014 06:37 Dec 19, 2019 Jkt 099060 PO 00000 Frm 00058 Fmt 7634 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\K18DE7.095 H18DEPT1 SSpencer on DSKBBXCHB2PROD with HOUSE December 18, 2019 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — HOUSE H12171 Fact two: They have been planning cause he thought it might help his re- This impeachment is a slap in the for this day since President Trump election bid. face to the millions of Americans who took office. Only the President has that power to voted for President Trump. The same Fact three: They accused the Presi- corrupt our foreign policy for political Americans who Democrats in Wash- dent first and have spent months look- gain. The moment he chose to do so, ington have mocked as smelly Walmart ing for a crime. the moment he undermined our secu- shoppers and ‘‘deplorables.’’ Fact four: No evidence has been pre- rity in this scheme to undermine our Madam Speaker, this impeachment sented of an impeachable offense. democracy, whether he succeeded or isn’t legitimate. It is the radical left’s During one of the partisan hearings, not—and thank God, he did not—at insurance policy. But we have an insur- a Member of this body asked: If Presi- that moment, it became an abuse of ance policy, too. It is the next election, dent Trump had evidence of his inno- power. and we intend to win it. cence, why didn’t he bring it forward? A President who abuses his power for Mr. SCHIFF. Madam Speaker, I yield The Democrats want Americans to personal gain is exactly what the 2 minutes to the gentleman from believe that our President is guilty Framers feared. It is why impeachment Vermont (Mr. WELCH). until he proves himself innocent. This is in the Constitution. Mr. WELCH. Madam Speaker, we, the whole process is unconstitutional. We need to pass these articles. The people, have a common tie that binds Today, we have heard both sides, but President’s actions have left us no us together now as it has since the we need to get the truth. The truth is, choice. He cannot be allowed to under- founding of our country, and it is our the decision of who should be our mine our democracy and tear apart the shared respect for the Constitution of the United States. President should be made by the Amer- fabric that holds our country together. Let us all step back from the mael- ican people, not Speaker PELOSI, ADAM Madam Speaker, I will vote for im- peachment. strom of the moment to recall that, at SCHIFF, and House Democrats. our country’s inception 243 years ago, Mr. SCHIFF. Madam Speaker, I yield Mr. COLLINS of Georgia. Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gen- the concept of a democratic, self-gov- 3 minutes to the gentleman from New erning rule was a breathtaking and York (Mr. ENGEL). tleman from Florida (Mr. GAETZ), who is a member of the Judiciary Com- idealistic aspiration. When the 13 Mr. ENGEL. Madam Speaker, I thank American Colonies boldly rejected the my friend. mittee. Mr. GAETZ. Madam Speaker, this is rule of the British monarch, our As chairman of the Foreign Affairs Founders were determined to form a Committee, I have to say that this is a not about Ukraine. It is about power. Donald Trump has it, and House Demo- government that would rule instead sad day. No one is gleeful that the with the consent of the governed. President’s actions have brought us to crats want it. With no crime, no victim, no evi- Ensuring that this noble experiment this point. endured through the ages was an enor- But when you boil it down, we are dence, no proof, no agenda for America, this impeachment charade marches on, mous existential challenge. It was met here today because the President with the adoption of the Constitution following no rules and adhering to no abused the power of his office to help in 1788. his chances at reelection. He used the sense of honor. At its heart are two bedrock prin- The American people aren’t fooled by enormous weight of the Presidency and ciples that have served as touchstones dirty tricks. Voters will never forget American foreign policy to push a for- for our country ever since. First, it es- that Democrats have been triggered eign government to smear a political tablished America as a nation of laws, rival. And he got caught. into impeaching the President because where no person is above the law. Sec- Why is this conduct so serious? Why they don’t like him and they don’t like ond, it established the concept of a sep- has the President’s behavior pushed us. aration of powers where three coequal Those who vote ‘‘yes’’ on today’s Ar- the House of Representatives to exer- branches of government would check ticles of Impeachment must carry the cise one of its most consequential con- each other, lest power be concentrated heavy burden of shame and guilt for as stitutional responsibilities? Because in one at the expense of liberty to all. long as they serve in Congress, which corrupting an American election, par- Madam Speaker, when President won’t be long because the American ticularly in cahoots with a foreign Trump abused the power of his office people will remember in November. power, means corrupting American de- by soliciting foreign interference in the Democrats would rather trip the upcoming election for his personal ben- mocracy. President just to see him stumble than Our elections are at the heart of our efit, he willfully infringed upon the see America succeed. They would rath- democracy, the foundation of what right of citizens to decide who will lead er impeach the President than work to- makes our system of government our Nation. In doing so, he placed him- gether for the common good of our great, our Republic, if we can keep it, self above the law and in violation of country and our citizens. his oath. as Benjamin Franklin once said. Democrats may have won the House If our elections aren’t fair, then our When he denounced, denied, and de- in 2018, but they haven’t forgiven Don- fied the clear authority of Congress to Republic cannot stand. Anyone who ald Trump for having the audacity to tries to fix an election is taking away investigate his conduct, he repudiated win the Presidency. our constitutional system of checks the power of the American people to And they haven’t forgiven you, the choose their leaders. If it happens at and balances and further violated his American people, for voting for him. oath to preserve, protect, and defend any level of government, it is toxic to The day before she was sworn in to the Constitution. our democracy, and this came from the Congress, one Member of the body said It is for these reasons that I will cast highest level. she promised to impeach the my vote in favor of impeaching Presi- In this case, it is even more serious, mothereffer. dent Donald John Trump. because what was the President willing She is not alone. Trump’s impeach- Mr. COLLINS of Georgia. Madam to give up for this advantage? What ment was plotted and planned before Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gen- price was he willing to pay? The price the ink was even dry on his election tleman from Arizona (Mr. BIGGS). was our national security. certificate and, possibly, before some Mr. BIGGS. Madam Speaker, some of When the President devised a shadow Democrats could even point to Ukraine my colleagues across the aisle have foreign policy that undermined our di- on a map. said, ‘‘Hey, where are the facts?’’ as if plomacy and diplomats; when he held In seeking the chairmanship of the we have the burden of proof. back assistance for Ukraine, which was Committee on the Judiciary, the gen- Madam Speaker, it is their burden of embroiled in a war against Russia; tleman from New York said that he proof. It is the Democrats’ burden of when he pressured a foreign govern- was the strongest Member to lead a po- proof. ment to interfere in our elections, tential impeachment. But the facts are unchanged. Ukraine again, he sacrificed our security. He Democrats may not have known why received aid that they were promised shook the faith of a loyal ally. He they were going to impeach the Presi- and appropriated for. The aid was law- played right into the hands of Vladimir dent, but they knew it was an inevi- fully disbursed. In fact, it was dis- Putin. He weakened our country all be- tability, facts be damned. bursed within the time limits set by

VerDate Sep 11 2014 06:37 Dec 19, 2019 Jkt 099060 PO 00000 Frm 00059 Fmt 7634 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\K18DE7.097 H18DEPT1 SSpencer on DSKBBXCHB2PROD with HOUSE H12172 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — HOUSE December 18, 2019 this Congress. If you wanted it sent to the 2020 election. However, our founders in- has also approved the College Affordability them before September 30, 2019, you cluded impeachment in the Constitution for Act, the Rebuild America’s Schools Act, the should have put that in the legislation. times when an official’s conduct was so egre- Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO) Act, You did not. gious, we could not wait for the next election and other critical legislation awaiting a vote by The Ukrainians gave nothing in re- to remove that individual from office. President the full House. Later this week, the House will turn. The Ukrainian President said he Trump’s Ukraine scheme was intended to in- ratify the USMCA with strong labor protec- felt no pressure, no coercion, no duress, fluence the 2020 election to make it an unfair tions. no conditionality. process, and that highlights a key reason why However, if we expect our democracy to What changed? On the day that the he must be impeached and removed from of- survive, President Trump’s abuse of power aid was released, two anticorruption fice. cannot be ignored. No one is above the law. measures were signed into law by the Multiple House Committees have conducted Mr. SCHIFF. Madam Speaker, I yield Ukrainian President, President extensive investigations into the President’s 2 minutes to the gentleman from Indi- Zelensky. conduct. The facts are uncontested. President ana (Mr. CARSON). Democrats have manufactured this Trump invited Ukraine to interfere in our next Mr. CARSON of Indiana. Madam sham and then argue that refusing to presidential election and leveraged des- Speaker, as we continue and consider cooperate is impeachable. The Supreme perately needed military aid and a high-profile this historic impeachment vote, let’s Court is currently considering the ex- visit to the White House to promote his be clear that the President’s actions tent of executive privilege when fight- scheme. This constitutes an attack on our seriously jeopardize not only America’s ing dubious subpoenas. But instead of electoral system and democracy itself and is a national security but the security of taking their process to court or wait- gross abuse of presidential power. This our closest allies. His actions threaten ing for the Court to rule on the pending scheme needs to be viewed in the context of the goals of the U.S.-led NATO alli- case, the Democrats chose to press for- other actions by this President. The Mueller ance. ward because, simply, they said: ‘‘We report found multiple instances of obstruction You see, Ukraine is a nation working don’t want to wait.’’ of justice committed by the President, and that hard to make its democracy stronger. ‘‘We don’t have time,’’ they say. But obstruction has continued. Furthermore, the Make no mistake, Ukraine is on the failing to do so is an abuse of power of President has continued to violate the Emolu- front lines of Russian aggression. this institution that will have grave ments Clause by profiting from foreign and do- Thankfully, U.S. military aid helps consequences for our Republic. mestic business transactions from the moment Ukraine defend itself against Russia When the other side claims they pro- he took office, and that violation has contin- and integrate itself into the European ceed with soberness, I am bemused by ued. community. media reports that indicate they have With the Ukraine scheme, the President has When our European allies are strong- been admonished not to do a jig today admitted in public to actions that sacrifice na- er, America is stronger. We are better when they win the vote, which we tional security for his own personal, political equipped to promote democracy and know they will. I am struck that so- gain and then he insisted that he did nothing put a stop to tyranny. lemnity of process shouldn’t need to wrong. His ongoing attack of the whistleblower But, Madam Speaker, to President have an admonition against levity. serves to discourage other whistleblowers Trump, strengthening this valuable na- This process has been partisan, vin- from coming forward, his intimidation of wit- tional security objective was not as im- dictive, dishonest. In this impeach- nesses during impeachment proceedings, his portant as smearing a political rival. ment, Democrats have lied about the orders to witnesses to ignore subpoenas, and Madam Speaker, we know that he content of the July 25 call; met se- his invitation to China to meddle in our next held nearly $400 million of aid to cretly with the whistleblower; held So- election all indicate that, left unchecked, this Ukraine until President Zelensky viet-style hearings behind closed doors President will not cease his misconduct and agreed to help him dig up dirt on his where the Committee on the Judiciary, will seek to do it again. The President con- potential 2020 opponent. the committee of jurisdiction, could tinues to put his own personal and political b 1715 not attend; and blocked the President’s gain above the law and his conduct in these counsel from participating in the fact- matters constitutes clear abuses of power and This aid was approved by Congress finding portion of the inquisition. an ongoing threat to our democracy. with strong bipartisan support. Madam Speaker, it has been a sham If the President had simple acknowledged President Trump’s actions hurt from start to finish. the basic fact that trying to sabotage the next American diplomacy and undermine Mr. SCHIFF. Madam Speaker, I yield presidential election is wrong, and that he the integrity of our Nation’s promises to the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. would not continue such behavior, we could to our allies. We will not allow our SCOTT) for a unanimous consent re- be discussing the question of waiting until the leaders to trade away our national se- quest. next election to express our views on his con- curity. (Mr. SCOTT of Virginia asked and duct. We would have to discuss the credibility We cannot allow Russia’s continued was given permission to revise and ex- of such a statement, but a discussion over threats to democracy to go unan- tend his remarks.) waiting for the election would be a relevant swered, and we must not allow our own Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Madam issue. However, that is not the case. President President of these United States to get Speaker, I include my remarks in favor Trump continues to obstruct properly con- away with breaking his own oath of of- of both Articles of Impeachment. vened investigations and he continues to fice. Every Member of Congress swore an oath abuse his power by trying to undermine the Madam Speaker, that is why we take to uphold and defend the Constitution, and next presidential election. this solemn but necessary vote to im- that oath should be the guide for all of us For all of these reasons, I will vote for both peach. when considering articles of impeachment articles of impeachment. Mr. COLLINS of Georgia. Madam against the President of the United States. I came to the 116th Congress to serve the Speaker, I yield 11⁄2 minutes to the gen- There has been considerable public debate people of Virginia’s Third Congressional Dis- tleman from Ohio (Mr. LATTA). over what constitutes impeachable offenses; trict, and to focus on my work as chair of the Mr. LATTA. Madam Speaker, this is the Constitution names them as ‘Treason, Committee on Education and Labor. Com- a sad day for our country, one that our Bribery, or other high Crimes and Mis- mittee Democrats have been working to ex- forefathers warned us against. demeanors.’ Under normal circumstances, the pand access to the building blocks of a strong We have watched this illegitimate country could wait until the next election to re- middle class—a quality education, a rewarding impeachment process unfold while move an undesirable president from office. job, and affordable health care. The House making a mockery of our constitu- Issues like the President’s Muslim ban, sepa- has already passed the Raise the Wage Act, tional duties. House Democrats have rating babies from their parents at the border, the Lower Drug Costs Now Act, the Paycheck conducted the most polarizing im- trying to undermine access to health care, cut- Fairness Act, the Stronger Child Abuse Pre- peachment process in our Nation’s his- ting funding for education, standing in the way vention and Treatment Act, the Butch Lewis tory, and the men and women I rep- of commonsense gun legislation, or other Act, the Dignity in Aging Act, and the Work- resent are tired of this Democrat-run harmful policy stances are not impeachable of- place Violence Prevention for Health Care and House putting political games above fenses, but issues that will be addressed in Social Service Workers Act. The Committee our Nation’s interests.

VerDate Sep 11 2014 06:37 Dec 19, 2019 Jkt 099060 PO 00000 Frm 00060 Fmt 7634 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\K18DE7.098 H18DEPT1 SSpencer on DSKBBXCHB2PROD with HOUSE December 18, 2019 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — HOUSE H12173 House Democrats held secret meet- Our Founding Fathers established a a foreign power—be it Russia, China, or ings, withheld important documents, system of checks and balances that Iran—to help him hurt his political en- deliberately misrepresented informa- spread out power between the branches emies at home, and every foreign ty- tion to the public, and did not give due of government. They decided that no rant and kleptocrat will know that process to the President. This inves- one would be a king, that no one is America’s foreign policy can be bought tigation was unfair, and the American above the law, including the President. by doing our President a political people expect more out of Congress. And they gave the responsibility of im- favor. The Articles of Impeachment are not peachment solely to the people’s If you believe that our highest duty based on facts but, instead, are entirely House. is to protect America, then search your politically motivated. The truth is When President Trump defies our conscience and ask: Do you want our there was no pressure put on President subpoenas and obstructs our impeach- future Presidents to behave as this one Zelensky, and the transcripts confirm ment inquiry, he seeks to place himself has done? that there was no conditionality. above the Constitution and above the Do not whisper in the shadows of the This inquiry has been rigged from the law. Capitol that you disapprove and then start, lacking fairness, transparency, We cannot let that stand; and if we defend that conduct here today. Do and truth. It has been a waste of tax- do, then that is the end of Congress as your duty. Keep your oath. Defend payers’ dollars, and it is based off the a coequal branch of government, and your country, as will I. opinion of an unnamed whistleblower we have allowed President Trump to Mr. COLLINS of Georgia. Mr. Speak- and hearsay. The accusations in to- elevate himself above the law. er, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman day’s proceedings do not align with the It is our solemn duty, under the Con- from South Carolina (Mr. WILSON). facts. stitution, to impeach President Trump Mr. WILSON of South Carolina. Mr. This impeachment process is out of for his blatant abuse of power and his Speaker, over a month ago, on Novem- step with existing precedent for Presi- obstruction of Congress. ber 14, I spoke on the impeachment dential impeachment proceedings, and Mr. COLLINS of Georgia. Mr. Speak- hoax with points true then and still it is not a process I will support. I urge er, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman true today. After over a month of secret inves- my colleagues to put country first and from Arkansas (Mr. WOMACK). tigations into the administration, vote in opposition to the Articles of Mr. WOMACK. Mr. Speaker, I thank Democrats have now decided to open Impeachment. the gentleman for giving me this mo- Mr. SCHIFF. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 these controlled hearings to the public. ment. minutes to the gentlewoman from New Mr. Speaker, years from now, history This continues the deception by Demo- York (Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY). books will tell of this day. It will tell crats to mislead the American people. Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New of a purely partisan effort to remove It is insulting: no Republican wit- York. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in sup- the President of the United States, an nesses, no counsel by the President to port of the impeachment of President effort not built on a high crime or mis- participate, and full exoneration by Donald J. Trump. courageous President Volodymyr President Trump abused the power of demeanor, not on a process in keeping with the high American standard of Zelensky of Ukraine. his office for his own personal and po- It is sad that, instead of focusing on due process and equal treatment. This litical gain at the expense of our na- funding our military through the Na- effort is rooted only in the governing tional security. tional Defense Authorization Act party’s hatred of a man elected Presi- President Trump’s wholesale obstruc- passed only last week or passing the dent of the United States. tion of Congress is unprecedented, in- United States-Mexico-Canada Agree- Members on the other side of the disputable, and impeachable. President ment to create jobs, Democrats con- aisle have been in pursuit of this mo- Trump is the first President in history tinue, having wasted $30 million of tax- ment since 2016. They are consumed by to openly and completely defy all as- payers’ money on the Russian hoax, it. Earlier in this debate, one of our pects of the constitutional impeach- now proceeding with a Ukrainian hoax. ment process. colleagues referred to our President as This partisan witch hunt diverts at- In an attempt to cover up his abuse a ‘‘domestic enemy.’’ tention from the President’s successes: Our Founders warned us about this of power, he ordered the entire execu- The unemployment rate remains at a day. That is why our Nation has en- tive branch not to participate in the record low; there is record job creation; trusted the future of the country with inquiry and directed it to defy lawful and the stock market, again, today, is the outcome of elections, not the will subpoenas from Congress. thriving, showing that President of a party filled with contempt for a As chairwoman of the Committee on Trump keeps his promises. Oversight and Reform, I find this ob- duly elected President. In conclusion, God bless our troops, struction particularly offensive. My hope is that, when historians and we will never forget September the Even President Nixon accepted Con- write about this day, it is not written 11th in the global war on terrorism. gress’ impeachment authority and al- in the context of a nation that lost its Mr. SCHIFF. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 lowed his aides and advisers to produce way because its elected Members chose minute to the gentleman from Cali- the documents to Congress. And Presi- hateful partisanship over the sacred fornia (Mr. GOMEZ). dent Nixon allowed current and former oath that has protected this great Re- Mr. GOMEZ. Mr. Speaker, we are staff to testify in both the House im- public since its founding. here at this moment in our Nation’s peachment and the Senate Watergate Mr. SCHIFF. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 history because the President abused investigations, including his chief of minute to the gentleman from New the power of his office, bribed a foreign staff and White House counsel. Jersey (Mr. MALINOWSKI). government to intrude into our democ- By contrast, President Trump, with- Mr. MALINOWSKI. Mr. Speaker, in racy, and engaged in an unprecedented out any legal basis, directed current America, when we call the fire depart- campaign of obstruction of Congress to and former officials not to cooperate ment or enroll our children in school, cover it up. with the House’s inquiry, which re- we do not expect a government official Our credibility in the global commu- sulted in nine administration officials to say to us: ‘‘I need you to do us a nity has been compromised. Our char- defying subpoenas for testimony. And favor, though.’’ Why would we tolerate acter and motivations are questioned. in response to the House’s inquiry, a President using his awesome power We know where the President’s true President Trump refused to turn over to make foreign policy, when the safe- loyalties lie: not with our constituents, even one single—not one single—docu- ty of our country is at stake, not for not with our allies, but with our adver- ment to Congress in response to lawful the people, but for himself? saries and himself. subpoenas. I will vote to impeach today because Abraham Lincoln once said: ‘‘Nearly Put simply, President Trump’s ac- President Trump did just that when he all men can stand adversity, but if you tions are even worse than Nixon’s. shook down a foreign country to crimi- want to test a man’s character, give Let me repeat that. President nally investigate his political rival. him power.’’ Trump’s actions are even worse than If we fail to say that this was wrong, Donald Trump has failed this test, Nixon’s. then any President will be free to ask and now our test is whether we will be

VerDate Sep 11 2014 06:37 Dec 19, 2019 Jkt 099060 PO 00000 Frm 00061 Fmt 7634 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\K18DE7.101 H18DEPT1 SSpencer on DSKBBXCHB2PROD with HOUSE H12174 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — HOUSE December 18, 2019 a check on that power. Therefore, we that any one of us holding public office fact-check so quickly, but, of course, must hold anyone to account, regard- would be judged by the high court of there was no preapproved witness list. less of party or politics, who sets fire history on whether we were truly men Madam Speaker, I yield 1 minute to to the very institutions that define our and women of courage, with the cour- the gentleman from New York (Mr. Nation and our values. With this in age to stand up to one’s enemies and MEEKS). mind, I will vote ‘‘yes’’ to impeach the courage to stand up, as well, to Mr. MEEKS. Madam Speaker, the de- Donald J. Trump. one’s associates, the courage to resist cision to impeach a President of the Mr. COLLINS of Georgia. Mr. Speak- public pressure as well as private United States is of enormous mag- er, I yield 11⁄2 minutes to the gentle- greed, and on whether we are truly nitude and utmost significance. There woman from North Carolina (Ms. men and women of integrity who never are few issues that so deeply reflect FOXX). run out of the principles in which we upon the Constitution and the Amer- Ms. FOXX of North Carolina. Mr. believe and for whom neither financial ican system of governance. Speaker, I rise in strong opposition to gain nor political ambition could ever As a senior member of the United the process and to the resolution. divert from the fulfillment of our sa- States House Foreign Affairs Com- When Congress sees fit to examine its cred trust. mittee, I have spent years trying to solemn power of impeachment, it is im- President Donald Trump, indifferent promote American values of democracy perative that it does so in genuine pur- and disdainful of this sacred trust, con- and the rule of law in other parts of the suit of justice: fairly, transparently, spired to extract personal benefit from world, including Eastern Europe. Be- and objectively. Anything less is unac- his office. cause I have been so steeped in Ukrain- ceptable. This partisan impeachment He dishonored his oath. I refuse to ian issues for so long, I know how dam- has fallen far short of that. abandon mine. aging President Trump’s actions were. Sadly, Alexander Hamilton’s pre- b 1730 But the President’s damage does not diction in Federalist No. 65 has come end there. He has consistently ob- Mr. ARMSTRONG. Madam Speaker, I true, where he warned: ‘‘In many cases, structed at every turn of this inves- would like to point out very quickly it will connect itself with the pre- tigation. This Nation’s Founding Fa- that the only Republican witnesses al- existing factions and will enlist all thers fought to end unaccountable rule. lowed in the Intelligence Committee their animosities, partialities, influ- We did not free ourselves from a King hearings were on the Democrats’ ence, and interest on one side or on the to turn the President into a monarch. preapproved list. other; and in such cases, there will al- The camera of history is rolling, and Madam Speaker, I yield 11⁄2 minutes I will cast my vote consistent with the ways be the greatest danger that the to the gentleman from South Carolina decision will be regulated more by the principles of democracy, the rule of (Mr. RICE). comparative strength of parties than Mr. RICE of South Carolina. Madam law, and our Constitution for the im- by the real demonstrations of inno- Speaker, I rise in opposition to this peachment of President Donald J. cence or guilt.’’ partisan sham of an impeachment reso- Trump. I do so because I could not look After years of investigations, hear- lution that is ripping our country my granddaughter or any member of ings, and millions of taxpayer dollars, apart. future generations in the eye having Democrats found no proof that the Beginning even before he took office, condoned actions that undermine our President committed a crime—no President Trump has been attacked by democratic system, and I urge all of proof—as the vague accusations in a never-ending barrage of lies, corrup- my colleagues to do the same. these articles clearly reflect. tion, and deceit by the liberal political May God bless the United States of A basic prerequisite for impeaching elite, including James Comey, Peter America. for ‘‘high crimes and misdemeanors’’ is Strzok, Lisa Page, Hillary Clinton, and I stand before you on a serious and solemn a charge that an actual crime was com- the impeachment zealots in this Con- day in the House of Representatives. The de- mitted. These empty, baseless articles gress. cision to impeach a President of the United expose for the American people what Democrats colluded with Russia and States is of enormous magnitude and the ut- this is: a desperate, partisan attempt Ukraine to interfere in our 2016 elec- most significance. There are few issues that to avenge the loss of the Democrats’ tion by producing the now-famous fake so deeply reflect upon the Constitution and the preferred candidate in 2016. dossier. Now, they accuse President American system of governance. We must respect American voters Trump of colluding with a foreign My ancestors were African slaves, forced on and reject these articles. power. What a joke. a transatlantic journey from the coasts of Si- Mr. SCHIFF. Mr. Speaker, I yield They abuse their office to illegally erra Leone to the plantations of South Caro- myself such time as I may consume. wiretap and spy on President Trump’s lina. I know full well that the designers of our Just a quick fact-check before I yield campaign. Now, they accuse him of Constitution, who embedded an economy of to the gentleman from Massachusetts. abusing his office. What a joke. human bondage into the fabric of our political My colleagues on the other side of Democrats structure these pro- institutions, were not perfect men. Yet they the aisle claim that no Republican wit- ceedings to deny the President and Re- wrote a malleable document that allowed nesses were allowed to testify. That is, publicans in Congress a fair hearing. American society to adjust to changing times of course, not correct. Then, they accuse the President of ob- while laying down eternal principles: democ- In the Intelligence Committee, three structing Congress. Look in the mirror, racy, freedom of speech, freedom of belief, of the Republican-requested witnesses folks. open markets, and a separation of powers. In- testified; that is, one out of every four The reaction of the American people, deed, they laid the foundation for a nation that of the witnesses were Republican-re- that this is contrived and corrupt, was would allow men and women like myself, who quested witnesses. That they incrimi- entirely predictable and is entirely cor- are descended from slaves, to become Mem- nated the President did not make them rect. The polls will turn against them, bers of Congress with the right and duty to any less requested by the minority. and the Democrats are desperate to weigh in on the most important questions con- Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the stop the bleeding. That is why we are fronting our republic. I will exercise that re- gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. cramming this vote in today, just be- sponsibility here today. KEATING). fore leaving for recess, to dispose of Given my background as a lawyer and Mr. KEATING. Mr. Speaker, today I impeachment as quickly and painlessly former prosecutor, I believe we must look at reflect on the imperatives of two sons as possible. the relevant law in question before casting a of Massachusetts: The actions of the Democrats are a vote. That language comes directly from the John Adams, who, in one sentence, stain on this Chamber. I urge my col- Constitution: ‘‘The President . . . shall be re- captured the very foundation of our leagues to join me in fighting against moved from Office on Impeachment for, and country, saying, we are a government this shameful abuse of power and vote Conviction of, Treason, Bribery, or other high of laws, not men—translation: no one ‘‘no’’ on this sham of an impeachment Crimes and Misdemeanors.’’ The two articles is above the law; and resolution. of impeachment brought against President John F. Kennedy, who, in his iconic Mr. SCHIFF. Madam Speaker, I Trump concern his abuse of power and his City Upon a Hill address, cautioned didn’t think I would have to do another obstruction of Congress.

VerDate Sep 11 2014 06:37 Dec 19, 2019 Jkt 099060 PO 00000 Frm 00062 Fmt 7634 Sfmt 9920 E:\CR\FM\K18DE7.102 H18DEPT1 SSpencer on DSKBBXCHB2PROD with HOUSE December 18, 2019 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — HOUSE H12175 As a senior Member of the United States May God bless the United States of Amer- serve that democracy that they so House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee with a ica. bravely defended. particular focus on Europe, I have spent years Mr. COLLINS of Georgia. Madam Over 2 years ago, I was one of the trying to promote American values of democ- Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gen- first Members of Congress to vote to racy and the rule of law in other parts of the tleman from Nebraska (Mr. BACON). advance the inquiry. Since then, I have world including Eastern Europe. Other nations Mr. BACON. Madam Speaker, I am withheld final judgment as I reviewed have not been blessed with political institu- strongly opposed to this impeachment. the facts and heard the testimony. tions that promoted civil liberties and the rule No law was broken, no high crimes or I believe there is overwhelming evi- of law. Today, in Ukraine however there are misdemeanors, no impeachable of- dence well beyond a reasonable doubt leaders keen on anticorruption initiatives, in- fenses. that President Donald Trump is guilty vested in following the Western democratic The Ukrainians received aid 1 week in both Articles of Impeachment, abuse model, and inspired by the American example. prior to the law’s requirement, aid that of power and obstruction of Congress. Therefore, I will uphold my oath to Nearly 13,000 Ukrainians have been killed was previously rejected by the adminis- protect and defend the Constitution of since 2014 because of the conflict provoked tration before it. There was no inves- the United States in favor of impeach- and sustained by Russia, who opposes this vi- tigation, and President Zelensky said he received no pressure from the ment. sion of liberty and opportunity. It is our solemn responsibility to Over the years, I have pushed for the U.S. Trump administration ever. honor all those who have fought and Simply put, there was no quid pro government to fund and protect these Ukrain- given their lives to uphold the truth. In quo and no crime. There was only the ian freedom fighters from Russian aggression. America, no one is above the law. As the leader of the United States, President majority’s disdain for the President, Mr. COLLINS of Georgia. Wow, I just Trump has responsibility to help Ukraine lay and that is not an impeachable offense. love this, again, potshot it in when you the ground work for a more sustainable sys- The elections are in 10 months, but can. tem of governance, one that promotes the rule the majority doesn’t trust the Amer- Remember, quid pro quo didn’t work of law and free and fair elections. This duty is ican people. Too many have said that out really well for them because that inextricably linked to American national secu- the impeachment is necessary so that was supposedly who had pressure on rity interests. Because I have been steeped in the President is not reelected in 2020, President Zelensky. In fact, it didn’t these issues pertaining to Ukraine for so long, and that is shameful. work out, so, well, you had to go poll I know how damaging President Trump’s ac- Today’s vote sets a new precedent for test it. The majority didn’t work out tions were. Based on witness testimony and America. In the future, the majority because focus groups didn’t like it. the overwhelming evidence presented, I am will use impeachment as a tactic to re- So, what do we do? We throw it in forced to conclude that the President abused move a President simply based on par- here, a bribe. It is all in their report, the power of his office for his own personal tisanship. Our Founders feared this, but if they had a bribe or if they actu- gain rather than the public interest and that and I strongly oppose it. ally had a crime, it would be in the ar- this was in fact an impeachable offense. I want my statement to be in the ticles. The second article of impeachment con- RECORD until the end of time to show Guess what? He doesn’t have it. He cerns President Trump’s obstruction of Con- that I was on the side of the Constitu- can’t put it in there. This is all fluff gress. Our constitutional system was designed tion, that I oppose the majority taking and circumstance because they can’t to promote checks and balances among the down a duly elected President who get to the President, and that is what different branches of government, with a par- committed no crime, and that I de- is killing them. ticular focus on ensuring that the judiciary and fended the truth. Madam Speaker, I yield 11⁄2 minutes the legislature could check the President. We Mr. SCHIFF. Madam Speaker, my to the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. did not free ourselves from a King to tum the colleagues continue to make the argu- BUCSHON). President into a monarch. ment that the Ukrainians got the Mr. BUCSHON. Madam Speaker, In the case of our current President, he has money. Yes, the President got caught, House Democrats have been obsessed shown his disdain for separation of powers but they got the money. No harm, no with impeaching President Trump unrelentingly and unrepentantly. This pattern foul. since he was elected. of behavior evidenced throughout the Mueller It is the equivalent of saying that if He wasn’t supposed to win. ‘‘How could the voters support him?’’ they investigation and repeated itself again as the you are pulled over by a cop and you asked. President has continually defied any oversight attempt to bribe the cop, and the cop doesn’t take the money but arrests The American people were told the initiatives from the legislature. This is in com- only way the Speaker would move for- you, well, where is the crime in that? plete contravention of our Constitutional sys- ward with impeachment was if the case They didn’t get the money. tem. And it is an impeachable offense. was compelling, overwhelming, and bi- In sum, the founders knew from the very be- This is what my colleagues would partisan, yet the case for impeachment ginning that the insertion of domestic political have you accept. This is what my col- that has been rushed forward by House interests into foreign policy would be an exis- leagues would have you accept, that Democrats is anything but that. tential threat to the United States. Indeed, because the President got caught in To be clear, neither of these Articles confidence in our electoral system at home the act, we must look the other way. of Impeachment prove any wrongdoing has been indispensable to the strength of our Of course, that is not the way the law or impeachable offense has actually republic while the absence of quid pro quo works. That is not the way the Con- taken place. Instead, House Democrats’ corruption from our foreign policy has been stitution works. That is not the way case rests solely on hearsay testimony essential to American leadership abroad. our oath of office works. and presumptions from cherry-picked President Trump’s misconduct has betrayed Our oath of office requires us to im- witnesses. both of these vital principals, weakening our peach a President who abuses his The Framers of the Constitution democratic institutions at home and our stand- power, whether he gets away with it or never intended impeachment to be used ing abroad. he gets caught. In this case, he got as a tool to settle political and policy The camera of history is rolling. Today’s caught. differences. That is what elections are vote is not about one man, but instead about Madam Speaker, I yield 1 minute to for. the foundations of our republic for the years, the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. This is a sad and dangerous moment decades, and centuries to come. I will cast my NORCROSS). in our history, as impeachment is vote consistent with the principles of democ- Mr. NORCROSS. Madam Speaker, I being used to undo the will of the racy, the rule of law, and the American con- rise today at a time of grave concern American people and silence the voices stitutional system and for the impeachment of for all Americans. of millions of Americans in the process. President Donald J. Trump. I do so because This past weekend, I joined a bipar- Alexander Hamilton would be ashamed. I could not look my granddaughter or any tisan delegation traveling to Belgium I urge my colleagues to vote ‘‘no’’ on member of future generations in the eye hav- and Luxembourg for the 75th anniver- this partisan impeachment sham. ing condoned actions that undermine our sary of the Battle of the Bulge, a battle Mr. SCHIFF. Madam Speaker, I yield democratic system. in which over 19,000 Americans gave 1 minute to the gentleman from Colo- I urge all of my colleagues to do the same. their lives. Today, we are called to pre- rado (Mr. CROW).

VerDate Sep 11 2014 06:37 Dec 19, 2019 Jkt 099060 PO 00000 Frm 00063 Fmt 7634 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\A18DE7.044 H18DEPT1 SSpencer on DSKBBXCHB2PROD with HOUSE H12176 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — HOUSE December 18, 2019 Mr. CROW. Madam Speaker, years harm’s way; and today, an oath that on the executive branch an affirmative ago, I took my first oath to the coun- gives me resolve to do what is right duty to ensure that the Government of try, went to war, and fought alongside and not what is politically expedient, Ukraine was countering corruption. our Nation’s finest men and women. resolve to stand with the President at And for good reason: Ukraine is the Some of them gave their lives for our the White House last week, and resolve third-most corrupt nation on Earth. Nation. Not a day has passed that I to stand up to the President in this So the President not only had the don’t reflect on those sacrifices. House today. legal authority to temporarily pause I learned during that time that our I ask my colleagues to have the same security assistance to Ukraine, he had Nation is built on sacrifice. We have strength and the same resolve. a mandate from Congress to do it. overcome challenging times because Mr. COLLINS of Georgia. Madam As a result, President Zelensky’s people have decided to put aside their Speaker, I yield 35 seconds to the gen- government made historic personal interests, their livelihoods, tleman from North Carolina (Mr. anticorruption reforms, making and, yes, even given their lives to do WALKER). Ukraine a more reliable ally, coun- what is best for our Nation. Mr. WALKER. Madam Speaker, when tering Russian aggression. Our Founders created a system to en- emotions supersede the facts, the con- Far from compromising national se- sure we would have no kings or dic- clusion is cataclysmic. Today, we are curity, the President’s actions ad- tators, a system that vested power in wrapping up not a 3-month process but, vanced national security. the people to ensure that no man or rather, a 3-year process with Demo- Oppose this impeachment. woman is above the law. crats’ disdain so much that it has led Mr. SCHIFF. Madam Speaker, I yield Generation after generation, this sys- to the abuse of this very House. myself such time as I may consume. tem has survived because people have These are the same Democrats who Madam Speaker, my colleagues fought for it. Today, it is our turn. promised America they saw evidence of would have the country believe that The President’s abuse of power and Russian collusion. Do the American the President held up the aid to scorn for our constitutional checks and people trust them? Hell, no, they don’t. Ukraine because he was concerned balances is unprecedented. Unless we A growing number of American peo- about corruption. Of course, there is stand up against these abuses, we will ple have condemned this impeachment not a shred of evidence for that. set the country on a dangerous new process, and that is with House Demo- All of the national security experts course. crats setting the rules and then even across all the departments testified My oath, my love of our country, and bending and breaking the rules to fit that Ukraine met the criteria to re- my duty to honor the sacrifices of their narrative. The majority of Ameri- ceive the aid. those who came before us require me to cans see this circus for what it is. I So what was the real motivation act. To my colleagues, it is time to put wonder how many more will join them. here? Well, one thing is telling. In 2017, aside our personal and political inter- Mr. SCHIFF. Madam Speaker, I yield the President had no problem with aid ests and honor those who have come 1 minute to the gentlewoman from to Ukraine, raised no issue of corrup- before us. California (Ms. ESHOO). tion. In 2018, he had no problem with Mr. COLLINS of Georgia. Madam Ms. ESHOO. Madam Speaker, I rise the military aid for Ukraine. Speaker, I yield 35 seconds to the gen- today to defend our Constitution and So what changed in 2019? Joe Biden tleman from Georgia (Mr. HICE). our democracy by voting for the two announced he was running for Presi- Mr. HICE of Georgia. Madam Speak- Articles of Impeachment. dent, and all of a sudden, Donald er, the Democrats’ new definition for The words of our sacred oath define Trump held up the aid for Ukraine. evidence is allegations, allegations our duty, and those words must be As Ambassador Sondland testified, based on hearsay, I might add. So, they kept. Our Founders’ primal fear was the President didn’t care about hurl allegations against the President, that powerful members of our govern- Ukraine. All he cared about was the big and then they say to him that it is not ment would become, in Hamilton’s stuff that affected him personally, the their responsibility to prove guilt but words, ‘‘mercenary instruments of for- investigation of the Bidens that the President’s responsibility to prove eign corruption.’’ Giuliani was pushing. his innocence. President Trump abused the powers Madam Speaker, I yield 1 minute to This impeachment has been a sham of the Presidency by ignoring and in- the gentlewoman from Virginia (Ms. juring national security and other vital and an act of injustice against the SPANBERGER). President and against 63 million Amer- national interests to obtain an im- Ms. SPANBERGER. Madam Speaker, icans who voted for him. Although this proper personal benefit. He also be- I rise today in support of H. Res. 755. process was rigged from the beginning, trayed our Nation by abusing his high As a CIA case officer, I used to meet Democrats never produced a single true office to enlist a foreign power in cor- with foreign nationals who were pro- piece of evidence. rupting democratic elections. viding vital intelligence to help inform It is time for us to stop this hoax and Article II I agree with because it de- our hardest national security decisions vote against these Articles of Impeach- tails the obstruction of Congress by the and keep our country safe. These indi- ment. President by directing unprecedented, viduals, from countries where leaders Mr. SCHIFF. Madam Speaker, I yield categorical, and indiscriminate defi- abused their power and defied the rule 1 minute to the gentlewoman from Vir- ance of subpoenas issued by this House of law, risked imprisonment and often of Representatives and abused the pow- ginia (Mrs. LURIA). their very lives in order to provide the Mrs. LURIA. Madam Speaker, I rise ers of the Presidency in a manner sub- United States with information to help today in support of our Constitution, in versive to the Constitution. us, to inform us. I believe the Constitution is the soul support of the military members in But why? It was their belief in the of our Nation, and by defending it, we harm’s way who defend our Constitu- United States, their belief in our coun- are saying we will not be soulless. tion, in support of Gold Star families try, the longest-standing democracy in who keep faith that their loved one’s b 1745 the world; our country, a beacon of sacrifice was justified. Mr. COLLINS of Georgia. Madam hope in the world, a democratic repub- I rise today in support of the oath I Speaker, I yield 35 seconds to the gen- lic founded on a document and the be- first took at 17 upon entering the tleman from Kentucky (Mr. BARR). lief in the rule of law and a belief in its Naval Academy and took five more Mr. BARR. Madam Speaker, don’t be people. times in my 20-year Navy career; an fooled. Democrats are not impeaching Today, I am proud to serve in the oath that comforted me in the years I the President to protect national secu- people’s House, representing my home- spent away from my family, deployed rity. town and again serving our country, around the globe; an oath that encour- Democrats are impeaching the Presi- that beacon of hope in the world. aged me to remain vigilant on the dent for following a law that they And today, especially today, I reflect bridge of the ship at night; an oath themselves voted for. on the founding documents that have that strengthened me when in com- No less than five times in the last 6 set us apart in the world, leading peo- mand, as I sent my fellow sailors into years, bipartisan Congresses imposed ple across generations and across the

VerDate Sep 11 2014 06:37 Dec 19, 2019 Jkt 099060 PO 00000 Frm 00064 Fmt 7634 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\K18DE7.105 H18DEPT1 SSpencer on DSKBBXCHB2PROD with HOUSE December 18, 2019 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — HOUSE H12177 world to risk everything because of cials to defy lawful subpoenas from When we discussed impeachment, I never their belief in our great Nation. Congress. thought I’d actually be participating in the Today, especially today, I affirm my Was he attempting to hide wrong- process, but this president has left us no commitment to upholding and pro- doing? choice. tecting the Constitution, the rule of It is without question that this Presi- He tried to rig the 2020 elections by solic- law it defines, and the people it gov- dent ‘‘has demonstrated that he will iting foreign interference, and then engaged in erns. remain a threat to national security an unprecedented cover-up once he got Mr. COLLINS of Georgia. Madam and the Constitution if allowed to re- caught. Speaker, I yield 35 seconds to the gen- main in office, and has acted in a man- No president can be permitted to abuse the tleman from Texas (Mr. ARRINGTON). ner grossly incompatible with self-gov- power of the office for personal, political gain, Mr. ARRINGTON. Madam Speaker, ernance and the rule of law,’’ because nor try to hide his misdeeds by demanding today, many of my Democratic col- at every turn, he has shown us who he that his subordinates withhold key documents leagues will be making history, unfor- is. and refuse to testify before Congress. tunately, for supporting the first–ever It is no secret that this President President Trump’s allies have offered lots of completely partisan impeachment of a could have been impeached a long time crazy excuses for why he shouldn’t be im- President of the United States. ago. peached, but even they will not deny that he Today, we stand here with an irref- Madam Speaker, I am deeply dis- wouldn’t have asked Ukraine to investigate utable case and an indisputable set of turbed that history will indeed be made Biden if the former Vice President weren’t a facts that this President absolutely today in this hallowed Chamber, but leading candidate for president. abused his power and obstructed Con- for all the wrong reasons: not for love I have analyzed the evidence thoroughly. It of country, but hatred for a political gress. Any other individual who would have is consistent and convincing. That is why I am foe; not to pursue justice, but to punish casting my vote to impeach President Trump. a political adversary; not to seek been caught conducting themselves in the way this President has would have Mr. SCHIFF. Madam Speaker, I yield truth, but to seize political power. 2 minutes to the gentleman from Con- Madam Speaker, for the love of coun- been prosecuted to the full extent of the law. necticut (Mr. HIMES). try, I urge my colleagues to oppose this Mr. HIMES. Madam Speaker, I rise disastrous political ruse. It is shameful that any Members of this House are willing to disregard the today in anger and hope. Mr. SCHIFF. Madam Speaker, I yield I am angry that President Donald 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from Constitution, turn a blind eye to hard facts, and ignore a confession from the Trump has treated his oath of office so California (Ms. WATERS). disrespectfully that now we must hold Ms. WATERS. Madam Speaker, la- President himself. him to account. dies and gentlemen, unfortunately, the History will remember those who The truth is clear to anyone not de- rules of debate won’t allow me to cite were willing to speak truth to power. liberately looking away. The President all of the reasons why this President Yes, I called for Trump’s impeach- withheld military aid and a White should be impeached. There are many. ment early. This is our country. Our foremothers House meeting unless and until a vul- However, Madam Speaker and Mem- and our forefathers shed their blood to nerable Ukrainian President an- bers of this House, to quote the late build and defend this democracy. I nounced a nakedly political investiga- Maya Angelou: ‘‘When someone shows refuse to have it undermined. tion. you who they are, believe them the I wholeheartedly support this resolu- first time.’’ It didn’t matter if the Ukrainians un- tion. I am proud that, in the final anal- This day was not inevitable, but it covered any wrongdoing. The mere an- ysis, justice will have been served in was predictable, because this President nouncement of an investigation would America and Donald Trump will have has shown himself time and time again damage his political opponent. been impeached. to believe that he is above the law, and Mr. Trump didn’t care about stopping Mr. COLLINS of Georgia. Madam corruption in Ukraine. He never men- he has no respect for our Constitution Speaker, reclaiming my time that the or our democracy. tioned the word ‘‘corruption’’ once in gentlewoman did not have, I yield 35 the infamous July 25 call. This was not Based on all that we know about seconds to the gentleman from Lou- Donald Trump, we could have predicted an attempt to reduce Ukrainian cor- isiana (Mr. ABRAHAM). he would have abused the power of the ruption. Mr. ABRAHAM. Madam Speaker, It was an attempt by Donald J. Presidency by ‘‘corruptly soliciting the what is shameful is that Speaker Government of Ukraine’’ and Ukrain- Trump to aim Ukrainian corruption PELOSI has allowed this Democratic straight at the heart of the Presi- ian President Zelensky to publicly an- witch hunt to move forward. She is the nounce investigations into his political dential election of 2020. one that has abused her power, and we The President knows this, which is opponent, former Vice President Jo- should be debating her removal from seph R. Biden. why he has not given this Congress a the House. single email, phone record, or docu- This impeachment resolution in- Reagan said that: ‘‘The trouble with ment. cludes evidence that this President our liberal friends is not that they are That is not the behavior of a man withheld $391 million of taxpayer funds ignorant, it is just that they know so with nothing to hide. It is, simply and that Congress appropriated for the pur- much that isn’t so.’’ pose of providing vital military and se- Democrat extreme partisanship will undeniably, contempt of this Congress. curity assistance to Ukraine to oppose set a dangerous precedent for this Na- But what makes this impeachment Russian aggression, another blatant tion. And mark my words, Madam essential is that the President’s abuse abuse of power. Speaker: This sinister attempt to re- of power has not stopped. As we speak, Our investigations revealed that this move this lawful President will not go he continues to urge foreign inter- President advanced ‘‘a discredited the- unnoticed. ference in our democracy: beseeching ory promoted by Russia alleging that Mr. SCHIFF. Madam Speaker, I yield China to investigate the Bidens, send- Ukraine, rather than Russia, interfered to the gentlewoman from Nevada (Ms. ing Rudy Giuliani overseas to chase in the 2016 United States Presidential TITUS) for a unanimous consent re- Russian conspiracy theories. election.’’ quest. This morning, the President tweeted, ‘‘For corrupt purposes in pursuit of (Ms. TITUS asked and was given per- ‘‘I did nothing wrong,’’ all caps. He be- personal political benefit.’’ mission to revise and extend her re- lieves it, too. He sees nothing wrong Never before in our history have we marks.) with inviting Russian, Ukrainian, or experienced a President who has so Ms. TITUS. Madam Speaker, I in- Chinese interference into our election. clearly conducted himself in a ‘‘man- clude in the RECORD my statement sup- He did it, he continues to do it, and ner offensive to, and subversive of, the porting the impeachment of Donald he sees nothing wrong with it. He will Constitution,’’ and who directed his Trump. wake up tomorrow and do it again if we Cabinet members, executive branch For 35 years I taught American government don’t stop him today. agencies, and other White House offi- to university students. Therein lies our hope.

VerDate Sep 11 2014 06:51 Dec 19, 2019 Jkt 099060 PO 00000 Frm 00065 Fmt 7634 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\K18DE7.107 H18DEPT1 SSpencer on DSKBBXCHB2PROD with HOUSE H12178 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — HOUSE December 18, 2019 Madam Speaker, I am proud today to differences with only partisan motives as evi- and then make them prove they are answer the call to defend our democ- dence. not guilty of what you are accusing racy and the United States Constitu- The power to impeach the President is the them of. tion, and I urge my colleagues to do single most important vote that a member of Madam Speaker, I yield 30 seconds to the same. this body can cast. the gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. Mr. COLLINS of Georgia. Madam It should not be taken lightly, and it certainly JOHN W. ROSE). Speaker, for reasons that I really don’t shouldn’t be rushed through the House. Mr. JOHN W. ROSE of Tennessee. understand, I am having to yield 30 sec- Alexander Hamilton feared the greatest dan- Madam Speaker, today, I rise in strong onds to the gentleman from Mississippi ger of abusing impeachment authority is that opposition to this partisan impeach- (Mr. KELLY). the decision would be ‘‘regulated more by the ment spectacle that just seeks to ac- Mr. KELLY of Mississippi. Madam comparative strength of parties than the real complish what President Trump’s op- Speaker, I am saddened today that I demonstration of innocence or guilt.’’ ponents failed to do at the ballot box in spent two Christmases defending our The fears of our Founding Fathers have 2016. country overseas, and I get a measly 30 manifested in this Chamber today. Our votes today are merely for- seconds to speak in this laughable We face a partisan process that will jeop- malizing the decision my colleagues on process. ardize our 243-year experiment at self-govern- the other side of the aisle reached 3 Our President made a campaign ance, now, and for decades to come. years ago. This has been an embarrass- promise to drain the swamp, and there Madam Speaker, I ask my colleagues ment to our country, an insult to our are those today relying on swamp crea- to vote ‘‘no’’ to this sham. Constitution, and a distraction from tures’ words to preserve the swamp. Mr. SCHIFF. Madam Speaker, I yield the real work we should be accom- How do you suppress the votes of 63 2 minutes to the gentleman from Illi- plishing for the American people. I stand with the people of Ten- million people in an electoral land- nois (Mr. KRISHNAMOORTHI). nessee’s Sixth District in strongly sup- slide? You keep repeating the same lies Mr. KRISHNAMOORTHI. Madam porting President Trump, and I will absent any factual basis. Speaker, like many of my colleagues, I vote against the Articles of Impeach- I have heard some of the greatest fic- never ran for Congress wanting or ex- ment before us today. tion ever spoken here today. If you pecting to impeach anybody, let alone Mr. SCHIFF. Madam Speaker, I re- don’t like the facts, just rewrite them the President of the United States. serve the balance of my time. in a parody and repeat. However, given the facts, here we Mr. COLLINS of Georgia. Madam If the facts are so clear and indis- are. Speaker, I yield 30 seconds to the gen- putable, why is the minority leader While some questions remain unan- tleman from Michigan (Mr. HUIZENGA). begging for more witnesses? swered, two key facts are clear and Mr. HUIZENGA. Madam Speaker, in You can’t disprove something that compel me to support the Articles of her own words, Speaker PELOSI said never happened. Impeachment. impeachment must be compelling, Mr. Speaker, due to a rushed process and First, President Trump attempted to overwhelming, and bipartisan. These limited debate, I was not allocated time to pressure a foreign government to help Articles of Impeachment being consid- speak on the Floor ahead of this monumental his reelection campaign. ered today by the House fail to meet vote, an opportunity that every member should And second, the President used the Speaker PELOSI’s own standards. be afforded. powers of his office to obstruct a con- Process matters, folks. Representing I have spent two Christmases down range, gressional investigation into that a good chunk of Gerald Ford’s old dis- defending our Constitution and Country, and it wrongdoing. trict and being a staffer during the is a sad day when something this historic is The President has falsely claimed he Clinton administration, I have an inti- rushed to a desired result so my colleagues has been denied the chance to defend mate understanding of the effects of will be home in time for the holidays. himself, but at the same time, he is impeachment on this Nation. I am I am disappointed in this body for putting preventing the testimony of witnesses stunned to see my Democratic col- their own convenience over the sanctity of our with direct knowledge of the events leagues whitewash, or maybe I should Nation. under investigation. say ‘‘Whitewater,’’ Bill Clinton’s co- I will tell you this: I would rather face attacks If the President were innocent, as he operation with the House of Represent- from our Nation’s enemies than an attack on claims, surely these witnesses would be atives. That is not exactly what was our Constitution. able to testify to that. If there had going on. This is the first time in history that impeach- been no quid pro quo, these witnesses This is the most partisan impeach- ment proceedings have been completely par- could say that. If aid to Ukraine were ment that we have seen in our Nation’s tisan, shrouded in secrecy, and based on he- not intentionally delayed for improper history. said-she-said accusations. purposes, they could surely testify to Mr. SCHIFF. Madam Speaker, I con- As a former prosecutor, I find it insulting my that also. tinue to reserve the balance of my colleagues have built a case on second hand But rather than giving these wit- time. accounts, editorials, and opinions. nesses the chance to speak, the Presi- Mr. COLLINS of Georgia. Madam When the facts do not support the elements dent has silenced them. The President Speaker, I yield 30 seconds to the gen- of crime, my experience tells me there is no has silenced witnesses at the Defense tleman from Texas (Mr. CLOUD). crime. Department. The President has si- Mr. CLOUD. Madam Speaker, it has Under the Constitution, it is the duty of the lenced witnesses at the State Depart- been very clear from the beginning prosecution to prove the crime and not the ac- ment. The President has silenced wit- that this impeachment proceeding has cused to prove their innocence. nesses at the White House. He even si- never been about an honest search for The House has wasted time and tax dollars lenced the loquacious Mick Mulvaney, the truth. If it were, our Democratic on an unfounded witch hunt instead of legis- who uttered at a press conference that friends would not have polled to see lating on behalf of our country. there was a quid pro quo and ‘‘get over what to charge the President with. Upon passage along party lines, the Senate it.’’ Calling an opinion a fact does not will then be obligated to continue this circus at By choosing to block this testimony, make it so, and repeating it over and the expense of the American people. the President is not proving his inno- over does not make it more true. When Today is a stain on this esteemed body for cence; he is just proving he is afraid of one produces a committee report with generations to come and a detrimental prece- what they have to say. fabricated findings based on no fact dent is set for future presidencies. As a wise man once said, the truth witnesses and then quotes from it like Today is a day of reckoning and a day the will come to light. And it has. It is our it is authoritative, it is no more valid framers of our Constitution warned us about. duty to act on it. than having a campaign pay for a for- James Madison foresaw this day when he eign entity to create a private dossier feared the vague and heavily-disputed claims b 1800 and then selling it to a FISA court in by my colleagues would turn our republic into Mr. COLLINS of Georgia. Madam order to spy on a campaign. an unruly parliamentary system in which Con- Speaker, it is a shame, on the floor of This has always been a verdict in gress could remove a president over political this House, when you accuse somebody search of a crime, an impeachment

VerDate Sep 11 2014 06:51 Dec 19, 2019 Jkt 099060 PO 00000 Frm 00066 Fmt 7634 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\K18DE7.109 H18DEPT1 SSpencer on DSKBBXCHB2PROD with HOUSE December 18, 2019 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — HOUSE H12179 birthed at a resistance movement. It is Mr. SCHIFF. Madam Speaker, I con- Mr. LONG. Madam Speaker, we have time to end this charade and get back tinue to reserve the balance of my never, ever, in the history of this coun- to doing the work we were elected to time. try, seen a Presidency like this one. do. Mr. COLLINS of Georgia. Madam Once the President was sworn in, 19 Mr. SCHIFF. Madam Speaker, I con- Speaker, I yield 30 seconds to the gen- minutes later, The Washington Post tinue to reserve the balance of my tleman from Kentucky (Mr. GUTHRIE). said impeachment begins today. A mil- time. Mr. GUTHRIE. Madam Speaker, I lion women marched the next day in Mr. COLLINS of Georgia. Madam rise today in opposition to the Articles Washington. Bank of America and Speaker, I yield 30 seconds to the gen- of Impeachment on President Trump. Starbucks, both who supported Hillary tleman from Idaho (Mr. FULCHER). My Democratic colleagues have been Clinton, had their windows broken out Mr. FULCHER. Madam Speaker, in a planning to impeach President Trump here in Washington because people day heavy in verbal debate, I choose to since he took office. After months of were so upset that this man was elect- use my time to enumerate in detail wasting House time on partisan inves- ed President of the United States. every high crime and misdemeanor tigations, they have been unable to He has had his head held under water produce evidence that President Trump committed by the President of the for almost 3 years now, never coming United States. I will do so now. committed a crime. I will vote ‘‘no’’ on today’s Articles up for a breath of air, just keep push- The SPEAKER pro tempore (Ms. of Impeachment. I look forward to get- ing him down. DEGETTE). The time of the gentleman ting back to the business on behalf of Lowest Black unemployment ever, has expired. Kentuckians. lowest Hispanic unemployment ever, Mr. SCHIFF. Madam Speaker, I con- Mr. SCHIFF. Madam Speaker, I yield highest stock market ever, and the tinue to reserve the balance of my 2 minutes to the gentleman from New very lowest unemployment in years. time. York (Mr. SEAN PATRICK MALONEY). Mr. SCHIFF. Madam Speaker, I re- Mr. COLLINS of Georgia. Madam Mr. SEAN PATRICK MALONEY of serve the balance of my time. Speaker, I yield 30 seconds to the gen- New York. Madam Speaker, the facts Mr. COLLINS of Georgia. Madam tleman from Tennessee (Mr. and the evidence establish beyond per- Speaker, I yield 30 seconds to the gen- FLEISCHMANN). adventure that the President abused tleman from Nebraska (Mr. FORTEN- Mr. FLEISCHMANN. Madam Speak- the power of his office for personal gain BERRY). er, my heart aches for our great Repub- and sought to cover up his misconduct Mr. FORTENBERRY. Madam Speak- lic today. I implore my Democratic by obstructing the Congress. er, I have been concerned since the be- colleagues in this House: We are not What we do today goes to the heart ginning of this impeachment process Republicans or Democrats. We are of the oath we take to support and de- that it has been driven by a predeter- Americans. fend the Constitution. These actions mined guilty verdict. This is not the right place. This is are as necessary as they are heart- It is unfair. It is wrong. And now, not the right procedure. Settle our po- breaking. every future President, Democrat or litical differences politically. It is the President, not any Member Republican, will have to worry that the We owe the American people a great of this House, who has brought us to impeachment process will be driven as duty to come together. Don’t give the this sad place. His actions echo in this a blunt-force political instrument. Senate the victory lap. Give the House Chamber and, like a tin can tied to his It has been said that this day is sad. the victory lap. Vote ‘‘no’’ to impeach. leg, will rattle behind him through the It is not sad; it is regrettable. But this We owe it to the American people. pages of history. day will end shortly. The House has They want so dearly for us to come For in the final analysis, none of us had its cathartic moment. Tomorrow together for our great Republic and will escape the truth. It will come for will begin a new day. Let’s get back to thank our great President. us all in this world or the next. work. The SPEAKER pro tempore. Mem- What is the truth? The President Mr. SCHIFF. Madam Speaker, I con- bers are reminded to address their re- used taxpayer money and official acts tinue to reserve the balance of my marks to the Chair. to pressure a foreign government to time. Mr. SCHIFF. Madam Speaker, I con- help him win reelection by slandering a Mr. COLLINS of Georgia. Madam tinue to reserve the balance of my fellow American. Speaker, I yield 30 seconds to the gen- How do we know this truth? We know time. tleman from California (Mr. LAMALFA). because brave Americans, soldiers and Mr. COLLINS of Georgia. Madam Mr. LAMALFA. Madam Speaker, Speaker, may I inquire of the time re- public servants, came forward to reveal ready, fire, aim. maining for both the majority and the the President’s misconduct. What we are hearing today are made- And the President? He continues to minority. up articles to fit an ever-shrinking im- undertake an unprecedented coverup to The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gen- peachment foothold. George Wash- stonewall the public and obstruct their tleman from Georgia has 43 minutes re- ington could be impeached under this Representatives in Congress. He with- maining. The gentleman from Cali- holds access to documents and records criteria. fornia has 29 minutes remaining. Democrats believe they are saving belonging to the public that would fur- Mr. COLLINS of Georgia. Madam ther establish his mendacity. He blocks our democracy with these hysterical, Speaker, I yield 30 seconds to the gen- his advisers and associates from testi- made-up charges, which is odd because tleman from Florida (Mr. WALTZ). fying before the public to conceal the we are a republic, not a democracy, as Mr. WALTZ. Madam Speaker, I am a wrongs they witnessed. they keep insisting. Green Beret and a proud veteran, but These actions are unworthy of the No one came to Congress to impeach, this process does not make me proud. I Presidency. we hear. Several new and returning fought all over the world, from Africa Today is about right and wrong and Members have come specifically to im- to Afghanistan, and I have seen fair whether we still know the difference. peach President Trump. and more transparent processes than Today, we hold the President account- I hear a lot today about sadness and this. able. If we fail to do so, future Presi- solemnity. From impeachment? No, be- Since the Democrats lost the election dents would see corruption as without cause their candidate lost in 2016. The in 2016, they have been focused on im- consequence. And there, our democracy American people chose Donald J. peaching this President. Meanwhile, we goes to die. Trump to lead us into prosperity, not a have not solved the problems America We inherit this Republic from our an- socialist government. entrusted us to solve: immigration, cestors, and we borrow it from our chil- We will survive this day, but I call healthcare, and infrastructure. dren. With humility, we pray that the upon the American people to see Nothing in President Trump’s call history of this day will guide us to a through this sham, heal, and unite by rises to the level of high crimes and better future for our Nation. speaking the truth. misdemeanors worthy of impeachment. Mr. COLLINS of Georgia. Madam Mr. SCHIFF. Madam Speaker, I con- For that reason, I will be voting Speaker, I yield 30 seconds to the gen- tinue to reserve the balance of my against impeachment today. tleman from Missouri (Mr. LONG). time.

VerDate Sep 11 2014 06:51 Dec 19, 2019 Jkt 099060 PO 00000 Frm 00067 Fmt 7634 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\K18DE7.111 H18DEPT1 SSpencer on DSKBBXCHB2PROD with HOUSE H12180 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — HOUSE December 18, 2019 Mr. COLLINS of Georgia. Madam will forever change this institution. Mr. SCHIFF. Madam Speaker, I re- Speaker, I yield 30 seconds to the gen- Imagine a future where this body uti- serve the balance of my time. tleman from South Dakota (Mr. JOHN- lizes the most severe of its constitu- Mr. COLLINS of Georgia. Madam SON). tional tools to continually put the op- Speaker, I yield 30 seconds to the gen- Mr. JOHNSON of South Dakota. position party on trial. tleman from Maryland (Mr. HARRIS). Madam Speaker, I am voting ‘‘no.’’ Madam Speaker, the American peo- Mr. HARRIS. Madam Speaker, it is Impeachment is not in the best inter- ple have elected their Representatives unbelievable to the few Americans who est of this country. In fact, it has only to be their voice and vote on matters are going to be watching this because deepened the partisan divide that truly most important to this country. We they know what the outcome is. We all plagues this country. must collectively focus on these issues, know what the outcome is. When the Sun comes up tomorrow, I not on the political impulses of a few. They are wondering: Why are we try- pray with all my heart that the anger This cannot become the new normal. ing to negate the vote of 63 million and the division in this Chamber will I will be voting a resounding ‘‘no’’ on Americans instead of talking about the give way to an honorableness, a pro- these Articles of Impeachment. things that Americans care about: pre- ductivity, and a time of working to- Mr. SCHIFF. Madam Speaker, it is scription drug coverage, the high cost of prescription drugs, the high cost of gether. my pleasure to yield 1 minute to the healthcare, securing our borders, keep- Mr. SCHIFF. Madam Speaker, I con- gentleman from Maryland (Mr. ing our economy going? These are the tinue to reserve the balance of my BROWN). time. things we should be talking about. b 1815 No, instead, we are going to pass this Mr. COLLINS of Georgia. Madam resolution tonight and then go home Speaker, I yield 30 seconds to the gen- Mr. BROWN of Maryland. Madam for Christmas vacation instead of doing tleman from Alabama (Mr. ADERHOLT). Speaker, when I was commissioned a the job of America. Mr. ADERHOLT. Madam Speaker, second lieutenant in the United States Army, I swore an oath to support and Mr. SCHIFF. Madam Speaker, I con- today, a duly elected President is being tinue to reserve the balance of my impeached by the House of Representa- defend the Constitution, and I have done so 13 times in my 35 years of pub- time. tives, by the Democrats compelled by Mr. COLLINS of Georgia. Madam lic service. That oath means every- partisanship and not by the facts. Speaker, I yield 30 seconds to the gen- thing: to serve and fight for our coun- I am proud to stand here with Presi- tleman from Kansas (Mr. WATKINS). dent Donald Trump, and I plan to cast try and to protect and promote our val- Mr. WATKINS. Madam Speaker, I my vote against both Articles of Im- ues. was a political newcomer before this; peachment. Yet, President Trump betrayed his and just like President Trump, perhaps It is not that the President abused oath. He abused his power, the im- like me, he was naive to think that his power. It is my colleagues on the mense power of the Presidency. He this House, that in the people’s House, other side of the aisle who are abusing threatened our elections by inviting everybody was true and just. That is one of the most powerful tools that has foreign interference. He chose inves- not the case. been entrusted to Congress in the Con- tigating a political rival over defending Democrats weren’t saddened by this stitution by our Founding Fathers. our national security. sullen day. They weren’t waiting for all Mr. SCHIFF. Madam Speaker, I con- So, today, we must use our power, of the evidence. This was always about tinue to reserve the balance of my the extraordinary power endowed by politics because they loathe the Presi- time. our Constitution and entrusted by the dent because he doesn’t play by their Mr. COLLINS of Georgia. Madam people: the power to impeach. We must beltway rules. Speaker, I yield 30 seconds to the gen- hold President Trump accountable or I should have known. tleman from Texas (Mr. OLSON). else we will be complicit in under- But the fact is Kansas is better, the Mr. OLSON. Madam Speaker, Web- mining our democracy, our security, U.S. is better, and the world is better ster’s dictionary defines the star cham- and our dignity. because of Donald Trump. ber as ‘‘characterized by secrecy and His conduct demonstrates his Mr. SCHIFF. Madam Speaker, I con- often being irresponsibly arbitrary and unfitness to serve as Commander in tinue to reserve the balance of my oppressive.’’ Chief and warrants removal from of- time. Sadly, my Democratic friends have fice. The oath I took as a Member of Mr. COLLINS of Georgia. Madam turned this Chamber, the people’s Congress is the same I took as a sol- Speaker, I yield 30 seconds to the gen- Chamber, into the star chamber of the dier, an oath that reminds me values tleman from California (Mr. CALVERT). people. matter, that duty, honor, and the rule Mr. CALVERT. Madam Speaker, my One great example is the most impor- of law matter. friends on the other side of the aisle tant thing we can do as Members is de- To keep my oath to the people I have been clamoring for this day since clare war. The next one is to impeach serve, the country I love, today I will President Trump was elected. The refusal to accept the election re- a President. vote to impeach the President of the sults and, later, the findings of the We are hoping Republicans can have United States. Mueller investigation have brought every Member stand up and vote, like Mr. COLLINS of Georgia. Madam forth Articles of Impeachment that are for Speaker, and say their vote loudly. Speaker, I yield 30 seconds to the gen- negated by two simple facts, namely, Mr. SCHIFF. Madam Speaker, I con- tleman from Illinois (Mr. LAHOOD). the military aid to Ukraine was pro- tinue to reserve the balance of my Mr. LAHOOD. Madam Speaker, I have vided, and no investigation was ever time. said from the beginning of this process, started. Mr. COLLINS of Georgia. Madam impeachment is and should be the nu- The real offense is that the President Speaker, I yield 30 seconds to the gen- clear option reserved for the most trea- won the election, and their fear is that tleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. THOMP- sonous activity and the most serious he will win again, despite all of their SON). activity. Clearly, that has not been efforts. Mr. THOMPSON of Pennsylvania. met here. I will vote against the partisan at- Madam Speaker, while this institution As I reviewed the facts and evidence, tempt to overturn the election. should rightfully ensure the law is as a former Federal prosecutor—I have Mr. SCHIFF. Madam Speaker, I con- faithfully executed by the administra- read the transcripts; I have watched tinue to reserve the balance of my tive branch, this exercise has shown the hearings; I have read the whistle- time. itself to be the ultimate manipulation blower report—that has not been met Mr. COLLINS of Georgia. Madam of the legislative branch’s oversight here. Speaker, I yield 30 seconds to the gen- powers in order to achieve political In addition, this process has lacked tleman from Tennessee (Mr. gains. fairness, due process, and trans- BURCHETT). I caution my colleagues, who have parency. Mr. BURCHETT. Madam Speaker, I placed political expediency ahead of We shouldn’t be here tonight doing rise today in opposition to impeach- moderation, their votes later today this. This is a travesty. ment against President Donald Trump.

VerDate Sep 11 2014 06:51 Dec 19, 2019 Jkt 099060 PO 00000 Frm 00068 Fmt 7634 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\K18DE7.113 H18DEPT1 SSpencer on DSKBBXCHB2PROD with HOUSE December 18, 2019 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — HOUSE H12181 This is based on hearsay that was crats really want to impeach the Presi- he can’t be questioned and talk about made by partisan witnesses behind dent, or Democrats don’t like the it. That is the question, and that is the closed doors. This impeachment is a President. chord that has been struck. sham, Madam Speaker, and it has di- But what they can’t say is that this Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to vided this country. President’s conduct was ethical. the gentleman from North Dakota (Mr. Congress’ wasted time on this im- What they can’t say was that this ARMSTRONG). peachment would have been better used President’s conduct was legal. Mr. ARMSTRONG. Madam Speaker, to address issues that are facing Amer- What they can’t say was this Presi- once President Trump was sworn in, icans, like securing our southern bor- dent’s conduct was constitutional. Articles of Impeachment were intro- der, the opioid epidemic, or estab- What they can’t say is this President duced almost immediately. In 3 years, lishing a constitutionally mandated has upheld his oath of office. House Democrats have introduced 10 budget. No, they can’t say that. All they can resolutions, getting support of over 100 Now American workers have to wait say is: We don’t like the process, or, of their Members, and all of that before until the Senate trial to pass USMCA Our colleagues are just too happy to the July 25 phone call. that the President and the House Re- impeach, or, It is overturning the will But also during that time, the Russia publicans have been working on for of the public when it is a Republican conspiracy hoax was exposed. Obstruc- over a year. President. tion of justice charges were abandoned I am disappointed in the path Con- Interestingly, my colleagues who after the Mueller hearings fell flat. gress chose to go down. supported the impeachment of Bill So, after 2 years, 19 lawyers, 40 Mr. SCHIFF. Madam Speaker, I re- Clinton did not think it was over- agents, 2,800 subpoenas, 500 warrants, serve the balance of my time. turning the will of the people. Appar- and 17 lies in a FISA warrant applica- Mr. COLLINS of Georgia. Madam ently, this impeachment provision only tion, they had nothing to show for it. Speaker, I yield 30 seconds to the gen- overturns the will of the people if it is Undeterred by the facts and uninter- tleman from Arizona (Mr. GOSAR). a Republican President. ested in governing, the beat marched Mr. GOSAR. Madam Speaker, it is I would like to give them more credit on. So here we are today. We have no obvious today that there is an intense than that. quid pro quo, no bribery, no extortion, hatred by the Democrats for President What is the distinction here is the se- no crimes alleged in the articles at all. Donald Trump. riousness of the conduct. This remedy But don’t worry, because we have a Why do they hate the man so much? was put in the Constitution for a rea- brand-new, 632-page report alleging all Maybe it is because of the out-of-con- son. It is not an unconstitutional rem- kinds of things, some for the very first trol government gone wild: the abuses edy. It is part of the Constitution. time. of FISA, the abuses of the FBI, the The only way you can conceive of This isn’t a somber, solemn process. abuses in the State Department. this remedy as being unconstitutional This is a political drive-by. They just Maybe it is just the previous admin- is if you believe, as the President does, want President Trump gone. istration they are trying to cover up. that he is the state, that anything that But this never-ending march toward It is sad. This is a shameful act in opposes him opposes the state and is, overturning the 2016 election has con- what we are doing today. by definition, anticonstitutional. sequences, because you are telling 63 Shame on the Democrats. Shame on But that, of course, is nonsense. But million voters that you don’t respect them for pursuing this. it is more than nonsense; it is dan- their vote. I ask every Member to vote ‘‘no’’ and Voters in States like mine, who not gerous nonsense. to take notice of who votes for these that long ago used to send Democrats Madam Speaker, I yield 1 minute to Articles of Impeachment. to this august Chamber but, recently, the gentlewoman from Washington Mr. SCHIFF. Madam Speaker, I re- have found no home in the Democratic (Ms. SCHRIER). serve the balance of my time. Party, feel that their values have been Mr. COLLINS of Georgia. Madam Ms. SCHRIER. Madam Speaker, the people of Washington’s Eighth District replaced by a liberal, elitist agenda and Speaker, I yield 30 seconds to the gen- feel that partisan points are more im- tleman from Florida (Mr. POSEY). sent me to Congress to fight for their families and make thoughtful, evi- portant than practical solutions. Mr. POSEY. Madam Speaker, this is Your never-ending impeachment dence-based decisions. a sad day for America. quest is a constant reminder to them I did not come to Congress to im- We know this impeachment is a that you don’t trust their judgment, peach a President, but evidence is evi- sham. They know this impeachment is you don’t understand their way of life, dence, and a balance of power is funda- a sham. They know we know this im- and you couldn’t care less about the mental to our democracy. peachment is a sham, and they know issues that are important to them. On my first day in office, like every- that most of the American people know As Chairman NADLER has so omi- body else here, I took an oath to up- that this impeachment is a shameful nously stated, if you are serious about hold the Constitution and protect our sham. removing a President from office, what country. History will judge this mo- We know that it began the moment you are really doing is overturning the ment. Given all of the facts before us, the President was elected, long before results of the last election. he ever had a telephone call with any impeachment is the only remedy. Well, they were serious. They spent foreign leaders. We have heard the nu- Mr. COLLINS of Georgia. Madam the last 3 years talking about it, un- merous quotations from them that Speaker, I yield myself such time as I willing to accept the results of 2016. validate those very points, yet they may consume. I wonder if my colleagues recognize persist in trying to overturn the duly Madam Speaker, I am sure it did the irony that their impeachment ven- elected President of the United States strike a chord with the chairman since detta is the greatest election inter- of America’s election. he showed up a little late, hadn’t heard ference of all, and it was homegrown Mr. SCHIFF. Madam Speaker, I yield all of the arguments. We beat the facts right here in the Halls of Congress. myself such time as I may consume. back all the time. It is the majority The SPEAKER pro tempore. Mem- Madam Speaker, I have heard several side that had to run through this. That bers are reminded to address their re- of my colleagues in a row now, and it clock and that calendar are killing marks to the Chair. is interesting to see how very few of him, and it is killing him because his Mr. SCHIFF. Madam Speaker, I re- them want to address any of the facts arguments are falling flat. serve the balance of my time. of the President’s misconduct. To speak of evidence, we looked at Mr. COLLINS of Georgia. Madam Apparently, Madam Speaker, I have the evidence, and the evidence doesn’t Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gen- struck a nerve. Nor do they wish to de- fit anything. tleman from New York (Mr. ZELDIN). fend a President who would extort an And by the way, if the gentleman had Mr. ZELDIN. Madam Speaker, this ally, withhold military aid to help him extortion, put in articles. The gen- impeachment is an embarrassment for cheat in an election. tleman can’t because he can’t make House Democrats. They don’t want to defend that con- the case. He can only put it in his On the substance, the Democrats duct, so, instead, they say: Oh, Demo- notes and then come to the mike when claim that their case is uncontested,

VerDate Sep 11 2014 06:51 Dec 19, 2019 Jkt 099060 PO 00000 Frm 00069 Fmt 7634 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\K18DE7.114 H18DEPT1 SSpencer on DSKBBXCHB2PROD with HOUSE H12182 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — HOUSE December 18, 2019 relying on presumptions, hearsay, and like Hunter Biden, Joe Biden, and oth- cause we have lowered the bar to im- 3 percent of the story trying to connect ers. peach a President who continues to dots that actually aren’t connected. Then there was the House Judiciary give us an economy that not only is Some inconvenient truths: President debacle where Schiff couldn’t even growing, but growing at levels that we Zelensky didn’t know that there was a show up to present his reports. He had have never seen in the history of our hold on aid until August 29. The aid to have one of his staffers present it for country. When we look at unemploy- gets released shortly thereafter, and him. This impeachment is ripping our ment at a level that is truly remark- Ukraine didn’t have to do anything in country in half. It is fatally flawed on able, they want to impeach. order to get that aid released; Presi- the process, the substance, the inten- But it is another sad day because now dent Zelensky says no demand, no quid tions, and the consequences. It is a what they are doing is they are telling pro quo, no pressure. total Schiff show. I encourage all my the American people that 233 Demo- But Democrats want the public to ig- colleagues to vote ‘‘no.’’ crats deserve to decide who the Presi- nore the other 97 percent of this story. b 1830 dent of the United States should be and It doesn’t work like that. disenfranchise 63 million voters. Senate Democrats want new wit- Mr. SCHIFF. Madam Speaker, I con- When all is said and done, when the nesses to show why there was a hold on tinue to reserve the balance of my history of this impeachment is written, aid. That is an odd request if you think time. it will be said that my Washington you have already proven your case. Mr. COLLINS of Georgia. Madam Democrat friends couldn’t bring them- At the heart of this debate, two in- Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gen- selves to work with Donald Trump, so vestigations are being discussed be- tleman from North Carolina (Mr. they consoled themselves instead by si- tween countries. Democrats and media MEADOWS). lencing the will of those who did: the allies want the public to believe it is Mr. MEADOWS. Madam Speaker, American people. all just debunked that Ukrainians today, as we sit here debating impeach- Mr. SCHIFF. Madam Speaker, I yield interfered in the 2016 election. They ment, all they want to talk about is 1 minute to the gentleman from Cali- want you to ignore Avakov and Chaly’s the Constitution and Alexander Ham- fornia (Mr. SHERMAN). comments, that Chalupa worked with ilton. During the last 30 days I have Mr. SHERMAN. Madam Speaker, the Ukrainian Embassy, origins of the heard more about Hamilton from my Robert Mueller lays out facts from 2017 Steele dossier, the black ledger, and Democrat colleagues, and until then that constitute Obstruction of Justice more. the closest they ever came to Hamilton but says the President cannot be in- The problem with all of this is that was a $10 bill. All of a sudden, what we dicted, only Congress can apply the law the American public are smarter than have are these strict constitutionalists to those facts. Democrats are giving them credit for. on the other side of the aisle. Many of us have been talking about Next, the Democrats claim the Re- Madam Speaker, this has nothing to impeachment since those facts publicans are arguing that it was do with the Constitution. It has noth- emerged in 2017. Ukraine and not Russia that wanted to ing to do with anything but raw poli- Of course, today, we focus on more interfere and was interfering in the tics. recent crimes. 2016 election. No, that is not what Re- There is only one person on the other So why did we talk of impeachment publicans are saying. side of the aisle who got seven back when a Republican-led Congress Of course, we have the Burisma- Pinocchios for not telling the truth. No would not act? Biden issue of a corrupt Ukrainian en- one on this side of the aisle got that Why do we impeach today when a Re- ergy company run by a corrupt Ukrain- during this impeachment process, publican-led Senate is unlikely to act? ian oligarch hiring Hunter Biden for at Madam Speaker. First, because it is our constitutional least $50,000 per month, with no energy The American people need to under- duty, no matter what the political con- experience and no Ukraine experience, stand two key facts: The Democrats in sequences. solely because he is Vice President control set their own rules of evidence. Second, because it is the most effec- Biden’s son. They said, what we need to do for im- tive tool to chasten and restrain a Now, the company wanted to hire peachment is to have compelling evi- President who does not naturally feel Hunter Biden because they wanted to dence and bipartisan support. constrained by the rule of law. curry favor while there was this ongo- They don’t have either of those two I would note that the President’s at- ing corruption investigation. Enter Joe things. They failed the rules that they tempt to extort Ukraine was secretive Biden. He gets that prosecutor fired, made up themselves. and furtive, far different from his threatening the loss of $1 billion if it We have got President Zelensky of modus operandi of brazen threats that didn’t happen immediately, which it Ukraine saying that there was no pres- we saw in 2017. was. sure. We have got the number two guy We can only imagine what high Now, Democrats believe that in Ukraine saying that there was no crimes and misdemeanors this Presi- Burisma and Biden should be immune pressure. We have got the number dent would have boldly committed had from scrutiny. I disagree. Never again three guy in Ukraine saying that there nobody been talking about impeach- should that conflict of interest ever was no pressure. These are the sup- ment then—had he felt immune from happen. And our governments should posed victims of this alleged crime, and impeachment. be working together to get to the bot- yet here we are supposedly having this Today we will demonstrate that the tom of all of this. compelling evidence and facts when the President is not above the law. This has also been a total disaster on best witness they have—the very best Mr. COLLINS of Georgia. Madam the process, from getting a Federal witness they had—had to change his Speaker, it would have been nice if worker to file a whistleblower com- testimony twice. They mentioned him they had actually thought those crimes plaint to Schiff’s made-up version of 611 times, and ultimately, he said: I were bad enough to have put them in the July 25 call. presume that that is what the Presi- the articles, but they didn’t. In the closed-door interviews, Schiff dent meant. Madam Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to was prosecutor, judge, jury, and wit- Madam Speaker, I can tell you that the gentleman from Texas (Mr. ness coach. Every day he loved getting there are not facts here to support it. RATCLIFF). America drunk on his favorite cock- But what is more important than that, Mr. RATCLIFFE. Madam Speaker, do tail, three ingredients: cherry-picking Madam Speaker, is that here we are you know who doesn’t think the Demo- leaks, withholding key facts, and mis- today and we have bipartisan opposi- crats have presented enough testimony stating evidence. tion to impeachment, not bipartisan or evidence to impeach President In the depositions and in the public support. Trump today? hearings, the President’s counsel was My colleagues opposite want the It is the Democrats. not invited to attend, present evidence, American people to think that this is a Sure, here in the House, Democrats or cross-examine witnesses; and Repub- sad and somber day. This is a sad day. running this inquiry have declared licans weren’t allowed to call witnesses It is a sad day for this institution be- they have done everything needed and

VerDate Sep 11 2014 06:51 Dec 19, 2019 Jkt 099060 PO 00000 Frm 00070 Fmt 7634 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\K18DE7.116 H18DEPT1 SSpencer on DSKBBXCHB2PROD with HOUSE December 18, 2019 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — HOUSE H12183 they have all the testimony and evi- was used politically by the party that we assert this truth, uphold our constitutional dence necessary to impeach right now. had the most votes. Today the Demo- duty, and hold President Trump accountable But right now, down the hall, Demo- crats are the Founders’ worst night- for his actions. To fulfill my oath of office and crats in the Senate are saying the mare come true. I think most Ameri- protect the Constitution, I will vote to impeach exact opposite. They are complaining cans are probably wishing they could President Donald Trump. they need more evidence and more tes- impeach the Democrats. President Trump abused the power of his timony, because Senate Democrats To them I say: You can next Novem- office when he solicited help in the 2020 elec- know that House Democrats have built ber. tion from Ukraine. He did this not to root out them a house-of-cards impeachment, Mr. SCHIFF. Madam Speaker, I corruption or with our nation’s interests in an impeachment built by the same think, when the history of this time is mind, but to gain a personal, political advan- Democrats who told America: Trust us, written, it will record that, when my tage in the election. The President withheld President Trump committed treason; colleagues found that they lacked the $391 million in congressionally-approved mili- he is a Russian agent, and we have got courage to stand up to this unethical tary aid for Ukraine until it agreed to inves- evidence—which, of course, proved to President, they consoled themselves by tigate his political rival. This corrupt scheme be totally false. attacking those who did. put at risk Ukraine’s security as well as our To quote the favorite catchphrase of Madam Speaker, I yield to the gen- own national security, and it undermined the one Member of this House, they got tleman from California (Mr. TAKANO) integrity of our elections. It is a clear abuse of caught. for a unanimous consent request. power. Along the way, those same Demo- (Mr. TAKANO asked and was given President Trump then obstructed Congress, crats said: Trust us, the FISA law and permission to revise and extend his re- which sought truth and accountability. He or- court weren’t abused by the Obama ad- marks.) dered the complete defiance of lawful sub- ministration using a Democratic oppo- Mr. TAKANO. Madam Speaker, I in- poenas for relevant documents and prohibited sition research dossier against the clude in the RECORD my remarks sup- witnesses from giving testimony, further vio- Trump campaign and President porting the impeachment of President lating the Constitution. This unprecedented Trump—again, totally false, and, Donald Trump. blockade has threatened our cherished system again, they got caught. Madam Speaker, I rise today as a strong of Checks and Balances. When Democrats started this latest believer in the American experiment and the Madam Speaker, it is time to finally hold impeachment inquiry, they said: Trust democratic norms that distinguish us from the President Trump accountable for these corrupt us, we have not yet spoken to the whis- monarchies that existed at the birth of our na- and unconstitutional actions. We must pass tleblower. tion and from the authoritarian tyrannies that the two articles of impeachment before us Again, totally false, and they got exist today. today to make certain no one is above the caught. The facts that were uncovered during the law. I urge all of my colleagues to stand up for Sadly, my Democratic colleagues House’s impeachment inquiry point to unlawful the Constitution and join me in voting yes. have placed their own credibility in the misconduct by President Trump—misconduct Mr. SCHIFF. Madam Speaker, I yield hands of Members of this body who that demands that we, the Congress, hold him to the gentlewoman from Ohio (Mrs. have no credibility left, Members to account. BEATTY) for a unanimous consent re- whom nobody trusts because they keep The president’s egregious abuse of power quest. getting caught betraying America. undermined the integrity of our elections, (Mrs. BEATTY asked and was given Unless a bolt of courage and integ- which are the foundation of our democracy, permission to revise and extend her re- rity strikes that side of the room in and threatened our national security. marks.) the next hour, history will reflect that Furthermore, his refusal to cooperate with Mrs. BEATTY. Madam Speaker, I in- Donald Trump is the third President to the House’s impeachment inquiry represents clude in the RECORD my remarks sup- be impeached. History may also short- an unprecedented level of contempt for the porting the impeachment of President ly reflect that he will be the first law and violation of our democratic norms. Donald Trump. President to be reelected after being What the president obstructed wasn’t trivial, Madam Speaker, I rise today—a day that wrongfully impeached. nor was it about concealing private conduct— will certainly be looked back upon by future If that happens, Democrats won’t be he obstructed a Congressional investigation of generations. able to hide behind a pretend veneer of great significance to our national interest and Many years from now, when conspiracy caring about the Constitution. History infringed on Congress’ ability to carry out our theories are put aside and the truth made will record the Democrats’ legacy as a constitutional duty. plain, the American people will know that betrayal of the Constitution because As a separate and co-equal branch of gov- President Trump broke his oath, abused the the Founders meant for impeachment ernment we must hold the president account- power of that great office, and thought himself to be used for actions so extraordinary able for his abuse of power and his violation above the law. and so rare that it has happened three of the public trust. But they will also know that many members times in two and one-half centuries. It Mr. SCHIFF. Madam Speaker, I yield of this body—the People’s House—kept their wasn’t meant for congratulatory phone to the gentlewoman from New York oath to defend the Constitution and held Presi- calls where there is no crime alleged, (Ms. CLARKE) for a unanimous consent dent Trump accountable. where there is no victim, and where the request. History will note each of our names and Democrats themselves couldn’t even (Ms. CLARKE of New York asked and where we stood today—for democracy, for jus- decide what to accuse the President of was given permission to revise and ex- tice, and for this great country. doing wrong before ending up with this tend her remarks.) When we vote to impeach this president this embarrassment of a grab bag of an Ms. CLARKE of New York. Madam evening, I can tell you that I will do so with a abuse of power article. Speaker, I will include in the RECORD clear conscience and with the full confidence An obstruction of Congress? my remarks supporting my vote for the that future generations will judge us on the To even allege it is an admission of impeachment of Donald J. Trump. right side of history. constitutional illiteracy. The Founders Mr. SCHIFF. Madam Speaker, I yield Mr. SCHIFF. Madam Speaker, I yield had a term for what the Democrats call to the gentlewoman from California to the gentlewoman from Virginia (Ms. the obstruction of Congress. The (Mrs. NAPOLITANO) for a unanimous WEXTON) for a unanimous consent re- Founders called it the separation of consent request. quest. powers. The funny thing about obstruc- (Mrs. NAPOLITANO asked and was (Ms. WEXTON asked and was given tion is every time Democrats get given permission to revise and extend permission to revise and extend her re- caught trying to frame this President her remarks.) marks.) for some crime he didn’t commit, they Mrs. NAPOLITANO. Madam Speaker, Ms. WEXTON. Madam Speaker, I in- follow up by accusing him of obstruct- I include in the RECORD my remarks clude in the RECORD my remarks sup- ing their efforts to frame him for the supporting the Articles of Impeach- porting the impeachment of President things he never did in the first place. ment against Donald Trump. Donald Trump. The Founders warned and feared Madam Speaker, I rise to say no one is Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of today might come when impeachment above the law, not even the President. Today, both articles of impeachment.

VerDate Sep 11 2014 06:51 Dec 19, 2019 Jkt 099060 PO 00000 Frm 00071 Fmt 7634 Sfmt 9920 E:\CR\FM\K18DE7.118 H18DEPT1 SSpencer on DSKBBXCHB2PROD with HOUSE H12184 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — HOUSE December 18, 2019 I did not come to Congress to impeach the but not Republicans’. The chairman b 1845 President, but his actions have left us no wouldn’t let them. Mr. SCHIFF. Madam Speaker, I yield choice. Of course, there was the whistle- 1 minute to the gentleman from Illi- The facts are uncontested and the truth is blower, the anonymous whistleblower, nois (Mr. SCHNEIDER). inescapable. with no firsthand knowledge, who was Mr. SCHNEIDER. Madam Speaker, I The President leveraged the highest office biased against the President, who rise to defend the Constitution and in the land for personal political gain. In doing worked for Joe Biden, and who was support these Articles of Impeachment. so, he jeopardized our national security, un- never compelled to testify—the guy The President abused the power of dermined the integrity of our elections, and be- who started it all. his office by corruptly putting his own trayed the public trust. The Framers gave This is really about that the Presi- political interest ahead of our Nation’s Congress the power of impeachment precisely dent has been driving these guys crazy security. He blocked congressionally to protect our democracy from this kind of because he is getting things done. He is authorized military aid to coerce abuse of power. doing what he said he was going to do. Ukraine to launch a phony investiga- The President’s pattern of misconduct out- He is having results. Taxes have been tion into his political rival. lined in the articles of impeachment, and his cut, regulations have been reduced, un- In the months since, he has waged a unrepentant contempt for the rule of law, employment is at its lowest level in 50 campaign of absolute obstruction make it clear that he poses a clear and years, the economy is growing, against Congress’ constitutional au- present danger to the very foundations of our Gorsuch and Kavanaugh are on the thority, ordering all Federal officials democracy. Court, we are out of the Iran deal, the to defy subpoenas and refusing to Voting to impeach the President is not an embassy is in Jerusalem, hostages are produce even a single document. easy decision, nor is it one I take any pleasure home from North Korea, and a new Madam Speaker, I take no joy in to- in. NAFTA agreement coming tomorrow. day’s impeachment vote or that the President’s actions demand this re- I will cast my vote tonight with a heavy heart But guess what, Madam Speaker? sponse. This is a sad moment for our and a solemn sense of duty to protect our When you drain the swamp, the Constitution. Nation. Only twice before has the swamp fights back. And they started House voted to impeach a President, Mr. SCHIFF. Madam Speaker, I yield attacking the President before the 1 minute to the gentleman from New and never before on accusations of election even. On July 31, 2016, they compromising our Nation’s security. I Jersey (Mr. PASCRELL). opened the Russian investigation. The Mr. PASCRELL. Madam Speaker, we hope, in the Senate, prosecution and FBI spied on four American citizens as- are here today because of the failure of defense can call and cross-examine wit- sociated with the Trump campaign. so many to cast aside narrow ambition nesses, and the Senators will hear the The FBI took the dossier to the FISA to confront the threats standing before evidence and make their decisions court. The dossier they already knew us. Offered the chance to investigate without prejudice or prejudgment. was false, they took to the court and this government together, the Presi- This is a solemn moment, but our lied to the court 17 times. dent and his party stonewalled and ob- system of checks and balances was de- Guess what, Madam Speaker? structed. We are here today because we signed for times like these. I have faith choose comfort over courage and ava- Three days ago on national tele- that our Constitution will guide us on rice over the Republic. vision, even James Comey had to admit the path ahead. This is the ongoing tragedy of our the FBI was wrong. Yesterday—1 day Mr. COLLINS of Georgia. Madam age. And it is ongoing. The matter is ago—the FISA court sends the FBI a Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gen- now solely in our hands and belongs to letter and says: Straighten up and get tleman from California (Mr. NUNES). Mr. NUNES. Madam Speaker, as the us and us alone. The buck has stopped. your act together when it comes to the Democrats now admit, their attempt to Many have invoked the judgment of FISA application process. remove the President began on history as an anecdote to this threat, Think about this: the attacks started Trump’s Inauguration Day. When the but the threat to democracy is here then, and they have continued right up Democrats’ semi-official mouthpiece, today, not tomorrow. until today. But, Madam Speaker, I The Washington Post, declared: ‘‘The We need not and we must not await want you to think about something: campaign to impeach President Trump the verdict of time for Donald Trump’s the individual who said that the FISA has begun.’’ abuse of power and obstruction. process was fine, the dossier was fine, and the Russian investigation was fine, For years, the Democrats tried to We can offer that verdict right now, expel the President with the prepos- and we are. that same individual ran the impeach- ment process. That same individual’s terous accusation that he was a Rus- Mr. COLLINS of Georgia. Madam sian agent. As detailed by Inspector Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gen- staff met with the whistleblower, that same individual is the only guy in Con- General Horowitz, dishonest intel- tleman from Ohio (Mr. JORDAN). ligence officials used fake allegations Mr. JORDAN. Madam Speaker, the gress who knows who the whistle- blower is for sure, and that same indi- spread by the Democrats to gain ap- Democrats forgot two key things. They proval of a spying operation against forgot about the facts, and they forgot vidual released the phone records of the President’s personal attorney, re- the Trump campaign. about fairness. Four facts will never As they falsely accused the Trump leased the phone records of a member change: We have the call transcript, no campaign of colluding with Russians, of the press, and released the phone quid pro quo; we have the two guys on the Democrats, themselves, colluded records of a Republican Member of the the call who have repeatedly said there with Russians to manufacture these al- United States Congress. was no pressure and there was no push- legations in the infamous Steele dos- ing; we have the fact Ukraine didn’t This process has been unfair, it has sier. They even tried to get nude pic- know aid was held up at the time of the been dangerous, and it has been harm- tures of Trump from Russian prank- phone call; and, most importantly, ful to our country. sters. Ukraine took no action and no an- Democrats have never accepted the With the Russian collusion hoax, the nouncement of investigation to get the will of the American people. NANCY Democrats had everything going for aid released. PELOSI made that clear 4 weeks ago them: Federal investigations run by But Democrats don’t care. They when she called the President of the Trump haters; an endless supply of don’t care about the facts, and they United States an imposter. The will of media cheerleaders; and a galaxy of sure don’t care about the process. we the people, the 63 million folks who leftwing interest groups amplifying There was no subpoena power for Re- voted for this guy and made him Presi- their ridiculous messages. publicans and no Republican witnesses. dent in an electoral college landslide, Yet, even with all those messages at During the depositions Republicans they never accepted that fact. their disposal, the Russia conspiracy were prevented from getting all their We are less than 11 months away theory collapsed, so they quickly con- questions answered, but Democrats got from the election. Let the American cocted plan B. every one of their questions, the wit- people decide who should be President. The Ukraine hoax was based on a nesses responded to every one of theirs, Let the American people decide. supposed whistleblower who colluded

VerDate Sep 11 2014 06:51 Dec 19, 2019 Jkt 099060 PO 00000 Frm 00072 Fmt 7634 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\A18DE7.051 H18DEPT1 SSpencer on DSKBBXCHB2PROD with HOUSE December 18, 2019 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — HOUSE H12185 beforehand with the Democrats. The country faces even greater long-term Mr. COLLINS of Georgia. Madam Democrats then prevented Congress risk if we fail to respond. Speaker, I yield 13⁄4 minutes to the gen- from interviewing the whistleblower We cannot excuse a President who tleman from Georgia (Mr. FERGUSON). while conducting bizarre secret deposi- feels entitled to disregard or break the Mr. FERGUSON. Madam Speaker, tions and selectively leaking testi- law with impunity. We are a nation well, here we are, on the verge of doing mony to discredited media hacks. The built upon the rule of law, not the law exactly what America doesn’t want us Democrats showcased the most useful of rulers. to do and what they feared that you witnesses in public hearings that some- The Framers gave us their best effort would do. how reduced support for impeachment. in 1787, and, indeed, it was an extraor- In 2016, I, along with 63 million It is not easy to make a coup at- dinary one. The Constitution they set American voters representing 304 elec- tempt boring, but the Democrats found down wasn’t perfect, but it founded a toral college votes, went to the polls, a way. As it turns out, the American republic that has endured and thrived and we raised our collective political people don’t think a routine phone call with exceptional stability. middle finger to D.C. and voted for with a foreign leader is a good basis for As the late Senator Moynihan point- Donald Trump, folks like my father, ousting a U.S. President. ed out, only two countries in the world who watched this place destroy his pro- The Democrats also put forth ever- both existed in 1800 and have never had fession of community banking; my changing accusations against the their governments changed by violence friends and family in the textile indus- President, including campaign finance since then: the United States and Brit- try who saw their way of life destroyed violations, quid pro quos, election in- ain. Only eight governments have ex- following NAFTA; Americans in rural terference, bribery, and extortion. isted since 1914 and have not had their areas whose opportunity and life and Eventually, they ended up with the form of government changed by force voice have been drowned out by the ridiculous charges we consider today, since then: the United States, the screams of socialist Democrats; our abuse of power, an utterly meaningless United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, friends and neighbors living in poverty term, and obstruction of Congress. One New Zealand, South Africa, Sweden, and crime, broken-down, project-based Democrat has pronounced the Presi- and Switzerland. public housing, who for generations The innovative system of checks and dent guilty simply because he won’t co- have been told by this place: ‘‘This is balances that they constructed, with operate with their plan to railroad the best that we think you can do. Here the separation of powers, brought him. is your check. God bless you. Now, about and successfully negotiated a But the only thing President Trump move along.’’ Those voters. generation of challenges that we have is guilty of is beating Hillary Clinton. Now you want to remove our voice sustained. The Democrats refuse to accept that In the very first week that the Fram- from office. Well, our voice will be loss, and now they are indicating they ers began crafting this blueprint for heard. I stand here determined to make will continue their impeachment ef- America’s freedom and stability, nego- sure that it will be because we will forts even after this one fails in the tiations immediately started on im- fight back against this corrupt and un- U.S. Senate. peachment. No government in the fair impeachment process. Madam Speaker, after all their de- How dare you, the liberal elites, the world at that time exposed the head of ceit, phony investigations, ginned-up condescending bureaucrats, and every government to impeachment, but crises, and manufactured outrage, the other kind of swamp critter in this America was to be different. Democrats need a long period of reha- In the view of the Framers, impeach- godforsaken place tell the American bilitation. They must learn how to do ment is in no way a constitutional cri- public who the President should be. something productive for the American sis. It is a process that the Framers That is the job of the American voter, people instead of ripping the country wisely judged that we would sometimes not yours. apart in their lust for power. need. This evening is one of those rare This whole flipping rodeo is a sham Mr. SCHIFF. I thank the gentleman moments. and a shame, and it will not be forgot- for his remarks. Madison worried that, one day, the ten. Madam Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to country would elect a President who Mr. SCHIFF. Madam Speaker, I yield the gentleman from Massachusetts ‘‘might pervert his administration into 2 minutes to the gentleman from Wash- (Mr. NEAL), chairman of the Ways and a scheme of peculation or oppression. ington (Mr. HECK). Mr. HECK. Madam Speaker, this Means Committee. He might betray his trust to foreign week, Americans are busy finishing up Mr. NEAL. Madam Speaker, it is powers.’’ George Mason asked the Dele- their Christmas shopping mostly for deeply unfortunate that we have to un- gates: ‘‘Shall any man to be above jus- their children, or if they are lucky dertake this impeachment proceeding tice? Above all, shall that man be enough to have them, their grand- that unfolds this evening, but the part above it who can commit the most ex- children. And high school and college we play in this process is not optional. tensive injustice?’’ Among other things, as the Intel- Of course not, because having just students are taking final exams and ligence Committee and Committee on thrown off one King, they would never sweating out the results. the Judiciary have painstakingly docu- consent to anoint another one. Amer- That got me to thinking about those mented, the President has indeed ica firmly rejected the notion of divine who follow and what our obligation is abused his authority, and he has indeed right. to them, and that got me to thinking obstructed justice. The SPEAKER pro tempore. The about those who came before and how He threatened to withhold congres- time of the gentleman has expired. they might have seen their obligation sionally appropriated U.S. taxpayer Mr. SCHIFF. Madam Speaker, I yield to us, people like my grandfather, who dollars from an ally under attack from an additional 30 seconds to the gen- our family believes literally was born Russia unless they agreed to interfere tleman. on the boat on the way over here from in our election on his behalf. He has ex- Mr. NEAL. Article I of the Constitu- Germany, or my father, who fought in pressed no remorse, and he continues tion prescribes Congress as the first World War II against the very people to maintain that his behavior was branch of government. Just as impor- that his grandfather had left. ‘‘perfect,’’ while simultaneously ob- tantly, let me quote Speaker Rayburn, We are all here today, all of us, be- structing legitimate congressional who was asked: How many Presidents cause someone before us sacrificed so oversight and subpoenas and blocking did you serve under? that they could journey here and build members of his administration from Speaker Rayburn answered: None. I a new life in this unique land. We are providing truthful testimony to inves- served with seven Presidents of the here today because those immigrants tigators. United States. and their children were dedicated not His actions are so far beyond the pale Impeachment is reserved for mo- just to the land of America, but to the that they have left us with no remain- ments of grave danger when the con- idea: freedom and opportunity secured ing recourse except impeachment, and stitutional order becomes dangerously by self-government, choosing our own so we shall impeach because, as drastic out of balance, moments like this one. leaders in free and fair elections, and and as unwelcome as this step is, our That is why I will vote to impeach. the rule of law under the Constitution.

VerDate Sep 11 2014 06:51 Dec 19, 2019 Jkt 099060 PO 00000 Frm 00073 Fmt 7634 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\K18DE7.123 H18DEPT1 SSpencer on DSKBBXCHB2PROD with HOUSE H12186 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — HOUSE December 18, 2019 The SPEAKER pro tempore. The b 1900 lated more by the comparative time of the gentleman has expired. Mr. COLLINS of Georgia. Madam strength of parties, than by the real Mr. SCHIFF. Madam Speaker, I yield Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from demonstrations of innocence or guilt.’’ an additional 30 seconds to the gen- Madam Speaker, our Democratic col- Arkansas (Mr. CRAWFORD) for a unani- tleman from Washington. mous consent request. leagues have been working to remove Mr. HECK. This idea of America is in (Mr. CRAWFORD asked and was this President since the day he was peril, brought about so by this Presi- given permission to revise and extend elected, searching for an offense on dent, who sought to cheat in an elec- his remarks.) which they could impeach. Failing to tion, a President who puts himself Mr. CRAWFORD. Madam Speaker, I find one, Madam Speaker, they have above the law and attacks the bedrock include in the RECORD my remarks in decided to assume one. constitutional precept of checks and opposition to this sham impeachment. Rather than attempting to enforce balances. Madam Speaker, the talking points that we their subpoenas in court, they have Yet, the question is, can America have heard all day are the same that have also decided to declare it a high crime survive this behavior? What ideal will been repeated for months—and they all point and misdemeanor when the President we hand down to those who follow us? to the same conclusions: the President did not of the United States asserts his con- And, finally, what is our obligation to abuse his power and he has been subjected stitutional privileges. those who would follow? The Democrats are asking Members to the most partisan, lopsided impeachment It is simply this: to do our duty, to of this body to impeach, despite the attempt in history. defend the Constitution and the values fact that they have presented no direct President Trump said there was no quid pro underpinning it by voting ‘‘yes’’ on the evidence of any impeachable offense. Articles of Impeachment. quo. President Zelensky said there was no Let me say it one more time, Madam Mr. SCHIFF. Madam Speaker, I yield quid pro quo. The two people with any direct Speaker. They have presented no direct 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from knowledge both said that there was no crime. evidence of any impeachable offense. Florida (Mrs. DEMINGS). Despite that, one of my colleagues—the same If anyone in this Chamber still be- Mrs. DEMINGS. Madam Speaker, we one who publicly claimed for over a year that lieves the Democrats have proven their live in the greatest democracy in the he had seen clear evidence that the President case, I would urge those Members to world, and I am convinced that the was a Russian spy—secretly met with a whis- ask the chairman of the Intelligence overwhelming majority of Americans tleblower who had heard that the President Committee, Mr. SCHIFF, why he failed are good, decent people who work hard had withheld aid for a quid pro quo. Now, we to appear to answer questions about and play by the rules. don’t know if that knowledge came to the his report. Before Members vote for im- But then, we have people who have whistleblower second, third, or even fourth peachment, they might want to know no respect for the law, people who have hand because we weren’t allowed to question why the author of the impeachment re- little regard for the rules, people who them—we just know it was hearsay. port will not defend it under ques- spend a lot of their time trying to fig- What is readily apparent after years of this tioning. ure out how to game the system. Law garbage is that the Democrat party simply If the House impeaches here, Madam enforcement officers call them habit- cannot accept the will of the American people. Speaker, it will create exactly the type ual offenders. The more they get away Robert Mueller investigated the Russian collu- of risk the Framers cautioned us to with, the more likely they are to en- sion hoax for over a year and cleared that avoid: It will mean that divided gov- gage in misconduct. cluster of lies with his report. Rather than in- ernment can imperil a democratically Some say it takes courage to hold demnify President Trump for promoting and elected President based on unproven al- powerful people accountable, but I see campaigning on that sham, my colleagues legations and innuendo in the absence it differently. I see it as a sense of across the aisle cooked up another scandal to of direct testimony. duty, a regular part of my job as a deliver on their impeachment promises. Despite all the rhetoric you have Member of Congress. In 2024 there will be no Soviet-bloc coun- heard today, Madam Speaker, passage However, habitual offenders usually tries left to accuse the President of colluding of these Articles of Impeachment may don’t sneak up on you. They usually with and then what will you do? permanently damage our Republic. telegraph their intentions time and Mr. COLLINS of Georgia. Madam From this day forward, a hyperpartisan time again. Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to the gen- bare majority can cite this precedent On July 27, 2016, in my home State of tlewoman from Wyoming (Ms. CHENEY). to try to remove a future Commander Florida, then-candidate Trump said, Ms. CHENEY. Madam Speaker, I rise in Chief. ‘‘Russia, if you are listening, I hope today on the floor of this magnificent Madam Speaker, I urge my col- you’re able to find the 30,000 emails,’’ Chamber, the very heart of our demo- leagues on both sides of the aisle to thereby inviting foreign interference cratic Republic, and I would imagine, think of our Republic, think of the into U.S. elections. Madam Speaker, that every one of us Constitution, think of the oath that we Then, the day after the special coun- in this Chamber, regardless of party, all swore to protect and defend that sel testified before Congress, the Presi- understands, shares a common view, Constitution, and vote against these dent, feeling undeterred and that being citizens of this great Repub- partisan, reckless, and dangerous Arti- emboldened, called President Zelensky lic is among life’s most tremendous cles of Impeachment. and pressured him to help him rig the blessings. Mr. SCHIFF. Madam Speaker, I yield elections and chose to hold much-need- We all know that no force on Earth is 1 minute to the gentleman from Michi- ed military aid over our ally’s head more powerful than the force of free- gan (Mr. LEVIN). until the President’s demands were dom. It is our miraculous constitu- Mr. LEVIN of Michigan. Madam met. tional system, Madam Speaker, de- Speaker, today we proclaim that no Now, I served 12 years on the hostage fended by our men and women in uni- person is above the law, not even the negotiations team, and I know that form that has safeguarded that free- President of the United States. pressure and demands come in many dom for 230 years. Donald J. Trump abused the power of forms. In this scheme, we had both. Each one of us in this Chamber bears his office and violated his oath of office I have enforced the laws, and now I a sacred duty, passed down to us by extorting a new and inexperienced write the laws. But the laws mean through generations and affirmed in President of a vulnerable foreign ally nothing if the accused can destroy evi- our oath of office, to preserve and pro- to dig up dirt on Mr. Trump’s domestic dence, stop witnesses from testifying, tect our Constitution. political opponents. and blatantly refuse to cooperate. I ask Madam Speaker, our Nation’s Fram- He then obstructed the Congress, this you to name somebody in your commu- ers recognized that this Republic is equal branch of our government, from nity or your family who can do that. fragile and that extreme partisanship undertaking our duty, outlined in the I know the President said that he can can be among the most severe threats Constitution itself, to investigate and get away with anything he wants to. I to its survival. That is why, in Fed- check these violations. come today to tell you that, no, he eralist 65, Alexander Hamilton wrote: Today, we do nothing more and noth- cannot, because no one is above the ‘‘. . . there will always be the greatest ing less than fulfill our duty to our law, and he shall be held accountable. danger that the decision will be regu- country and to our Constitution.

VerDate Sep 11 2014 06:51 Dec 19, 2019 Jkt 099060 PO 00000 Frm 00074 Fmt 7634 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\K18DE7.125 H18DEPT1 SSpencer on DSKBBXCHB2PROD with HOUSE December 18, 2019 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — HOUSE H12187 Mr. Trump has allowed foreign pow- I threatened to subpoena President Trump’s Mr. COLLINS of Georgia. Madam ers to interfere in our domestic affairs. Attorney General Jeff Sessions to his face in Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from He has endangered our national secu- the East Room of the White House during our Mississippi (Mr. PALAZZO) for a unani- rity and our democracy itself. Madam investigation of the opioid crisis. We eventually mous consent request. Speaker, for those reasons, we must worked it out and got to review the data we (Mr. PALAZZO asked and was given impeach this President. sought. Not once did I think about impeaching permission to revise and extend his re- Mr. COLLINS of Georgia. Madam the President over this matter. marks.) Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from The anti-Trump crowd has weaponized im- Mr. PALAZZO. Madam Speaker, I op- Oregon (Mr. WALDEN) for a unanimous peachment and converted it into a partisan pose the Articles of Impeachment, and consent request. tool, something one of America’s founding fa- I include my statement in the RECORD. (Mr. WALDEN asked and was given thers—Alexander Hamilton—warned against. Madam Speaker, as the Democrats con- permission to revise and extend his re- The American people elected President Trump tinue suppressing Republicans’ right to speak marks.) to shake things up in Washington, D.C. And out against the ridiculous impeachment in- Mr. WALDEN. Madam Speaker, I op- that’s precisely what he’s done. quiry, I was unable to provide remarks during pose this resolution on impeachment, Lower taxes and less oppressive regulations the debate in the House on the two articles of and I include my statement in the would not have happened under a Clinton Ad- impeachment today. I now ask my colleagues RECORD. ministration. Hillary Clinton would not have on the other side of the aisle why they chose Madam Speaker, President Donald Trump is stood up to China as President Trump has. to silence not only members of Congress but unique in the history of the American presi- She would not have demanded and gotten a also our constituents. The responsibility of im- dency. No one has led as he has. His success new and better trade deal with our friends to peachment is not one I take lightly. I am dis- and his style have frustrated his opponents. the north and south. As for the Russians, appointed the Democrats continued ramming Remember back to the fall of 2016 when she’s the one who led the ‘‘reset’’ with Russia this baseless impeachment through the House pundits and politicians on the left lectured that offended our European allies and played without hearing from every single member of Americans about the historical need to accept into Putin’s hand. Congress. Had I been provided the oppor- the outcome of the election? Then Hilary Clin- We’ve never had a better economy or lower tunity to speak before the House, I would have ton lost. Some began undermining and attack- unemployment in the modern era. We’re the shared the following thoughts. ing the President before he had even taken of- envy of the world. America is standing up to I rise with a heavy heart for our nation fice. Others called for his impeachment. our competitors and enemies. We’re getting today. Meanwhile, we now know—as a result of new and better trade agreements and bringing Later this evening, House Democrats will the Horowitz investigation—that some in the force a vote on the weakest articles of im- FBI engaged in nefarious actions to inves- more jobs back to America. We’ve never had a President lean in more peachment this legislative body has ever seen tigate the Trump campaign. They lied to and to get lower drug prices or make our allies in an attempt to overturn the fair and lawful misled the FISA court in an incredible abuse keep their promises to help pay for their na- election of Donald Trump. of power by a government agency. Civil lib- tional security. Since the day President Trump was inaugu- ertarians are rightly outraged by what oc- President Trump is doing exactly what he rated, Democrats have made it their sole pur- curred. Laws designed to protect America promised, and that includes violating the polit- pose to impeach this man, but for what? No from foreign terrorists were misused to spy on ical norms of the Washington, D.C. swamp. facts have been presented to substantiate a an American presidential campaign. And for that, the left wants to send him pack- single allegation made by the liberal majority. The false narrative of the Trump campaign ing. Simply put Mr. Speaker, the Democrats in colluding with the Russians dominated the first In facts matter, we should not impeach this Congress do not care about free and fair elec- two years of the Trump presidency. I sup- president, but instead get back to work solving tions. They do not care about the will of the ported the appointment of Mr. Mueller and re- the problems facing American families. American people. They care about obstructing peatedly stood up for the independence of his Mr. COLLINS of Georgia. Madam the work of a great American president with investigation. I wanted the facts. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from whom they disagree. The Mueller investigation spent years and South Carolina (Mr. NORMAN) for a The articles of impeachment before the millions of taxpayer dollars and came up unanimous consent request. House today, fall significantly short of an im- empty. That report produced nothing impeach- (Mr. NORMAN asked and was given peachable offense. This vote sets a horrible able, or the articles of impeachment would in- permission to revise and extend his re- precedent that any majority can undo an elec- clude the findings of that report. marks.) tion based on personality conflicts and policy For me, overturning the outcome of an elec- Mr. NORMAN. Madam Speaker, I op- disagreements. tion demands two things: A bipartisan and fair pose this resolution, and I include my The Democrats have entirely disregarded process to determine wrong doing, and a statement in the RECORD. process and procedure by blatantly ignoring criminal offense worthy of overturning the out- Madam Speaker, Today I have heard my the notion that all are innocent until proven come of the voters’ will. Neither threshold has Democratic warn that our Republic is in a con- guilty—the president is not guilty of obstruction been met in this case. stitutional crisis. Yet the only crisis I see is the of Congress, and he is not guilty of an abuse With a clear conscience, I will vote against crisis of one party unable to accept its defeat. of power. both articles of impeachment. When you lost, you called for the abolish- The president making efforts to curb corrup- Read the articles of impeachment. ‘‘Abuse ment of the Electoral College, to redraw the tion in a country well known for corruption is of power’’ and ‘‘obstruction of Congress,’’ are electoral map, and now for impeachment not quid pro quo; it is good governance by a the charges. Neither of these are criminal vio- You claim to be the Defenders of our Con- chief executive dedicated to doing right by the lations. This isn’t perjury or burglary. stitution, but is there any article you would not people of this country. Every administration—Democratic and Re- shred to gain power? Make no mistake about it, when the work of publican—pushes back against Congress’ re- But if we pretend for a second that you are this House is done, and the Senate votes to quest for witnesses and information. The Con- sincere about the dangers to our Republic, I dismiss these charges, the other party will stitution enshrines this separate-branch con- am left wondering: continue to obstruct and slander the president flict. Congress doesn’t like being told no. At Why would you not follow the historical at every turn. times we’ve sued over it. It’s the tension our precedent of impeachment processes? My constituents and I agree that the presi- founders designed into the competing Why would you not have an open and fair dent is changing the face of America for the branches of government. Work it out, or go to investigation? better. While some on the other side may not the courts. But in this case, they truncated the Why would you rush through the entire like his straight-forward manner, it is hard to timeline to exclude a judicial review. They an- process? argue that our country is not better because of nounced the outcome before the investigation In other words, if you are so concerned with him. was completed. the fate of our Republic, why on earth would The Democrats have forgone due process I voted to hold President Obama’s Attorney you play politics with it? in an attempt to fulfill their electoral short- General in contempt of Congress for refusing The truth is, yours words do not match your comings. to turn over documents related to the ‘‘fast actions. When my colleagues on the other side of and furious’’ fiasco. Congress sued and won As you pretend to cry about the state of our the aisle want to find reasons why they lost in this case. But Republicans never seriously Republic, save a few tears for the state of 2016, they should not look beyond the con- thought about impeaching the President. your own party. fines of their own caucus.

VerDate Sep 11 2014 06:51 Dec 19, 2019 Jkt 099060 PO 00000 Frm 00075 Fmt 7634 Sfmt 9920 E:\CR\FM\K18DE7.127 H18DEPT1 SSpencer on DSKBBXCHB2PROD with HOUSE H12188 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — HOUSE December 18, 2019 I encourage my colleagues to give up this tisan;’ and today, none of those are true. In Mr. COLLINS of Georgia. Madam charade, get back to leading, and move past actuality, there is one thing bipartisan about Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from personal vendettas against a duly elected this impeachment: the opposition to it. North Carolina (Mr. BUDD) for a unani- president. There is a reason why only three presidents mous consent request. The majority party could take some lessons have gone through this before—it is supposed (Mr. BUDD asked and was given per- from our president. Let’s put Americans first to be an exceedingly rare occurrence. The mission to revise and extend his re- and get back to taking care of our country. founders warned against a single party im- marks.) Mr. COLLINS of Georgia. Madam peachment because it would divide the coun- Mr. BUDD. Madam Speaker, I include Speaker, I would ask the gentleman if try—and that is what we are seeing right now, in the RECORD my opposition to these he is ready to close. we are seeing Democrats weaponize the im- Articles of Impeachment. Mr. SCHIFF. Madam Speaker, I have peachment process and I am worried for the Mr. SCHIFF. Madam Speaker, I yield a few more speakers. precedent this will set for the future. 1 minute to the gentlewoman from New Mr. COLLINS of Georgia. Madam The majority has wasted the Fall by being Mexico (Ms. HAALAND). Speaker, I reserve the balance of my solely focused on impeachment—leading us to Ms. HAALAND. Madam Speaker, I time. pass two continuing resolutions, miss impor- stand before you as a Representative of Mr. SCHIFF. Madam Speaker, I yield tant deadlines for the NDAA, and leave fund- New Mexico, a place where we believe 1 minute to the gentleman from New ing to the last minute. I believe we need to be in dignity and respect for all. In Con- York (Mr. ESPAILLAT). focused on solving problems and working on gress, I have been fighting for them. Mr. ESPAILLAT. Madam Speaker, if solutions for our constituents; the American We have been working to make you live on Lenox Avenue in the vil- people are sick of this partisan stalemate. I healthcare more affordable, education lage of Harlem in my district, you are hope in the beginning of the next session we accessible, and move our country for- not above the law. can get back to the real issues—finding a bi- ward for the people. If you live on Webster Avenue in the partisan solution to lowering the price of pre- But today, this President has forced Bronx part of my district, you are not scription drugs, creating an infrastructure us into a serious debate. We are talking above the law. package, reforming our broken budget proc- about a President who used the power If you live in Washington Heights, ess, and expanding access to broadband in of the Presidency for his own political the immigrant neighborhood in my dis- rural areas. gain, risking our national security, and trict, you are not above the law. Mr. SCHIFF. Madam Speaker, I yield putting the integrity of the next elec- So I submit to you, if you live at 1600 1 minute to the gentlewoman from tion at risk. Pennsylvania Avenue, you are not California (Ms. BROWNLEY ). It is a sad day when a President above the law, and you will be held ac- Ms. BROWNLEY of California. shows complete disrespect for Congress countable. Madam Speaker, as the chair of the as a coequal branch of government and President Donald Trump asked the Women’s Veterans Task Force, I see, for the American people who elected Ukrainian President to ‘‘do us a favor’’ every single day, the immense sacrifice us. and look into the Bidens. That is abuse our women veterans and all of our Na- We collected the evidence, and the of power. tion’s veterans have made in service to facts are indisputable. We all took an President Trump used the official our country, in service to our Com- oath to protect and defend our Con- White House meeting to extort the mander in Chief, our Constitution, to stitution. We have the solemn responsi- Ukrainian President. That is abuse of protect our democracy, and for every bility to hold this President account- power. single man, woman, and child in our able because it is our job. President Trump ordered White country. I urge my colleagues to live up to our House staff to withhold $400 million in When the President of the United responsibility and show our fellow aid to Ukraine. That is abuse of power. States used $400 million meant to pro- Americans that no one, not even the President Trump and his staff defied tect our national security in order to President, is above the law. multiple subpoenas from Congress. cheat in our elections, he not only Mr. COLLINS of Georgia. Madam That is obstruction of Congress. abused his power, he turned his back Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from He blocked witnesses from testifying on the sacrifices our veterans and their Oklahoma (Mr. MULLIN) for a unani- before this body. That is obstruction of families have made for all that we hold mous consent request. Congress. so dear. That abuse of power is rep- (Mr. MULLIN asked and was given No one is above the law. I cast my rehensible, and it is exactly what im- permission to revise and extend his re- vote for these Articles of Impeach- peachment was designed to prevent. marks.) ment, and I ask my colleagues to do We have a solemn duty to protect our Mr. MULLIN. Madam Speaker, I in- the same. Constitution, to protect our democ- clude in the RECORD my opposition to Mr. COLLINS of Georgia. Madam racy, and to honor all those who have these Articles of Impeachment. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from laid their lives on the line for these Mr. SCHIFF. Madam Speaker, I yield Virginia (Mr. WITTMAN) for a unani- United States of America. to the gentlewoman from North Caro- mous consent request. Mr. COLLINS of Georgia. Madam lina (Ms. ADAMS) for a unanimous con- (Mr. WITTMAN asked and was given Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman sent request. permission to revise and extend his re- from Indiana (Mrs. WALORSKI) for a (Ms. ADAMS asked and was given marks.) unanimous consent request. permission to revise and extend her re- Mr. WITTMAN. Madam Speaker, I in- (Mrs. WALORSKI asked and was marks.) clude my statement in the RECORD, re- given permission to revise and extend Ms. ADAMS. Madam Speaker, I in- cording that I am opposed to these Ar- her remarks.) clude in the RECORD my statement in ticles of Impeachment on the basis Mrs. WALORSKI. Madam Speaker, I support of the Articles of Impeachment that they do not measure up to Article will include in the RECORD my opposi- against President Donald J. Trump. II, Section 4. tion to these Articles of Impeachment. After reviewing hours of testimony, count- Madam Speaker, following the release of re- Mr. SCHIFF. Madam Speaker, I yield less pieces of evidence, and the Administra- ports from the Oversight, Intelligence, Foreign 30 seconds to the gentlewoman from tion’s own words and actions, I believe the Affairs, and Judiciary Committees, it is clear California (Mrs. DAVIS). case has been made that the President the hearings held by House Democrats over Mrs. DAVIS of California. Madam abused his power and obstructed Congress the last month have by no means proved Speaker, make no mistake. We are not from fulfilling its constitutional duty. President Trump committed an impeachable impeaching this President. He is im- As such, I will support both articles of im- offense. Unhappy with the results of the elec- peaching himself. peachment today on the House floor. tion, House Democrats have been working to If you are the President and you ob- The evidence shows that the President put build a case for impeachment since the day struct justice, try to bribe a foreign his interests above those of the country. President Trump took office. Speaker PELOSI leader, and threaten national security, We must act quickly because President said from the beginning that the impeachment you are going to get impeached. End of Trump’s behavior poses a clear and present must be ‘compelling, overwhelming, and bipar- story. danger to our democracy.

VerDate Sep 11 2014 06:51 Dec 19, 2019 Jkt 099060 PO 00000 Frm 00076 Fmt 7634 Sfmt 9920 E:\CR\FM\A18DE7.050 H18DEPT1 SSpencer on DSKBBXCHB2PROD with HOUSE December 18, 2019 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — HOUSE H12189 His words and actions show that he is ac- ‘‘No.’’ President is doing to deliver for those tively looking to interfere in next year’s elec- ‘‘Any preconditions for a White men and women of this country who tion by any means necessary. House meeting?’’ have been left behind. We cannot stand for that kind of misconduct Under oath, he testified: ‘‘No.’’ It is about time somebody stands up in our country’s Chief Executive. Abuse of power, let’s talk about that for Americans, and President Trump is. Mr. COLLINS of Georgia. Madam Article of Impeachment, Madam So it is a political vendetta. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gen- Speaker. But if they are going to go through tleman from Louisiana (Mr. SCALISE), George Washington Law Professor with this, Madam Speaker, impeach- the minority whip. Turley, who admitted under oath that ment will not just be a stain on this Mr. SCALISE. Madam Speaker, im- he voted against Donald Trump, spoke Democrat majority; the impeachment peaching a President of the United to this claim of abuse of power. In fact, will be their legacy. The SPEAKER pro tempore. Mem- States. This isn’t about some solemn he said: ‘‘If you make a high crime and bers are reminded to address their re- duty tonight. Let’s talk about what misdemeanor out of going to the courts, it is an abuse of power; it is marks to the Chair. this is really about. Mr. SCHIFF. Madam Speaker, I yield your abuse of power.’’ This has been about a political ven- to the gentlewoman from New Hamp- detta, a political vendetta that didn’t You are doing precisely what you are shire (Ms. KUSTER) for a unanimous criticizing the President of doing, just start with the Zelensky call. It consent request. started long before that. abuse of power. (Ms. KUSTER of New Hampshire Just listen to some of the quotes There is a House rule, Madam Speak- asked and was given permission to re- from Democrats in this Chamber: er, that requires—not allows, but re- vise and extend her remarks.) Speaker PELOSI: It’s been going on quires—that the minority get a day of Ms. KUSTER of New Hampshire. for 22 months, 21⁄2 years, actually. We hearing, which we asked for multiple Madam Speaker, I include my state- cannot accept a second term for Donald times. They broke this rule. They ment in the RECORD regarding the 75th Trump. What’s more serious is that he didn’t allow us to have a minority day anniversary of the Battle of the Bulge can’t win. of hearing. They didn’t want to hear in favor of the Articles of Impeach- This isn’t about some crime that was the facts about this case because it was ment. committed. It is about fear that he never about the facts because there Madam Speaker, earlier this week, I re- might win reelection. was no crime. It is about a personal po- turned from a bipartisan trip to Belgium to That is not why you impeach a Presi- litical vendetta. commemorate the 75th anniversary of the Bat- dent. Now let’s talk about obstruction of tle of the Bulge—the Germans’ last significant Congress, as they make up these terms b 1915 offensive during World War II. to impeach a President because they We celebrated with courageous 95-year-old AL GREEN: ‘‘I’m concerned that if we didn’t find a crime, and they were look- American veterans who turned the tide at Bas- don’t impeach this President, he will ing. It has been an impeachment in togne and the Ardennes Forest, so that my get reelected.’’ search of a crime. generation and generations to come may live The list goes on, Madam Speaker. In But they talk about obstruction of in peace and freedom from tyranny. fact, there are some quotes that I can’t Congress in saying the President defied My late father, Malcolm McLane, was shot even read on this House floor that subpoenas, subpoena after subpoena. down during the Battle of the Bulge and spent some of our colleagues made. Let’s go through the Departments. the final six months of World War II in a Nazi And keep in mind, more than 100 The Department of State they sub- prisoner-of-war camp. Democrats on this House floor voted to poenaed. Do you know that, literally, In this solemn moment, on this historic day impeach this President before the just 4 days after the subpoena, the Sec- for our nation, I reflect on the legacy of my fa- Zelensky phone call. retary of State, himself, responded to ther and all World War II veterans. We owe Just look at some of these Articles of their subpoena? them—and all of the men and women who Impeachment they voted for 2 years The Department of Defense, a week have served our nation—an incredible debt of ago: later responded to the subpoena. gratitude for their service and bravery. Fifty-eight Democrats voted to im- The Department of Energy responded Today, we must defend a future worthy of peach the President over comments he to the subpoena. their sacrifice. made about NFL players kneeling for We can go on and on with all of these Just moments ago, I upheld my oath to pro- the Pledge of Allegiance. Over 50 agencies. tect and defend the Constitution when I cast Democrats voted to impeach him for That is an abuse of power, that is an my vote to charge President Donald John that. obstruction of Congress, responding to Trump with articles of impeachment. Just this summer, over 90 Democrats your subpoena? I did so with a heavy heart, to protect and voted to impeach the President for That is what they did: They re- defend the future of our great nation—our comments he made about The Squad. sponded. American democracy—for generations to So he makes comments about some You might not have liked the answer, come. other Members of Congress who make a but that is not the way this works. You The evidence and facts are clear and uncontested: President Trump has abused the lot of comments about him, and 95 don’t impeach a President because you power of the Presidency for his own personal Members vote to impeach the Presi- don’t like his foreign policy, as so gain, at the expense of our national security dent of the United States. many of those foreign policy experts This is a political vendetta. It has and the integrity of the 2020 election. came and testified. Articles of impeachment are formal charges nothing to do with a crime committed. But this isn’t just about Donald against the President—this is not a vote to re- There was no crime. Trump. They don’t just hate Donald move him from office. That decision will be And why don’t we listen to some of Trump, Madam Speaker. They hate the made following a trial in the United States the witnesses? Obviously, we weren’t 63 million Americans who voted for Senate. able to call all the witnesses we want- this President, the forgotten men and I hope that the Senate will hold a fair, trans- ed, but there were witnesses. In fact, women of this country who have been parent and thorough trial to get to the truth for Gordon Sondland, U.S. Ambassador to left behind, Madam Speaker. Madam the American people. the European Union, he is mentioned Speaker, it is those forgotten men and Meanwhile, I will continue to focus my ef- over 600 times in the Schiff report. He women of this country that Wash- forts on our important work to improve the was their star witness. ington had left behind. lives of Granite Staters and all Americans. I And what did he say when asked: And what is this President doing for wish you and your family a Merry Christmas, ‘‘Did President Trump ever tell you them? He is delivering for them: 600 joyful holidays and peace in the New Year. personally about any preconditions for jobs in Pennsylvania; 1,000 jobs, work- May God bless the United States of America. anything?’’ ers in Mingo Junction, Ohio; $750 mil- Mr. SCHIFF. Madam Speaker, I yield His answer: ‘‘No.’’ lion investment for 600 new jobs across 1 minute to the gentleman from Mary- ‘‘Any preconditions for the aid to be this country; The Detroit News; Chrys- land (Mr. HOYER), the majority leader released?’’ ler, 6,500 new jobs. That is what this of the House of Representatives.

VerDate Sep 11 2014 06:51 Dec 19, 2019 Jkt 099060 PO 00000 Frm 00077 Fmt 7634 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\A18DE7.062 H18DEPT1 SSpencer on DSKBBXCHB2PROD with HOUSE H12190 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — HOUSE December 18, 2019 Mr. HOYER. Madam Speaker, I Credible witnesses, many of whom Let us not forget the words of John thank the gentleman for yielding. were appointed to office by President Locke, so influential to the Founders Madam Speaker, I have had the Trump, have corroborated the details of our Republic. John Locke, a mil- honor of serving in this House for over and timeline of his abuse of Presi- lennia ago, said this: ‘‘Wherever law 38 years. I have served during six Presi- dential power, which forms the basis of ends, tyranny begins.’’ dencies. I have been here through mo- the first Article of Impeachment in b 1930 ments of tremendous progress and ter- this resolution. I will not recount all of This impeachment asks whether we rible tragedy. I have seen periods of the witnesses or abuses that have oc- are still a republic of laws, as our rank partnership and patriotic biparti- curred. Founders intended, or whether we will sanship. I have seen our two-party sys- I congratulate my colleagues and Mr. accept that one person can be above tem work, and I have seen it break NADLER and his committee and Mr. the law. down. SCHIFF and his committee for setting In America, as we have said over and Never in all my years of serving in forth a compelling case. They have over again, no one is above the law, but this great institution that I love and been laid out fully in the articles be- only as long as we hold every person the people of my district did I ever ex- fore us and by colleagues in their re- accountable for breaking the law, even pect to encounter such an obvious marks. a President, will that be true. wrongdoing by a President of the What I will do is remind Americans If the House does not act, if we wait United States, nor did I expect to wit- that the House provided President and delay, we run the risk of allowing ness such a craven rationalization of Trump every opportunity to prove his the President’s misconduct, if we be- Presidential actions which have put innocence, but the witnesses were pre- lieve it to be so, to be repeated at the our national security at risk, under- cluded from coming forth. expense of the integrity of our elec- mined the integrity of our elections, The witnesses who had personal tions, our national security, and our and defined the constitutional author- knowledge did not come, either at the constitutional system of separation of ity of the Congress to conduct over- President’s request, in which he re- powers. sight. fused to show up because he thought it Democrats did not choose this im- We have heard from Republicans that was a sham, as so many of you have peachment. We did not wish for it. this impeachment really has to do with said, or to the committees. Instead, he We voted against it. We voted against policy differences or how we feel per- ignored congressional subpoenas for it once, we voted against it twice, we sonally about the President, about his documents and for testimony by White voted against it three times, as re- temperament or that we simply dislike House officials and ordered his subordi- cently as July. him. nates not to cooperate. Perhaps they We did not want this. Throughout the Trump Presidency, could have exonerated him. However, President Trump’s mis- Democrats have resisted pursuing im- This, itself, I suggest to you, is un- conduct has forced our constitutional peachment even as we watched with precedented. When Presidents Nixon Republic to protect itself. dismay and disgust at a pattern of and Clinton were asked to hand over These votes that we are about to wrongdoing. That pattern included: documents and allow officials to tes- take and the process that will follow in Ordering Federal agencies to lie to tify, ultimately, both complied because the Senate are not only an assessment the public; it is the law. of the President’s commitment to the Firing the FBI Director for refusing Such actions of the President can be Constitution or to his oath of office; it to end investigations of his campaign; taken as further evidence of his ob- is, as well, a test of our own. Siding with Vladimir Putin against struction and abuse of power. It is, in Damning evidence of the President’s our intelligence agencies; and of itself, impeachable conduct, the high crimes has emerged. Taking funding away from the mili- subject of the second Article of Im- Nevertheless, Republican Members of tary to put towards an ineffective bor- peachment. this House and of the Senate have con- der wall; and These two articles, of course, concern tinued to defend the President, whose Setting policies that have led to the two very profound constitutional actions seem to many of us to be inde- separation of families and caging of issues about the abuse of power in our fensible. All of us feel a sense of loyalty to children. Republic: party. It is what makes our two-party We have, to be sure, deep disagree- First, whether it is acceptable for the system function. It is what helps hold ments with the policies and actions President of the United States—any Presidents and majorities accountable. taken by this President. President—to solicit foreign inter- There has been a lot of talk about But party loyalty must have its limits. ference in our elections. And as evidence of the President’s the 63 million people who voted for Mr. There is a difference as to whether he impeachable offenses have mounted Trump, little talk about the 65 million has done that, and the place to try that daily as the witnesses testified, it has people who voted for Hillary Clinton. is in the United States Senate. But we become increasingly clear that the lim- The policy difference, or those votes, believe strongly there is probable cause its of partisanship have been reached this President was elected legitimately to conclude that, to undermine our na- and passed. because we have an electoral college. tional security, the integrity of our Now, Democrats and Republicans to- But none of these are reasons to pursue elections, and the integrity of our de- gether face a test before our constitu- what Chairman SCHIFF has called a mocracy. ents, our countrymen, and our creator. wrenching process for the Nation. Secondly, whether it is permissible The New York Times on October 18 In fact, Democrats rejected that for the President to obstruct Congress summarized the question now posed to process emphatically in three specific and act as if he is above the law and House and Senate, Republicans and votes: immune from constitutional oversight. Democrats: ‘‘Compromise by com- In December of 2017, Democrats over- On December 4, the Judiciary Com- promise, Donald Trump has hammered whelmingly voted against pursuing Ar- mittee heard the testimony of con- away at what Republicans once saw as ticles of Impeachment, including the stitutional law experts who weighed in foundational virtues: decency, honesty, Speaker and me. on these points. responsibility,’’ and, yes, even civility. We did so again in 2018, with over 60 Some 1,500 historians have said the It went on to say: ‘‘Will they commit percent of the Democrats rejecting pur- same thing as Professor Noah Feldman themselves and their party wholly to suing Articles of Impeachment. said: If we cannot impeach a President Mr. Trump, embracing even his most And again just months ago, in July of who abuses his office for personal ad- antidemocratic actions, or will they 2019, 60 percent of the Democrats said vantage, we no longer live in a democ- take the first step toward separating no to pursuing Articles of Impeach- racy. ‘‘We live in a monarchy or we live themselves from him and restoring ment just days before the infamous under a dictatorship.’’ confidence in the rule of law?’’ July 25 telephone call. We did the same The votes we are about to take con- Madam Speaker, we have seen Repub- with 60 percent of Democrats voting cern the rule of law and our democracy lican courage throughout our history, not to proceed. itself. from the Civil War to the Cold War.

VerDate Sep 11 2014 06:51 Dec 19, 2019 Jkt 099060 PO 00000 Frm 00078 Fmt 7634 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\K18DE7.134 H18DEPT1 SSpencer on DSKBBXCHB2PROD with HOUSE December 18, 2019 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — HOUSE H12191 In 1950, Margaret Chase Smith, the ‘‘The stories of past courage . . . can worse, or as he was called in the com- Senator from Maine, a Republican, teach, they can offer hope, they can mittee, he even looked like a battered spoke bravely against the cancer of provide inspiration. But they cannot wife. McCarthyism in her party, leading six supply courage itself. For this,’’ Presi- It is below the dignity of this body of her Republican colleagues in a ‘‘Dec- dent Kennedy said, ‘‘each man’’—each and this majority to tear down a for- laration of Conscience’’ against their woman—‘‘must look into their own eign leader because they can’t make own leadership. soul.’’ their case against this one. ‘‘We are Republicans,’’ they declared. Madam Speaker, I urge my fellow We have broken rules in this House, ‘‘But we are Americans first.’’ colleagues in the House and, yes, in the even to this moment. Chairman SCHIFF In 1974, one Congressman took the Senate, to look into your soul, sum- and the others have broken H. Res. 660 brave and principled step of becoming mon the courage to vote for our Con- by not turning over the things that the first Republican on the Judiciary stitution and our democracy. they should be turning over. Committee to support impeaching I understand we will all not see the I still have not gotten a transcript President Nixon. same conclusion, but to do less betrays and the White House still has not got- He said to his colleagues and to the our oath and that of our Founders, who ten their stuff. country: ‘‘It is not easy to align myself pledged their lives, their fortune, and I guess to the minority here, the against the President, to whom I gave their sacred honor. rules today don’t matter either. my enthusiastic support . . . on whose Let us neither turn away from the You see, there is a problem here, be- side I have stood in many a legislative evidence, which to me seems so clear, cause we are going to vote on this to- battle, whose accomplishments in for- nor from our good conscience, which night while breaking the rules. What a eign and domestic affairs I have con- compels us to do what, in our hearts, shameful incident. sistently applauded. we know to be right. But we also found a creative inter- ‘‘But it is impossible,’’ he went on to Let us not allow the rule of law to pretation of minority rights. We saw say, ‘‘for me to condone or ignore the end or for tyranny to find its toehold. the rise of partisanship, because of the long train of abuses to which he has With our votes today, we can bear things that have been done even fur- subjected the Presidency and the peo- true faith and allegiance to the vision ther. We have even seen Members smeared ple of this country. The Constitution of our Founders and we can show fu- in reports by drive-by political hacks and my own oath of office,’’ he said, ture generations what it truly means when they match phone numbers of the ‘‘demand that I ‘bear true faith and al- to be Americans first. ranking member and members of the legiance’ to the principles of law and Vote ‘‘yes.’’ press. justice upon which this Nation was Mr. COLLINS of Georgia. Madam That ought to concern every one of founded,’’ he concluded, ‘‘and I cannot, Speaker, a few weeks ago just off of you as much as it concerns every one in good conscience, turn away from the this floor, I said that a dark cloud was of us. Nothing but a drive-by hit. evidence of evil that is to me so clear descending upon this body. And today, But you know something? This ma- and compelling.’’ because of the clock and the calendar, jority leader also just said wherever My colleagues, that Congressman’s it is closing. law ends, tyranny begins. name was Larry Hogan, Sr. He rep- It is amazing to me what I just heard But I will say this: In this House, resented the Fifth District of Mary- from the majority leader: that Mr. wherever the rules are disregarded, land, which I now represent. His son is SCHIFF and Mr. NADLER presented a chaos and mob rule actually begin, and presently the second-term Republican compelling case for impeachment. the majority has taken that to a new Governor of our State. If this is a compelling case for im- level. When Larry Hogan, Sr., died in 2017, peachment, I am not sure why we are It has been said today, where is brav- every obituary led with praise for his here right now. ery? act of political courage. It is not anywhere close to compel- I will tell you where bravery is found Who among us, many years from ling. and courage is found: It is found in this now, will receive such praise as a man But you know what is interesting is minority, who has lived through the or woman of courage? what I have heard today. The majority last year of nothing but rules being Who will regret not having earned it? leader just spoke and said that the broken, people being put down, ques- We have talked a lot about partisan President was given every opportunity tions not being answered, and this ma- differences. to come prove his innocence. jority saying, Be damned with any- There is one person who has spoken I tell you what, Madam Speaker, let thing else, we are going to impeach and today who is neither a member of the me have just a few minutes, stop the do whatever we want to do. Republican Party nor the Democratic clock, and let me go around to the Why? Because we won an election. Party. His name is JUSTIN AMASH, who press corps and everybody here and I I guarantee you, one day you will be represents a Republican district. He am going to accuse you of something. back in the minority, and it ain’t going left the Republican Party, and in doing You did it. You did it. You did it. You to be that fun. Because when you look so, he admonished his colleagues that: did it. Now prove it is wrong. You did at it, when you actually trash the rules ‘‘This President will only be in power it. of this House, you want to really look for a short time, but excusing his be- Guess what? You don’t want to, be- at: What did you gain at the end by havior will forever tarnish your name.’’ cause deep down, you know that that is trashing the institution you claim to He spoke on this floor in support of turning the entire jurisprudence of this love? the two articles that we will consider country upside down. Those are the things we have found this evening, neither a Democrat nor a You are not guilty until you are out so far. Republican. proven innocent. You are innocent. But you know they are really careful Representative AMASH, of course, is And today from this floor, we have in saying, Oh, you want to deal with the only Member of this House who has heard the majority leader say this process and process. no allegiance to either party, but to his President is guilty, and not the other As I said last night in the Rules Com- country. He is supporting, as I have way around. mittee—where they didn’t want to lis- said, both articles. He is innocent, and these articles ten—I will win on process and I will We need not ask who will be the first come nowhere close to proving it. win on facts, because we have the truth to show courage by standing up to But what is left of this body? Let’s on our side. President Trump. have an honest conversation, Madam Let me remind you that here is what The question we must now ask is: Speaker. the facts actually say. There was no Who will be the last to find it? What we have found over the past few pressure. Look at the call between The pages of our history are filled weeks is that it is okay for the major- President Zelensky and President with Americans who had the courage ity to tear down a foreign leader be- Trump: no pressure. There was no con- to choose country over party or person- cause they can’t make their case. They ditionality. There was nothing done to ality, but as President Kennedy wrote: have called him a liar or weak or get the aid, and the aid actually came.

VerDate Sep 11 2014 06:51 Dec 19, 2019 Jkt 099060 PO 00000 Frm 00079 Fmt 7634 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\K18DE7.135 H18DEPT1 SSpencer on DSKBBXCHB2PROD with HOUSE H12192 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — HOUSE December 18, 2019 There were five meetings, but when Impeachment is the most consequen- It came before the call; it came after you look at it right now, none of which tial decision Congress can make other the call; and it continues to this day. matter, because right now the dark than sending our men and women into President Trump provided Ukraine cloud is descending upon this House. war. Yet, 85 days ago, Speaker PELOSI tank-busting bombs. The previous ad- I am fearful, Madam Speaker, when I chose to impeach the President of the ministration, they gave blankets. This look out into that abyss. I don’t know United States. She wrote the script and is the truth. what I see, but I tell you what I do see. created an artificial timeline to make Meanwhile, the Democrat’s case is I see coming up a President who will the details fit. Why else are we doing based on secondhand opinions and put his head down, even through this this just hours before Christmas? hearsay. Simply put, there are no sham impeachment, and he will do his If that is all it was, a rush to judg- grounds for impeachment. job. He will put the American people ment, she could be forgiven. But before As constitutional scholar Jonathan first. He will tell them, I care about the Speaker saw one word, one shred of Turley—and I would challenge to say you. He will still put the economy evidence, she moved to impeach. he is probably the most respected, and first, and he will make sure that this In the past, in this body, such a step we all know it—a Democrat who did country stands strong. demanded a vote from all of us from not vote for the President said, under That is what I see in this abyss. That the start, but not only did she move to oath: There was no bribery. There was is where we are going. impeach before she gave this House and no extortion, no obstruction of justice, the hundreds of millions of people we and no abuse of power. b 1945 Based on the facts, based on the Madam Speaker, it is with that hope represent a say in whether to pursue an impeachment inquiry, she threw out truth, based on the lack of evidence, in the future that I recognize right now Turley called this the fastest, thinnest, the bipartisan standards this House that I yield 1 minute to the gentleman and weakest impeachment in U.S. his- from California (Mr. MCCARTHY), the gave Presidents Nixon and Clinton. That is why I immediately sent tory. Republican leader of this House. Such a definitive answer should be Speaker PELOSI a letter asking her to Mr. MCCARTHY. Madam Speaker, I the end of all of this. But Speaker follow the rules of history, of tradition, must warn you, I am about to say PELOSI is still moving forward with to follow those standards that have something my Democratic colleagues this impeachment, without evidence or hate to hear: Donald J. Trump is Presi- served America well. What did she say? facts or truth or public support. The dent of the United States. He is Presi- She rejected it. She rejected it because Speaker says it is out of allegiance to dent today. He will be President tomor- Democrats knew a fair process would our Founders. row. And he will be President when crumble their case. On this, I agree. I agree with the this impeachment is over. A fair process would have exposed to Speaker that we should listen to the Madam Speaker, when they accept the American public what many al- Founders. If one does, it is very clear that, maybe this House can get back to ready knew: Democrats have wanted to that this impeachment is unfounded work for the American people. impeach President Trump since the and improper. But, tonight, I rise not as the leader day he was elected, and nothing was In the Federalist Papers, Alexander of the opposition to this impeachment going to get in their way, certainly not Hamilton wrote there would always be or as the elected Representative from the truth. the greatest danger that impeachment the Central Valley of California. I rise Madam Speaker, Chairman SCHIFF would be driven by partisan animosity as KEVIN MCCARTHY, citizen, no better, said he had evidence, more than cir- instead of ‘‘real demonstrations of in- no worse than the 435 Representatives cumstantial, of collusion. That was nocence or guilt’’—that impeachment who are in this Chamber or the 330 mil- false. would be driven by partisan animosity lion Americans watching this institu- In January, when we all stood in this instead of ‘‘real demonstrations of in- tion make what I believe to be one of body, we stood up, we raised our hands, nocence or guilt.’’ the worst decisions we have ever made. and we swore that we would uphold the James Madison, another author of It doesn’t matter whether you are Constitution. A few mere hours after the Federalist Papers, wrote the dan- Democrat or Republican, whether you that, Congresswoman TLAIB said she ger of legislative abuse ‘‘must lead to are liberal or you are conservative, was going to impeach the mothereffer. the same tyranny as is threatened’’ by whether you are the first generation or Those are not my words. executive abuse. the tenth, at our core, we are all Amer- A year before taking the majority, The Founders did not want impeach- ican, all of us. We choose our future. Chairman NADLER campaigned to the ment to be used for political or par- We choose what kind of Nation we Democrats that he wanted to be chair- tisan battles. If my colleagues do not want to be. man of the Judiciary Committee, want to follow the constitutional high Here is our choice tonight: Will we where impeachment is, The New York standards for undoing a national elec- let impeachment become an exercise of Times writes, Madam Speaker, because tion, perhaps they could have followed raw political power, regardless if it he is the ‘‘strongest Member to lead a Speaker PELOSI’s standard, at least the damages our country? Or will we pro- potential impeachment.’’ one she promised to follow back in tect the proper grounds and process for Congressman RASKIN, a leading Dem- March. It was a very sensible standard. impeachment now and in the future? ocrat on the Judiciary Committee, one She said that ‘‘impeachment is so divi- For months, Democrats and many in who the Democrats had represent them sive,’’ the evidence must be ‘‘over- the media have attempted to normalize in the Rules Committee for these arti- whelming,’’ ‘‘compelling,’’ and ‘‘bipar- the impeachment process that would cles just yesterday, told a crowd he tisan.’’ remove a duly elected President from would impeach President Trump 2 days Not one of those criteria has been office. After 3 years of breathless and before he was even sworn into office. met today. Based on the facts, based on baseless outrage, this is their last at- What we have seen is a rigged process the evidence, based on the truth, this tempt to stop the Trump Presidency. that has led to the most partisan and impeachment fails even that Pelosi Madam Speaker, Speaker PELOSI least credible impeachment in the his- test. even recently admitted that Democrats tory of America. That is this legacy. Those who now say removing Presi- have been working on this impeach- Any prosecutor in this country would dent Trump would protect the integ- ment for 21⁄2 years. Those were her be disbarred for such blatant bias, espe- rity of our democracy have it back- words; they were not mine. Because cially if that prosecutor was the fact ward. By removing a duly elected they lost to him in 2016, they will do witness, the judge, and the jury. President on empty Articles of Im- anything or say anything to stop him Madam Speaker, Democrats haven’t peachment, Congress will erode public in 2020. just failed on process. They have also trust in our system of government. That is not America. That is not how failed on evidence. I have heard a lot of I understand they dislike the Presi- democratic republics behave. Elections debate on this floor today, but I dent, his beliefs, the way he governs, matter. Voters matter. And in 11 haven’t heard one Member of this body and even the people who voted for him. months, the people’s voice will be dispute this simple fact: President How do I know this? Because they say heard again. Trump provided lethal aid to Ukraine. so, day in and day out.

VerDate Sep 11 2014 06:51 Dec 19, 2019 Jkt 099060 PO 00000 Frm 00080 Fmt 7634 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\K18DE7.136 H18DEPT1 SSpencer on DSKBBXCHB2PROD with HOUSE December 18, 2019 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — HOUSE H12193 In 2016, they even dismissed his sup- of his office by coercing an ally into Will that be your argument? Is that porters, calling us ‘‘deplorables.’’ Now, cheating in a U.S. election on his be- how little faith you have in our democ- they are trying to disqualify our voice half. It charges the President of the racy and our Constitution? Is that how before the 2020 election. They want to United States with abusing his power poorly you defend and uphold our Con- undo the results of the last election to by withholding official acts; by with- stitution? influence the next one. holding a White House meeting that But, finally, let me ask this question As I said, President Trump will still the President of Ukraine desperately that overrides it all: Why should we be President when this is all over. But sought to establish the support of his care about any of this? Congress will have wasted months of most important benefactor, the United I will bring you to one conversation time and taxpayer dollars on impeach- States; by withholding hundreds of that came to light, because it is not ment rather than doing what the millions of dollars of military aid to a the most important conversation, but, American people want us to do. It nation at war in order to get that na- in many ways, it is the most revealing. didn’t have to be this way. tion to intervene in our election by It took place on September 14 in Is this why we came here to serve, to smearing his opponent. That is the gra- Ukraine, when Ambassador Volker sat trample on due process rights, to issue vamen of the charge in Article I. down with Andriy Yermak, the top ad- more subpoenas than laws, to appease And what is the defense from my col- viser to Zelensky, and he did what he the new Democrat-socialist base? That leagues? should do. He supported the rule of law, is not leadership. That is raw partisan And I have listened carefully to my and he said: You, Andriy Yermak, politics, and they know it. colleagues for the last 8 hours, and I should not investigate the last Presi- By refusing to acknowledge the truth have to say, it has been hard for me to dent, President Poroshenko, for polit- or follow the facts by substituting par- follow. But I think, when you cut ical reasons. You should not engage in tisan animosity for real demonstra- through it all, when you cut through political investigations. tions of innocence or guilt, and by con- all of the sound and the fury signifying And do you know what Yermak said: tinuing a 3-year effort to undermine nothing, what it really amounts to is Oh, you mean like what you want us to the President, this impeachment has this: Why should we care? Why should do with the Bidens and the Clintons? divided this Nation without any con- we care about what the President did And in that abrupt, brutal retort, we cern for the repercussions. Moreover, to Ukraine? see why we should care, because what politicizing this process has discredited Well, first of all, we should care he was saying is: You, America, have the United States House of Representa- about our allies. We should care about forgotten what it means to uphold the tives and could forever weaken the Ukraine. We should care about a coun- rule of law. You have forgotten what it remedy of impeachment. try struggling to be free in a democ- means to say that no one is above the To again quote Professor Turley, it is racy. law. We are a struggling democracy, the Democrats’ rush to impeachment We used to care about democracy. We but even we know better than that. on these grounds, with unfair proce- used to care about our allies. We used What is at risk here is the very idea dures, that is an ‘‘abuse of power.’’ His- to stand up to Putin and Russia. of America. That idea holds that we tory will right that. We used to. I know the party of Ron- are a nation of laws, not of men. We Madam Speaker, as I said at the be- ald Reagan used to. are a nation that believes in the rule of ginning, we face a choice. Do you trust Why should we care about Ukraine? law. the wisdom of the people, or do you But, of course, it is about more than When we say we uphold the Constitu- deny them a say in their government? Ukraine. It is about us. It is about our tion, we are not talking about a piece Fortunately, the people will have the national security. of parchment; we are talking about a Their fight is our fight. Their defense opportunity to speak up and render beautiful architecture in which ambi- their verdict in 11 months. is our defense. When Russia remakes the map of Eu- tion is set against ambition, in which b 2000 rope for the first time since World War no branch of government can dominate To my fellow Americans, if you ap- II by dint of military force and Ukraine another. That is what it means to up- prove of the way this House has con- fights back, it is our fight, too. hold the Constitution. If you ignore it, if you say the Presi- ducted their business, if you want to And when the President sacrifices dent may refuse to comply, may refuse see your tax dollars go forward to end- our interests, our national security for lawful process, may coerce an ally, less investigations, support this im- his election, he is sacrificing our coun- may cheat in an election because he is peachment. try for his personal gain. But if you want to restore a working That is the gravamen of Article I. the President of our party, you do not Congress like the previous Congress Article II charges the President of uphold our Constitution. You do not that listened to you and worked to the United States with obstructing the uphold your oath of office. bring the best economy this country Congress, with denying the Congress Well, I will tell you this: I will up- has ever seen and one that, once again, any witness, any document, by telling hold mine. I will vote to impeach Don- will work with the President to get all of his administration people: You ald Trump. things done for you and your family, will not appear. You will ignore a co- Madam Speaker, I yield back the bal- then join with us in rejecting this base- equal branch of government. ance of my time. less impeachment. And what is the defense to this from Ms. OMAR. Madam Speaker, on March 7, That is what is wonderful about this my colleagues again? It is: Why should 1788, six months after the Constitution was system of ours. We are a government we care? He is the President of our signed at Independence Hall, Alexander Ham- of, by, and for the people. Always re- party. Why should we care if he ignores ilton laid out in detail the standards for im- member, we work for you, not the this Congress? peachment in the Federalist papers. other way around. Well, I remind my friends that he Impeachment should, quote ‘proceed from Now, I will say this stronger and with will not be the last President. There the misconduct of public men, or, in other more conviction than I have ever said will be another President, and you may words, from the abuse or violation of some it before: In this time of great trial and be, one day—although you do not act public trust,’ Hamilton wrote. tribulation, may God bless America. like it—you may one day be in the ma- Donald Trump has without question met Mr. COLLINS of Georgia. Madam jority, and you will want to hold a these standards. Speaker, I yield back the balance of President accountable. These words from our framers—they don’t my time. What will you say when that Presi- only serve as guidance for people in this Mr. SCHIFF. Madam Speaker, I yield dent says: ‘‘You are a paper tiger. You country. myself the balance of my time. have no oversight. I can ignore your They serve as guidance for people around Madam Speaker, after 8 hours, let us subpoenas’’? What will you say? What the world wishing to build a sound system of return to where we began, with the ar- will you argue? government. ticles themselves. ‘‘Well, no, no, that was different. And they have allowed us in the United Article I charges the President of the Then we were in the minority. Then it States of America, to stand for democracy and United States with abusing the power was a Republican President.’’ the rule of law around the world.

VerDate Sep 11 2014 06:51 Dec 19, 2019 Jkt 099060 PO 00000 Frm 00081 Fmt 7634 Sfmt 9920 E:\CR\FM\K18DE7.138 H18DEPT1 SSpencer on DSKBBXCHB2PROD with HOUSE H12194 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — HOUSE December 18, 2019 So as the world watches, captivated and be- both the minority and majority has been a ment, ‘‘obstruction of congress,’’ is not a cred- wildered by the lawlessness of our president, bedrock of past impeachment investigations. I ible charge. I hope they are also able to see the full func- am disappointed that my resolution, H. Res. Constant tension exists between our legisla- tioning of our democracy as we hold him ac- 667, which would have granted co-equal sub- tive and executive branches of government. countable. poena authority to the minority and majority, Every president I’ve served with has said at With this impeachment vote, the world is was not adopted. one time or another he is empowered to do able to see the fruits of our democracy and Instead of working to combat rising prescrip- this or to withhold that. When Congress dis- the glory of the checks and balances pre- tion drug prices, securing our southern border, agrees, we have at times taken those ques- served in our Constitution. protecting religious freedom, and reining in tions of executive authority or privilege to our Unlike the dictatorship that my family fled out-of-control government spending, my col- third branch of government: the courts. But the from, in a democracy, we don’t just vote. We leagues on the other side of the aisle have Democrats haven’t even given President get to impeach a lawless president. been laser-focused on removing President Trump an opportunity to defend his executive Mr. ESTES. Madam Speaker, I speak in op- Trump from office for purely political reasons. privilege through the courts, and they’re de- position to the unprecedented and unauthor- I want to remind those who are leading this manding that he just give up his constitutional ized impeachment of the President of the ridiculous waste of taxpayer resources that powers under Article II. United States. there will be another election in 2020. The I’m disappointed to miss these votes but not Since the day after the 2016 election, many next election is the avenue for deciding a new embarrassed. I’m embarrassed that they are of my colleagues have vowed to impeach president, not this. Throughout the history of even happening. President Trump and have since spent more this country, impeachment has been a rare Mr. POSEY. Madam Speaker, I rise to op- than two years searching for a reason to do it. process. With today’s impeachment, I worry pose the articles of impeachment which have Today, they have brought forward two arti- that in the next 230 years of our republic, it been produced by this flawed process, which cles of impeachment based on unfounded ac- will be rare that a president is not impeached. was based on hearsay and testimony largely cusations of abuse of power and obstruction. On behalf of my fellow Tennesseans, and collected from a closed-door, one-sided inves- Despite a lack of evidence, an unfair proc- on behalf of my constituents in the Sixth Dis- tigation. ess and no bipartisan support, my colleagues trict of Tennessee, I stand with our President In fact, the only witness we heard from who across the aisle have barreled toward im- and Commander-in-Chief and will vote ‘‘no’’ on had direct knowledge of the conversation in peachment, ignoring or delaying key priorities both articles of impeachment. question, testified that President Trump did not like the US-Canada-Mexico Agreement along Mr. SHIMKUS. Madam Speaker, long before want a quid pro quo and confirmed that the the way. today’s votes were scheduled, my wife Karen aid to Ukraine was released without the This is a sad day and the fact remains that and I made arrangements to visit our son launching of any investigation that the Presi- this effort seeks to overturn the 2016 election Joshua in Tanzania where he’s serving in the dent’s detractors say he was seeking. The two articles of impeachment in the res- not based on evidence, but on a disdain for Peace Corp. At the White House last week I olution—abuse of power and obstruction of President Trump. informed President Trump that I would not be Congress—are broad and cite no specific I will vote against the articles of impeach- present for these votes, and he was sup- crimes that the President committed. The ment before us because I think the American portive of me visiting my son. I told him I did House Democrats are basing the entire im- people deserve better from the House of Rep- not support his impeachment, and I have re- peachment on hearsay testimonies grounded resentatives. quested that this statement of my reasons for on absolutely no evidence of a crime. So on behalf of hardworking Kansans in the opposing both articles of impeachment be en- However, last week we had a look at some Fourth District and Americans across our tered into the Congressional Record. real wrongdoing. We found out from the Jus- country, I call on my colleagues to vote I’ve been to Ukraine twice this year. I was tice Department’s Inspector General that the against articles of impeachment and focus on an observer of the second round of the Presi- investigation into whether President Trump priorities that matter like growing our econ- dential election on April 21, 2019. I returned colluded with the Russians was based on omy, supporting our veterans and military, with a bipartisan Congressional delegation fraudulent information filed with the secret lowering prescription drug costs, and helping from September 28 thru October 5, 2019 right court. The FBI was found to have withheld ex- Americans prepare for jobs and retirement. in the middle of this supposed controversy. culpatory evidence and senior FBI leaders That’s what the American people sent us We met with many people. We met with our were found to have manipulated facts in order here to do and it’s time we got back to work embassy leadership. We also met with the to support this false collusion narrative, justify and beyond this shameful impeachment. Ukrainian Foreign Minister and Minister of De- their investigation and expand it. This hap- Mr. JOHN W. ROSE of Tennessee. Madam fense. We had a chance to visit our soldiers pened on multiple occasions. Speaker, I rise in strong opposition to this par- who are helping in the training mission of the While the Mueller investigation found no col- tisan impeachment spectacle that seeks to ac- Ukrainian military. During that time, we met lusion, some Members of Congress, like complish what President Trump’s opponents with the military leadership of both countries. House Impeachment Leader ADAM SCHIFF, failed to do at the ballot box in 2016. The bed- Finally, we met with members of the Ukrainian knowingly promoted this falsehood and used rock of this country is our Constitution. Article parliament. During all these meeting no one similar tactics to engineer this impeachment II of the United States Constitution grants our mentioned a quid pro quo. inquiry. This is unacceptable. President the necessary authority to deal with What I also know is this: The Trump Admin- For the above reason, I voted to censor other nations and their leaders. istration provided the long-overdue aid to Chairman ADAM SCHIFF and will vote against This President was lawfully elected by the Ukraine, including lethal Javelin anti-tank mis- these articles of impeachment. American people. When President Trump was siles, that had been authorized by Congress We know this impeachment is a sham. They sworn into office, he assumed the role of our but withheld by the previous administration in know this impeachment is a sham. They know nation’s Commander-in-Chief. And, as Com- their misguided efforts to appease Russia. that we know it is a sham. mander-in-Chief, he has done absolutely noth- Other assistance to Ukraine was temporarily We all know this shameful impeachment ing illegal. The impeachment votes today are delayed this year following the election of a began the moment the President was elected, a sad continuation of the efforts that have new president—a political outsider we knew long before he ever had a single telephone been underway since President Trump was little about. call with any foreign government. We’ve heard elected. The new president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the numerous quotations by those on the The majority has wrongly denied President also addressed this issue several times. He other side that validate that fact. And, yet the Trump the fair process that was afforded to has rejected the accusation that any quid pro other side persists in attempting to over-turn President Clinton and President Nixon at quo or any pressure was applied to him or the the results of the legitimate election of Presi- every stage of this investigation. I am also Ukrainian government. The aid was also re- dent Donald J. Trump, because he dares to profoundly disappointed that the House Judici- leased prior to the Ukrainian government drain a swamp to which they are beholden. ary Committee refused to hold a minority day being pulled into this political controversy. When the President calls for an investiga- hearing in compliance with Clause 2(j)(l) of These observations convince me that the first tion of corruption, the other side calls it Rule XI of the Rules of the House. article of impeachment, ‘‘abuse of power,’’ is ‘‘digging for dirt.’’ When they dig for dirt, they It should also greatly concern all Americans not credible. call it an ‘‘investigation.’’ that co-equal subpoena authority was not My experience in Congress, including during This is a sad day for America. This im- granted to the minority during this hyper-par- the impeachment of President Clinton, likewise peachment is the worst case of partisan poli- tisan process. Co-equal subpoena authority for convinces me the second article of impeach- tics in the history of our Republic.

VerDate Sep 11 2014 06:51 Dec 19, 2019 Jkt 099060 PO 00000 Frm 00082 Fmt 7634 Sfmt 9920 E:\CR\FM\A18DE7.060 H18DEPT1 SSpencer on DSKBBXCHB2PROD with HOUSE December 18, 2019 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — HOUSE H12195 Mr. BISHOP of Georgia. Madam Speaker, leased it September 11 without Ukraine ever Undoing the will of the people expressed in there is no joy for me in the impeachment announcing an investigation. a free and fair election with the proposed arti- process, because I know the nature of im- Multiple witnesses provided testimony that cles of impeachment, totally fails to meet the peachment is polarizing. Unfortunately, based the pause was due to the President’s long- legal standard prescribed by the U.S. Con- on his own words, conduct, and the evidence standing concerns about corruption in Ukraine. stitution. Despite hearings and a process that from credible witnesses, there is no other op- It took for firsthand accounts from administra- were egregiously flawed and unfair, there is tion but to impeach. tive officials, such as Vice President Mike still no direct evidence whatsoever of any The first article alleges the President Pence, to see the sincerity of Ukraine’s new crime. abused the power of his office for personal President Volodymyr Zelensky. He cam- Disagreement with or intense dislike for this gain. He withheld military aid and an Oval Of- paigned as an anti-corruption reformer and or any other president of the United States is fice meeting from a foreign government unless made historic progress after his party took not now—nor should it ever be—grounds for they gave him dirt he could use against his over the Ukrainian parliament in August. impeachment. likely challenger to help his own re-election The Democrats’ key witness—of which there Mr. HORSFORD. Madam Speaker, when I bid. The President admitted he did this. This was the only one who talked with the Presi- made the decision to return to Congress, I did conversation was in the transcript the White dent about the aid—is Ambassador Gordon so with a clear understanding of how impor- House released. Two State Department offi- Sondland. When pressed, Sondland admitted tant this moment is for our country and the de- cials’ texts and phone calls confirmed the tran- he never knew why the aid was delayed. Nei- mocracy of our nation. My desire to serve has script and the President’s own words. ther President Trump, nor anyone else, ever always been to help people who deserve an The second article alleges the President ob- told him that aid was tied to investigations, effective voice fighting for them. structed Congress by refusing to comply with and any opinion he expressed to others about I did not come to Congress to impeach a the lawful requests made by Congress in the such a connection was only him ‘‘speculating.’’ president. Despite the ongoing inquiry, I’ve re- impeachment inquiry. President Trump repeat- President Zelensky and his senior advisor mained laser-focused on the issues that I hear edly instructed government officials and agen- Andriy Yermak, the key Ukrainians in the from my constituents most often—access to cies not to cooperate and spurn subpoenas. In Democrat narrative, have repeatedly and affordable health care, lowering the cost of the history of impeachment in our country, this strongly denied they were ever pressured or prescription drug prices, passing common- has never happened. No President or Admin- given any sense that the temporary hold was sense gun reforms that will make our commu- istration facing impeachment has ever cat- connected to investigation requests. Indeed, nities safer, and addressing income inequality egorically denied subpoenas and refused re- they were not even aware of the hold until it in all of its forms. quests for documents, until President Trump. was publicly reported in the press. My role as the Representative for Nevada’s The facts are not in dispute. The President History will judge this inquiry for the rush to Fourth Congressional District also includes and his Chief of Staff have admitted they did impeach President Trump without direct evi- faithfully preserving and upholding our Con- it and told us ‘‘we do that all the time, get over dence, in defiance of historic precedent and stitution and the system of laws and norms it.’’ We must not get over it. We must not let as a one-sided political probe. The ‘‘investiga- that undergird our federal government. Our tion’’ was held in the most secret room in the the abnormal become the normal. We cannot Constitution clearly lays out Congress’ role in Capitol. Depositions occurred on days law- allow this President to ‘‘do whatever he wants’’ protecting our democratic institutions and the makers were out of town. The Minority was if it violates the Constitution and laws of the delicate balance that exists within it. Today, denied basic fairness and did not allow them United States. the House of Representatives is voting to up- To not impeach would say to future presi- to call a single witness. The administration hold this solemn responsibility to hold Presi- dents they can disregard the Constitutional au- was not allowed to bring executive branch dent Trump accountable. thority given to Congress. To not impeach lawyers to defend themselves during deposi- In an effort to fulfill my obligation to uphold would announce to foreign countries that tions. our Constitution and the rule of law, I have America’s presidency is for sale. To not im- This contrasts with previous impeachment paid careful attention to the investigations of peach would tell future presidents they too can inquiries, where Presidents Nixon and Clinton the impeachment inquiry in the House of Rep- try to rig an election in their favor instead of could have administration lawyers attend all resentatives. The Committees of jurisdiction letting voters decide. To not impeach would depositions and hearings, ask questions, and witnesses have brought forward evidence say our President is above the law. make objections, present evidence, and re- The President and Members of Congress quest their own witnesses. Those rights were uncovering the truth of President Trump’s July take an oath to the Constitution. The President denied in this inquiry, as this impeachment phone call and subsequent inappropriate be- violated his oath, but I will not violate mine. process was weaponized for political gain. havior toward President Volodymyr Zelensky Mr. MCCAUL. Madam Speaker, for the first Opposing impeachment does not mean em- of Ukraine. time in history, the House is moving to im- bracing every decision made by the adminis- It has become apparent that President peach a duly-elected president without assert- tration in this case. I strongly disagreed with Trump is a continuing threat to our democracy ing a crime. Instead, they are charging Presi- the hold on the security assistance that Con- and danger to our national security. He dent Trump with a vague ‘‘abuse of power’’ for gress had appropriated for Ukraine and wrote abused the power of his office for personal allegedly conditioning U.S. security assistance an urgent letter with the gentleman from New and political gain at the expense of our na- to Ukraine on an investigation into an energy York, Chairman ELIOT ENGEL, a week before tional security; he conditioned official acts— company. the aid was released. Then and now, I believe millions in military aid and a White House This deeply flawed inquiry did not produce that unwavering support for Ukraine to counter meeting—for his personal, political gain; and clear evidence or bipartisan support. At a min- Russian malign influence is a vital component he attempted to cheat our democracy and cor- imum, one would expect bipartisan support for of U.S. national security. rupt our elections. And so today, I will vote in such an extraordinary measure. But the truth is, Democrats began their favor of the two articles of impeachment As a former federal prosecutor with the Pub- three-year effort to impeach the President the against President Trump. No one is above the lic Integrity Section of the Department of Jus- day he was sworn into office. In fact, 104 of law. Not even the President. tice, I approached this inquiry with the same my Democratic colleagues voted for impeach- The first article of impeachment charges standards I would have applied to any case I ment before the phone call between President President Trump with violating his oath of of- handled during that time. During six weeks of Trump and Ukrainian President Zelensky ever fice by abusing the powers of the Presidency depositions, I listened diligently and sought out took place. when he solicited the interference of Ukraine relevant facts. But the Majority, driven by a Our constitutional order demands far more in the 2020 United States presidential election. political timeline, insisted on a rush to judg- than this to remove a duly-elected President. The second article of impeachment charges ment with an incomplete factual record. In- Sixty-three million Americans voted for Presi- President Trump with violating his oath of of- stead of interviewing multiple people with first- dent Trump. With an election less than a year fice by obstructing justice and directing defi- hand knowledge, they settled for speculation away, Americans should decide their elected ance of subpoenas issued by the House as and innuendo. president at the ballot box, as our Constitution part of its impeachment inquiry. This is no Ultimately, my colleagues on the other side requires. longer a question of facts, it is a question of of the aisle failed to prove the President tied Mr. SMITH of New Jersey. Madam Speaker, duty—my duty to this country, our Constitu- U.S. aid to a political investigation. Here’s the U.S. Constitution is clear and unambig- tion, and my oath of office to uphold that Con- what we learned instead: uous—impeachment of any president is per- stitution and protect our democracy. The president placed a temporary hold on mitted only for treason, bribery, high crimes This decision took careful thought and con- U.S. security assistance in mid-July and re- and misdemeanors. sideration. When I made my oath of office, I

VerDate Sep 11 2014 06:51 Dec 19, 2019 Jkt 099060 PO 00000 Frm 00083 Fmt 7634 Sfmt 9920 E:\CR\FM\A18DE7.076 H18DEPT1 SSpencer on DSKBBXCHB2PROD with HOUSE H12196 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — HOUSE December 18, 2019 swore to uphold the Constitution of the United Almost 14,000 people have been killed tional security, President Trump should be im- States and to serve this country. As difficult as since Russia invaded Ukraine. Withholding peached. this moment is for the country given the polit- $400 million Congress appropriated to help Ms. WILSON of Florida. Madam Speaker, I ical divisiveness, preserving the integrity of our Ukraine defend herself unless Ukraine helped rise today in support of the impeachment of system for posterity is how I can best serve the President dig up dirt on his political rival Donald J. Trump. This is not a joyous mo- the interests of the people of Nevada. I hope Joe Biden was the last straw for me. People’s ment. Impeachment ought to be an act that is that following this vote I can turn my full atten- lives and our national security were placed at exceedingly rare. Madam Speaker, this is one tion back toward the issues that matter to Ne- risk. This was more than paying hush money of those rare occasions because this Presi- vada’s working families. for strippers, profiting from foreign govern- dent’s abuse of power strikes at the very heart My mission in Washington has not changed, ments staying at resort properties, or even ob- of our republic. and I’ll continue to fight for the issues that will structing justice as laid out in the Mueller Re- I was initially one of the holdouts on im- improve the lives of my constituents. My focus port. peachment, preferring first to see a strong, de- will be on their stories and passing legislation The Founders fought and died for freedom fensible case that Donald Trump had abused to positively advance their futures. I will con- and independence from a tyrannical ruler and the power of his office before endorsing such tinue to work to lower health care costs for all foreign government. Impeachment and re- a serious step. When it became clear that Nevadans, to bring down the cost of prescrip- moval from office was the remedy they in- President Trump abused the power of his of- tion drugs, to protect our children from mind- cluded in the Constitution to act as a check on fice by attempting to extort the Ukraine gov- less gun violence, and to ensure all Nevadans a President who placed himself above the law, ernment by withholding military aid in ex- have access to well-paying jobs and acces- abused his power for his own personal benefit, change for a political investigation, our only sible job training programs. It is the honor of and invited foreign governments to get in- choice was to move forward on impeachment. my life to serve the people of Nevada’s Fourth volved in our domestic affairs, especially our Mr. Trump attempted to use the power of the Congressional District and I will continue to elections. A President who flaunts the separa- Presidency to subvert democracy itself. put their interests first as I work to deliver on tion of powers and checks and balances in our My Republican friends argue, in part, that their behalf. Constitution and who refuses to allow wit- no crime was committed because Mr. Mr. BANKS. Madam Speaker, I’m pretty nesses to appear before Congress would re- Zelensky claims he never felt pressure when angry. ceive our Founders’ universal condemnation. asked to criminally investigate the political rival I’m angry with you, the Speaker of the Treating taxpayer money as his own to ex- of the most powerful man in the world. I agree House. I’m angry with Chairman ADAM SCHIFF. tort a ‘‘favor’’ from a foreign government to aid in part. These crimes were not committed I’m angry with the Chairman JERRY NADLER. him in his re-election goes to the very heart of against Mr. Zelensky. Donald Trump believes I’m angry they’re putting the country through concerns raised by our Nation’s Founders that the power of the Presidency is his per- this. when they drafted and advocated for impeach- sonal tool to coerce the weak to do his bid- They’ve bastardized the tool of impeach- ment to act as a check on the awesome pow- ding. If it had not been Mr. Zelensky, it would ment and are attempting to use it to overturn ers of the chief executive. For instance, Madi- have been some other poor fellow com- the votes of 63 million people. son said in Federalist No. 47, ‘‘the accumula- promised by need or greed. These crimes In just a few short hours, our president will tion of all powers, legislative, executive and ju- were committed against the Republic and the be the first president in history to be im- diciary, in the same hands . . . may justly be American people who belong to it. And the peached by just one single political party. pronounced the very definition of tyranny.’’ He power of impeachment was given to this body Every person who is responsible for getting went on to say during the Constitutional Con- to save us from small men entrusted with us to this point should be held accountable. vention, ‘‘the Executive will have great oppor- great power. In 1787, Benjamin Franklin was Mr. SUOZZI. Madam Speaker, tonight, I will tunities of abusing his power,’’ and further that asked this simple question: ‘‘What have we vote for impeachment. The President threat- a President ‘‘might betray his trust to foreign got, a republic or a monarchy?’’ I hope that ened to withhold Congressionally approved powers.’’ George Washington’s Farewell Ad- my colleagues will answer as Mr. Franklin did: military aid to an ally under Russian attack un- dress warned of ‘‘foreign influence and corrup- ‘‘A republic, if we can keep it.’’ I will vote yes less the ally, a foreign government, agreed to tion’’ which leads to the ‘‘policy and will’’ of to impeach the President of the United States. help the President with his campaign. That is America being ‘‘subjected to the policy and will I urge my colleagues to do the same. an abuse of power. The President refused to of another.’’ Alexander Hamilton wrote in Fed- Mr. GARCI´A of Illinois. Madam Speaker, I cooperate with Congress’s constitutional duty eralist No. 65 that impeachment ‘‘proceeds rise today to express my support for the im- to provide oversight. That is obstruction. from the misconduct of public men . . . from peachment of Donald J. Trump. As drastic and unwelcome as this is, inac- the abuse or violation of a public trust.’’ Today’s vote to impeach the President is tion would not only give this president a li- The USA Today editorial board stated it per- sobering. While I have deep disagreements cense to further abuse power and obstruct, fectly when they wrote in their December 12, with President Trump on immigration, health but set a dangerous precedent for all future 2019 editorial: care, climate change and other policy areas, I presidents, that their misdeeds are immune In his thuggish effort to trade American did not come to Washington to impeach the from consequences. Inaction would also seri- arms for foreign dirt on former vice presi- President. I came to represent the voices of ously undermine our system of government by dent Joe Biden and his son Hunter, Trump my constituents and I take my duty very seri- resembles not so much Clinton as he does relegating the Congress to a less than co- Richard Nixon, another corrupt president ously. equal branch of government. who tried to cheat his way to re-election . . . The facts tell a disturbing yet highly con- As difficult as this is for our country, I be- This isn’t party politics as usual. It is pre- sistent story. The President’s misdeeds have lieve this is the right thing to do for our coun- cisely the misconduct the Framers had in been verified by an immense body of evidence try. mind when they wrote impeachment into the and the testimony of dozens of witnesses—in- Mr. PERLMUTTER. Madam Speaker, the Constitution. cluding civil servants and constitutional schol- President should be impeached. His actions Impeachment is the remedy the Founders ars of the highest caliber. President Trump were an abuse of power that jeopardizes placed in the Constitution to remove a Presi- abused his power to bribe another country for America’s national security and compromises dent during his or her term of office. This is his own personal and political gain. This is our elections. No one is above the law, and especially true when the misconduct involves wrong. that includes the President. By withholding an upcoming election. The President invited I voted to impeach President Trump to do $400 million Ukraine desperately needed to foreign participation in our elections at least right by my constituents, the future of our de- defend itself against Russia until Ukraine did three times. First with, ‘‘Russia, if you’re listen- mocracy, and to uphold the rule of law and my the President’s political bidding, the President ing . . .,’’ second with his demands on oath to defend the Constitution. The facts are committed High Crimes and Misdemeanors for Ukraine to ‘‘do us a favor, though,’’ and third clear. The President obstructed Congressional which he should be impeached under Article I, with his request for China to get involved in investigations by instructing his accomplices to Section 2, Clause 5 and Article II, Section 4 of the 2020 election by starting ‘‘an investigation ignore compulsory calls to testify before Con- the Constitution. into the Bidens.’’ Any further delay or simply gress. No matter how he tries to spin it, Presi- This abuse of power is compounded by the allowing the election cycle to run its course re- dent Trump violated the Constitution and must President’s refusal to cooperate with Con- sults in the harm and abuse impeachment was be held accountable. Regrettably, House and gress’ impeachment investigation and his designed to prevent. Senate Republicans are going along with the stonewalling of witnesses from testifying or For the sake of the Constitution, fair elec- President’s lies and attempts to cover up his turning over documents to Congress. tions free of foreign interference, and our na- actions.

VerDate Sep 11 2014 06:51 Dec 19, 2019 Jkt 099060 PO 00000 Frm 00084 Fmt 7634 Sfmt 9920 E:\CR\FM\A18DE7.065 H18DEPT1 SSpencer on DSKBBXCHB2PROD with HOUSE December 18, 2019 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — HOUSE H12197 No one is above the law, not even the tion of the United States, Article 1, section truth and public trust. He has disrespected, President. 1, clause 6, and, contrary to his public trust, belittled, and serially preyed upon women, Donald Trump indisputably violated the Con- has systematically scorned the letter and mocked the disabled, incited violence stitution and is, without a shadow of a doubt, spirit of the Constitution on a scale vastly against the mainstream media and critics, beyond any previous occupant of the White and encouraged and displayed bigotry to- no longer fit to discharge the duties of the House in doing the following: wards minorities and minority Members of President of the United States of America. 1. CONTEMPT OF CONGRESS. President Congress, including intercession with Israel I urge my colleagues to support these arti- Trump has notoriously boasted, ‘‘Then I in serious violation of the Speech or Debate cles of impeachment. have Article II, where I have the right to do Clause, Article I, section 6, clause 1, to deny Mr. LARSON of Connecticut. Madam whatever I want as President.’’ He has chron- two Members visitor visas. Speaker, this year, our nation finds itself in the ically acted in violation the Constitution ac- Mr. Trump has failed to superintend or cordingly. check the chronic lawlessness of his subordi- midst of historic turmoil. President Donald J. The informing or oversight powers of Con- Trump’s defiance of the Constitution and dis- nates, a dereliction of duty which James gress are even more important than its legis- Madison characterized as an impeachable of- regard for the rule of law have given Congress lative prerogatives. The United States Su- fense. In the very first Congress, Mr. Madi- no other choice but to proceed with impeach- preme Court has repeatedly affirmed the ple- son elaborated: ment. The President has brought this on him- nary authority of Congress to investigate ‘‘I think it absolutely necessary that the self through his actions. As instructed by H. the executive branch for abuses, irregular- President should have the power of removing Res. 660, on November 19, 2019, the House ities, illegalities or the need for new laws. his subordinates from office; it will make Permanent Select Intelligence Committee Supreme Court Justice Louis D. Brandeis fa- him, in a peculiar manner, responsible for mously lectured, sunshine is said to be the began conducting open public hearings to en- their conduct, and subject him to impeach- best of disinfectants; electric light the most ment himself, if he suffers them to per- sure the American people were able to hear efficient policeman. The House Judiciary petrate with impunity high crimes or mis- directly from witnesses as the committee col- Committee voted an article of impeachment demeanors against the United States, or ne- lects and examines evidence in a fair and pro- against President Richard M. Nixon for glects to superintend their conduct, so as to fessional manner. This was followed by public defying a congressional subpoena that com- check their excesses.’’ hearings in the House Committee on the Judi- promised the ability of Congress to inves- George Washington when presiding over ciary, which allowed for an examination of the tigate impeachable offenses. the constitutional convention instructed, President Trump has repeatedly and un- constitutional grounds for impeachment and ‘‘Let us raise a standard to which the wise constitutionally systematically undermined and honest can repair.’’ Mr. Trump has so an airing of evidence against the President. the congressional oversight power, including disrespected that standard. After weeks of depositions, public hearings the ongoing congressional impeachment in- No other President has so consistently and a thorough review of evidence, the House quiry of the President himself, by instruct- voiced extremist and inflammatory views Judiciary Committee concluded that President ing numerous current and former White across the board and so grossly neglected the Trump violated his oath of office and, on De- House staff and members of the executive duties of the Oval Office. cember 11th, 2019, approved H. Res. 755, branch to defy congressional subpoenas on 3. APPROPRIATIONS CLAUSE, REVENUE which set forth two articles of impeachment: an unprecedented scale far beyond any pre- CLAUSE. Article I, section 9, clause 7 pro- hibits federal government expenditures ‘‘but Abuse of Power and Obstruction of Congress. vious President. Without congressional au- thority, he has secretly deployed special in consequence of appropriations made by As the House today deliberates and decides forces abroad and employed secret guidelines law.’’ Congress has consistently voted much on these articles, it is important to lay the full for targeted killings, including American less money than President Trump requested scope of the President’s misconduct before citizens, based on secret unsubstantiated in- to build an extensive, multibillion-dollar the American people. formation. He has unconstitutionally en- wall with Mexico. In violation of the Clause My constituent and authentic American lead- deavored to block private persons or entities and the criminal prohibition of the Anti-De- er, Ralph Nader, a consumer advocate, re- from responding to congressional requests or ficiency Act, President Trump has com- nowned attorney, author, and a respected subpoenas for information, e.g., Deutsche mitted to spending billions of dollars far in voice in American politics and good govern- Bank. He has refused to provide Congress in- excess of what Congress has appropriated for formation about nepotistic or other security the wall. The congressional power of the ance, has partnered with constitutional schol- clearances he granted in opposition to his purse is a cornerstone of the Constitution’s ars, Bruce Fein and Louis Fisher, to assess own FBI security experts. He has refused to separation of powers. James Madison in Fed- the President’s misconduct and whether it disclose his tax returns to the Chairman of eralist 58 explained, ‘‘This power over the meets the Constitutional standard for ‘‘. . . the Ways and Means Committee contrary to purse may . . . be regarded as the most com- Bribery, or other High Crimes and Mis- a 1924 law, 26 U.S.C. 6103(f). plete and effectual weapon with which any demeanors.’’ The informing or oversight powers of Con- constitution can arm the immediate rep- I include in the RECORD his thinking and gress are even more bedrock than legisla- resentatives of the people, for obtaining re- those of others in our nation, in the hopes that tion. Without information, Congress cannot dress of every grievance, and to carrying enact informed legislative bills, repeal inad- into effect every just and salutary measure.’’ it will help the public further understand the equate laws, or prevent maladministration of Article I, section 7, clause 1 requires all significance of this vote. good ones. The Supreme Court of the United revenue measures to originate in the House ARTICLE OF IMPEACHMENT States has repeatedly affirmed the authority of Representatives. In violation of the (By Ralph Nader, Bruce Fein, and Louis of Congress to investigate the executive Clause, President Trump has raised tens of Fisher) branch for abuses, irregularities, illegalities billions of dollars by unilaterally imposing ARTICLE OF IMPEACHMENT or the need for new laws. Transparency, not tariffs with limitless discretion under sec- secrecy, is the coin of the realm. tion 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962. Resolved. That Donald J. Trump, President Congress possesses plenary authority inde- He has become a Foreign Trade Czar in im- of the United States, is impeached for brib- pendent of the federal judiciary to determine posing tariffs or quotas or granting exemp- ery and high crimes and misdemeanors in whether presidential defiance or obstruction tions from his trade restrictions in his unbri- violation of his constitutional oath of office of a congressional subpoena warrants im- dled discretion to assist political friends and and that the following article of impeach- peachment for destroying the rule of law in punish political enemies. Literally trillions ment be exhibited to the Senate: favor of raw presidential power. A court of dollars in international trade have been Article of Impeachment Exhibited by the order is unnecessary. Under the Constitu- affected. Riches are made and livelihoods de- House of Representatives of the United tion, the Supreme Court held impeachment stroyed overnight with the capricious stroke States of America and of All the People of questions are assigned to the House and Sen- of President Trump’s pen. the United States of America, Against Don- ate to the exclusion of federal courts in 4. EMOLUMENTS CLAUSE. Article I, sec- ald J. Trump, President of the United States Nixon v. United States, 506 U.S. 224 (1993). tion 9, clause 8 prohibits the President (and of America, in Maintenance and Support of 2. ABUSE OF THE POWERS OF THE other federal officers), without the consent its Impeachment Against Him for Bribery PRESIDENT AND ABUSE OF PUBLIC of Congress, from accepting any ‘‘present, and High Crimes and Misdemeanors in Viola- TRUST. President Abraham Lincoln fa- emolument, office, or title, of any kind tion of his Constitutional Oath of Office To mously declared that, ‘‘A house divided whatsoever, from any King, Prince, or for- Preserve, Protect and Defend the Constitu- against itself cannot stand.’’ The nation’s eign state.’’ The President should be above tion of the United States. motto is E Pluribus Unum. President Trump, suspicion. The clause aims to prohibit dual ARTICLE 1 however, has fostered combustible division loyalties or its appearance because of finan- In his conduct of the office of President of and rancor among ‘‘We the people of the cial conflicts of interests. President Trump the United States, Donald J. Trump, in vio- United States’’ by inciting violence and has notoriously refused to place his assets in lation of his constitutional duty faithfully to threatening civil war if removed from office. a blind trust. Instead, he continues to profit execute the office of the President of the Unlike prior presidents, he has made presi- from opulent hotels heavily patronized by United States, and, to the best of his ability, dential lies as routine as the rising and set- foreign governments. He has permitted his preserve, protect and defend the Constitu- ting of the sun, confounding civil discourse, family to commercialize the White House.

VerDate Sep 11 2014 06:51 Dec 19, 2019 Jkt 099060 PO 00000 Frm 00085 Fmt 7634 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\A18DE7.064 H18DEPT1 SSpencer on DSKBBXCHB2PROD with HOUSE H12198 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — HOUSE December 18, 2019 He has compromised the national interest to Article I, section 7, clause 2, as President interpretations of the Foreign Intelligence enrich family wealth on a scale unprece- George Washington explained, requires the Surveillance Act. dented in the history of the presidency. President either to sign or veto a bill passed 12. SUPPRESSION OF FREE SPEECH. The 5. TREATY CLAUSE. Article II, section 2, by Congress in toto. The President may not major purpose of a free press protected by clause 2 requires Senate ratification of trea- exercise a line-item veto, as the United the First Amendment is to expose govern- ties by two-thirds majorities. The text is si- States Supreme Court held in Clinton v. New ment lies or illegalities—to shine light on lent as to whether treaty termination re- York, 524 U.S. 417 (1998). President Trump, the dark side. Justice Hugo Black elaborated quires Senate ratification, and the Supreme however, like several of his predecessors in New York Times v. United States, 403 US. Court held the issue was a nonjusticiable po- commonly exercises the equivalent of uncon- 713 (1971) in protecting publication of the litical question in Goldwater v. Carter, 444 stitutional line-item vetoes through signing classified Pentagon Papers from suppression: U.S. 996 (1979). But the Treaty Clause purpose statements declaring his intent to leave ‘‘The Government’s power to censor the indicates Senate approval of treaty termi- unexecuted provisions he decrees are uncon- press was abolished so that the press would nations. Alexander Hamilton explained in stitutional without a court test. Presidential remain forever free to censure the Govern- Federalist 75 that the President would be an signing statements weaken legislative power ment. The press was protected so that it untrustworthy steward of the national inter- by disarming Congress from bundling in a could bare the secrets of government and in- est in the conduct of international affairs be- single bill provisions both liked and disliked form the people. Only a free and unre- cause of the enormous temptation to betray by the President and forcing the White strained press can effectively expose decep- the country to advance personal ambitions. House to choose between all or none. During tion in government. And paramount among That suspicion of presidential motives is the administration of President George W. the responsibilities of a free press is the duty equally implicated in treaty terminations Bush, an American Bar Association Task to prevent any part of the government from and points to requiring Senate ratification. Force issued a report condemning signing deceiving the people and sending them off to President Trump flouted the Treaty Clause statements as unconstitutional sent to the distant lands to die of foreign fevers and for- in terminating the Intermediate-Range Nu- President himself. ABA Task Force on Presi- eign shot and shell.’’ clear Forces Treaty (INF) with Russia uni- dential Signing Statements and the Separa- President Trump is violating the First laterally. The treaty assigned the termi- tion of Powers Doctrine, August 2006. Amendment in stretching the Espionage Act nation decision to the ‘‘United States.’’ The 8. DUE PROCESS CLAUSE. The Fifth to prosecute publication of leaked classified President alone is not the United States Amendment provides that no person shall information that are instrumental to expos- under the Treaty Clause. ‘‘be deprived of life . . . without due process ing government lies and deterring govern- 6. DECLARE WAR CLAUSE. Article I, sec- of law.’’ In violation of due process, Presi- ment wrongdoing or misadventures, includ- tion 8, clause 11 empowers Congress alone to dent Trump claims power, like his imme- ing the outstanding indictment against Ju- take the nation from a state of peace to a diate two predecessors, to act as prosecutor, lian Assange for publishing information state of war. That power is non-delegable. judge, jury, and executioner to kill Amer- which was republished by the New York The Declare War Clause authors distrusted ican citizens or non-citizens alike, on or off Times and The Washington Post with impu- the President to preserve the peace because a battlefield, whether or not engaged in hos- nity. The United States Supreme Court of the temptation to war to aggrandize exec- upheld the First Amendment rights of the tilities, whether or not accused of crime, and utive power and earn a place in history. In New York Times and The Washington Post whether or not posing an imminent threat of violation of the Declare War Clause, Presi- to publish the classified Pentagon Papers, harm that would trigger a right of preemp- dent Trump has continued to wage or has which accelerated the conclusion of the dis- tive self-defense. This combination of powers initiated presidential wars in Libya, Soma- astrous Vietnam War, in New York Times v. are euphemistically referenced as ‘‘targeted lia, Yemen, Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan, and United States. killings,’’ but they define tyranny. Pakistan, and has used special forces offen- In all of this, Donald J. Trump, since the 9. APPOINTMENTS CLAUSE. President sively in several African nations. President day of his inauguration, has conducted the Trump has repeatedly appointed principal of- Trump has claimed authority to initiate war office of the President contrary to his oath ficers of the United States, including the Na- against any nation or non-state actor in the of office to destroy constitutional govern- tional Security Advisor and Cabinet offi- world—not in self-defense-on his say-so ment to the great prejudice of the cause of cials, who have not been confirmed by the alone, including war against North Korea, law and justice and to the manifest injury of Senate in violation of the Appointments Iran, or Venezuela. the people of the United States. 7. TAKE CARE CLAUSE; PRESENTMENT Clause, Article II, section 2, clause 2. On a Wherefore Donald J. Trump warrants im- CLAUSE. Article II, section 3 obligates the scale never practiced by prior presidents, Mr. peachment and trial, and removal from of- President to ‘‘take care that the laws be Trump has filled as many as half of Cabinet fice. faithfully executed.’’ In violation of that posts with ‘‘Acting Secretaries’’ who have Mr. LARSON of Connecticut. Madam trust, President Donald J. Trump delib- never been confirmed by the Senate. 10. SOLICITING A FOREIGN CONTRIBU- Speaker, as we vote today, I think it is instruc- erately attempted to frustrate special coun- tive that Americans reflect on how we got to sel Robert Mueller’s investigation of collabo- TION FOR THE 2020 PRESIDENTIAL CAM- PAIGN AND BRIBERY. President Trump has this point. The impeachment of Donald J. ration between the Trump 2016 campaign and Trump has largely been brought on by the Russia to influence the presidential election. endeavored to corrupt the 2020 presidential Among other things, the President refused to campaign by soliciting the President of President himself. answer specific questions relating to his Ukraine to contribute something of value to The President took two specific actions: he presidential conduct; endeavored to fire the diminish the popularity of potential rival directly solicited a foreign government to gath- special counsel; dangled pardons for non-co- Joe Biden, i.e., a Ukrainian investigation of er information on his political opponent. He operating witnesses; and, urged Attorney Mr. Biden and his son Hunter relating to po- then further sought to promote a false nar- General Jeff Sessions to reverse his recusal tential corrupt practices of Burisma, which rative that it was Ukraine, and not Russia, who decision to better protect his presidency. In compensated Hunter handsomely ($50,000 per month). In so doing, Mr. Trump violated the interfered with the elections in 2016. With the all these respects, the President was at- ability to correct the record, clear his name, or tempting to obstruct justice. criminal campaign finance prohibition set President Trump has also systematically forth in 52 U.S.C. 30121. offer explanation for his actions, he chose in- declined to enforce statutory mandates of President Trump solicited a bribe for him- stead to obstruct a co-equal branch of govern- Congress by arbitrarily and capriciously re- self in violation of 18 U.S.C. 201 in seeking ment from performing its Constitutional re- voking scores of agency rules ranging from something of personal value, i.e., discred- sponsibilities of oversight and review. He did immigration to the Consumer Financial Pro- iting Joe Biden’s 2020 presidential campaign this by refusing testimony, ignoring Congres- tection Board to the Environmental Protec- with the help of the President of Ukraine to sional subpoenas, and not providing Congress tion Agency in violation of the Administra- influence Mr. Trump’s official decision to re- lease approximately $400 million in military with any pertinent information or data. tive Procedure Act or otherwise. He has rou- Today we’re putting Russia and other adver- tinely legislated by executive order in lieu of and related assistance. following constitutionally prescribed proc- 11. VIOLATING CITIZEN PRIVACY. The saries on notice, don’t interfere with our elec- esses for legislation. Fourth Amendment protects the right to be tions. Russia tried to divide the country in In violation of his constitutional duty to let alone from government snooping, the 2016, but they only succeed if America turns take care that the laws be faithfully exe- most cherished right among civilized people away from the rule of law. cuted, Mr. Trump has dismantled and dis- as Justice Brandeis elaborated in Olmstead Some Republicans have excused the Presi- abled scores of preventive measures to save v. United States, 277 U.W. 438 (1928) (dis- dent’s behavior by saying, ‘‘Donald Trump isn’t lives, avoid injuries or disease, help families, senting opinion). Government spying on a politician, he’s a businessman. This is Americans ordinarily requires a warrant consumers, and workers, and detect, deter, Trump being Trump, this how he’s used to and punish tens of billions of dollars of cor- issued by a neutral magistrate based on porate fraud. He has disputed climate disrup- probable cause to believe crime is afoot. doing business.’’ tion as a ‘‘Chinese hoax,’’ compounded the President Trump, however, routinely vio- That very well may be true, but in a con- climate crisis by overt actions that expand lates the Fourth Amendment with stitutional democracy, no one, including Don- greenhouse gas emissions and pollution, and suspicionless surveillance of Americans for ald Trump, is above the law. excluded or marginalized the influence of non-criminal, foreign intelligence purposes I realize there are people who feel strongly civil service scientists. under Executive Order 12333 and aggressive and differently than I do, but to do nothing, to

VerDate Sep 11 2014 06:51 Dec 19, 2019 Jkt 099060 PO 00000 Frm 00086 Fmt 7634 Sfmt 9920 E:\CR\FM\A18DE7.094 H18DEPT1 SSpencer on DSKBBXCHB2PROD with HOUSE December 18, 2019 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — HOUSE H12199 take no vote, is in essence condoning this be- nessing at this moment in history: The Presi- able offenses, and the evidence presented havior that disregards our Constitution. Repub- dent of the United States abusing the power of does not meet those standards. Impeachment licans may see today differently, but as we the office with a foreign country for personal is one of the most serious acts that Congress look forward, we must stand united as a Con- political gain. will undertake. It is not to be taken lightly or gress in defending our democracy. They gave us a constitutional remedy. to be used as a political weapon against those For a democracy to work in a system of They gave us this remedy because the Con- you disagree with, but unfortunately, that is check and balances, no one is above the law. stitution is not a self-preserving document. It where we find ourselves today. For that rea- The President takes an oath of allegiance to needs people who will protect and defend it. son, I will not support the articles of impeach- the United States Constitution; there are no History must reflect that there are people ment and I also ask my colleagues to reflect exceptions for the art of the deal. taking that oath of office seriously and fighting on one thing: in light of what you have ob- Mrs. WATSON COLEMAN. Madam Speak- to keep our Republic intact; that there are served about the process used to charge the er, there have been quite a few comments people who are defending the Constitution and President, are we upholding justice? from the other side about how this is partisan, fighting for the integrity of our Democratic I think not. and this is an attack, and we’re coming after process; that there are people who say that Ms. DELAURO. Madam Speaker, I rise to Donald Trump. any President—regardless of political party— discuss an issue of solemn, national impor- I don’t like this President. I don’t like his val- who abuses the power of their high office for tance. The impeachment of a president of the ues, or his decision making, nor his policies or personal gain will be held accountable. United States is not a step we take lightly, nor the words he chooses to use. But these arti- It is important for me, for my daughters, Sky with anything but the seriousness it demands. cles are not about a man. They are about the and Sage, for my grandchildren, my great But, we take it, because it is our duty to up- ACTIONS of a man. They are about the ways grandchildren, and future generations; it is im- hold our oath of office, the Constitution, and in which someone elected to the highest office portant for future leaders, future Congresses, the trust that our constituents and the Amer- in this country abused that office, and violated and for the historical record; it is important for ican people place in us. That is why I am vot- the basic tenets of the constitutional balance the ideals of the Constitution and the core of ing for the articles of impeachment. of power. our Republic that I solemnly cast my vote President Donald Trump’s actions are a I don’t want him to serve two terms, but this today in favor of impeaching President Donald dangerous departure from his oath of office is about that. This is about holding the Presi- Trump. and his duty to uphold the Constitution. As dent of the United States, whoever he may be, Ms. JOHNSON of Texas. Madam Speaker, with many of my colleagues, I was reluctant to to the standards and expectations of that of- I rise in support of H. Res. 755, a resolution call for impeachment because I feared it would fice. Impeaching Donald John Trump, President of further divide our country, be perceived as I say that genuinely. I would take this same the United States, for high crimes and mis- vote for any President who abused his office overturning the 2016 election, and go to the demeanors. Today is indeed a solemn day for in that way. And any member of this body who United States Senate where Republicans the United States of America. fails to understand what this vote really would acquit President Trump regardless of The two Articles of Impeachment, as written means—making clear what we expect of the the evidence. But the President’s unchecked and passed by the House Judiciary Com- OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT, not the person actions gave the Congress no other choice. mittee, outline the findings of the investiga- sitting in it—is deeply and horribly mistaken. Today, the House of Representatives is up- Anyone who fights for democratic values, tions done by several committees of jurisdic- holding its duty to protect the Constitution of who values the balance of power, who wants tion, charged with the constitutionally-man- the United States. Our founders set up a sys- to ensure the underpinnings of the greatest dated task of finding out the truth. tem of checks and balances, separation of democracy in the world remain strong for gen- The truth is the President abused his power powers, and rule of law so that no person erations to come, will support these articles of of office by obstructing the impeachment in- would be above the law. That includes the impeachment as I intend to do. quiry; solicited the interference of the Ukraine President of the United States. The Constitu- Mr. RUIZ. Madam Speaker, as a citizen of Government in the 2020 U.S. presidential tional recourse for ‘‘treason, bribery, or other the United States of America, the greatest ex- election in an attempt to undermine our elec- high crimes and misdemeanors’’ is clear: im- periment in democracy that our world has ever tions; and posed a threat to national security peachment. It is a heavy price—intended only known, as the duly elected U.S. House Rep- for political gain. for matters of grave consequence to our re- resentative of my home communities of the Madam Speaker, I have listened to and spo- public. President Trump’s actions meet that Coachella Valley, San Gorgonio Pass, and the ken with my constituents in my district and high bar, and that is why I am voting in favor San Jacinto Pass in California’s 36th Congres- throughout the state of Texas. The corrupt of the articles of impeachment. sional District, and as the father to two young pattern of evidence is overwhelming. There- The facts of the case against President daughters growing up in this great nation, I fore, I am voting in favor of H. Res. 755, a Trump are indisputable. On July 25, 2019, rise today in support of impeaching the Presi- resolution Impeaching Donald John Trump, President Trump called Ukrainian President dent of the United States, Donald J. Trump. President of the United States, for high crimes Volodymyr Zelensky and asked him to ‘‘look By conditioning $391 million in military aid to and misdemeanors. into’’ 2020 Presidential candidate Vice Presi- a foreign ally on an investigation into his polit- Mr. CARTER of Texas. Madam Speaker, it dent Joe Biden and his son—an investigation ical rival, Donald Trump abused the power of is a fundamental ideal of our republic that solely for his own personal and political gain. the presidency for personal political gain. He every American receives justice under the law. In the weeks leading up to that call, the Presi- then obstructed Congress in its constitutionally As a Member of this body, we are required to dent withheld Congressionally-appropriated mandated oversight role. In doing so, Presi- uphold that ideal, and as a former judge, I was foreign aid to Ukraine, as well as a meeting dent Trump violated our Constitution, com- tasked with the same responsibility. What I between the two countries’ presidents in the promised our national security, and under- have seen throughout this impeachment proc- White House, as leverage. The President’s mined the integrity of our democratic process. ess is far from justice. abuse of power has been corroborated before This was a principled decision made with In fact, this process has lacked impartiality, the Congress by brave public servants over great reverence for the Constitution, in the respect for the United States Constitution, and the last few months. best interest of our nation, and without par- fairness. When I was on the bench, I in- Facing a Congressional investigation into tisan consideration. I was compelled by the structed every jury the same way. I told them these matters, President Trump ‘‘directed the overwhelming evidence and the sacred oath I that ‘‘what someone heard from another unprecedented, categorical, and indiscriminate took to preserve, protect, and defend the Con- source other than what they directly observed defiance of subpoenas issued by the House of stitution—and by nature, our very democracy. is not evidence.’’ Rumors and hearsay are not Representatives pursuant to its ’sole Power of When Benjamin Franklin was leaving Inde- evidence under our laws, and it certainly Impeachment.’’’ In doing so, President Trump pendence Hall at the close of the Constitu- shouldn’t qualify as evidence in this chamber. obstructed Congress’s Constitutionally-author- tional Convention in 1787, he was asked The evidence presented by the Majority in this ized investigation. whether America would be a republic or a case is entirely hearsay and therefore, should So, today, I will vote to uphold my responsi- monarchy, and his response was, ‘‘A republic, be inadmissible. In fact, the only direct evi- bility, outlined in the oath I have taken and the if you can keep it.’’ dence presented to this body is the transcript Constitution. I will vote for the articles of im- By voting in favor of impeachment today, I of President Trump’s telephone call with the peachment. am voting to keep it. Ukraine President. Mr. PANETTA. Madam Speaker, I did not Benjamin Franklin and the Founding Fathers The Constitution is clear—treason, bribery, come to Congress to impeach the President. envisioned the tragic scenario we are wit- high crimes and misdemeanors are impeach- But, I swore an oath to protect our country

VerDate Sep 11 2014 06:51 Dec 19, 2019 Jkt 099060 PO 00000 Frm 00087 Fmt 7634 Sfmt 9920 E:\CR\FM\A18DE7.079 H18DEPT1 SSpencer on DSKBBXCHB2PROD with HOUSE H12200 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — HOUSE December 18, 2019 and defend the constitution. That is why, threshold for launching impeachment pro- into a political opponent, former Vice President today, I will vote to approve two articles of im- ceedings. Joe Biden. The president requested this inves- peachment against this President for abuse of What mattered most in my assessment of tigation despite the fact that officials in both power and obstruction of Congress. the Special Counsel’s report was whether or the United States and Ukraine have rejected In order to arrive at that solemn and somber not the Trump campaign coordinated with the accusations as baseless. conclusion, I used many of the same skills Russia to interfere in our elections—actions The president’s intent in the July 25 phone that I acquired early on as a former pros- that, if proven, would have crossed a clear red call is clear. He specifically references both ecutor. By putting politics and emotions aside line. This concern was rooted in the history of the former vice president and his son, Hunter to focus on the underlying evidence and ap- our nation, for there is no doubt that the Biden. We also know from depositions taken plying those facts to the articles of impeach- Founders were fearful of foreign influence in as part of the House impeachment inquiry that ment, I found it clear that the President sub- our domestic affairs. In Federalist No. 68, the president’s personal lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, verted our national interest for his own per- Alexander Hamilton wrote: was concurrently demanding that Ukrainian of- sonal and political interest. The President then ‘‘Nothing was more to be desired than that ficials publicly announce investigations into repeatedly ignored and refused to cooperate every practicable obstacle should be opposed Burisma, the company where Hunter Biden with the numerous requests and subpoenas of to cabal, intrigue, and corruption. These most served as a board member, before the White the investigation by Congress. Moreover, the deadly adversaries of republican government House would agree to arrange a meeting be- President proudly admitted this conduct and might naturally have been expected to make tween President Trump and the new Ukrainian refuses to acknowledge that he did anything their approaches from more than one quarter, president. Key members of the Trump Admin- wrong. but chiefly from the desire in foreign powers to istration’s diplomatic corps testified under oath I do not take pride in impeaching a sitting gain an improper ascendant in our councils that this head of state meeting was contingent president of the United States. But as the U.S. [emphasis added]. How could they better grat- upon the announcement Of these politically- Representative for the central coast of Cali- ify this, than by raising a creature of their own motivated investigations. fornia, I am upholding my obligation under the to the chief magistracy of the Union?’’ The House investigation clearly unearthed a United States Constitution and to protect the Our Framers also understood that impeach- pattern of evidence that demonstrates the cor- future of our democracy. ment may be necessary to protect American rupt intent on the part of the president, his The impeachment of the President and his elections. During the Constitutional Conven- personal lawyer, and members of his adminis- upcoming trial in the U.S. Senate will not stop tion, James Madison argued that waiting for tration to leverage the powers of the presi- us from getting things done. As I have proven an election to vote a president out of office dency to damage a political opponent and during my limited time in Congress, I will con- might not be a sufficient safeguard, because strengthen the president’s reelection pros- tinue to work on and pass legislation that re- the president ‘‘might betray his trust to foreign pects. Given that the sought-after investigation forms our immigration laws, especially for powers.’’ Similarly, in debating the need to in- was solicited from a foreign government, the Dreamers and farmworkers, promotes our ag- clude a procedure for impeachment in the president’s actions are a realization of the riculture, combats the effects of climate Constitution, the Framers conceived of how a Framers’ greatest fears: foreign corruption of change, improves our health care system, low- president might abuse his power in order to our electoral process, and a president willing ers prescription drug prices, changes the tax win an election. George Mason asked the to leverage the powers of his office to benefit code to help the middle class and small busi- Constitutional Convention, ‘‘Shall the man who his own reelection. This action crossed a clear nesses, defends equal rights, and protects our has practiced corruption, and by that means red line, and in my view, there is no doubt that values and way of life on the Central Coast. procured his appointment in the first instance, this is an impeachable act. For this reason, I Mr. GOLDEN. Madam Speaker, when I took be suffered to escape punishment by repeat- will vote for Article I of the House resolution to the oath of office in January, I entered Con- ing his guilt?’’ impeach President Trump for an abuse of gress prepared to work with President Trump I have argued previously that to the extent power. whenever possible and to stand up to him that my constituents consider the president’s I did not reach this conclusion lightly. Al- whenever necessary. In my first year, I have actions, most of them believe that the future of though I find that there is indisputable evi- ranked among the top five of 235 House our country’s leadership and direction should dence that the president solicited the inter- Democrats in voting with the president. In a be determined at the ballot box in 2020. I con- ference of a foreign government in the 2020 deeply divided and partisan Congress, the op- tinue to believe that sentiment, but in order for U.S. presidential election, I believe that the portunities for agreement have often felt lim- my constituents to voice their opinions on the burden of proof for part of the first article, that ited, but I have sought in good faith to work direction of the country, the security of the the president withheld military assistance to with him as best I can. 2020 presidential election must be guaran- Ukraine in order to secure the investigation of Since January, I have received many phone teed, and the integrity of the election must be Vice President Biden, will be harder to meet in calls and letters from constituents calling upon without question. That is why I find the presi- a Senate trial. While I believe it is reasonable me to support efforts to impeach the president dent’s most recent actions with regard to to conclude there is sufficient evidence to sup- for a wide range of reasons. I have resisted Ukraine and the upcoming election deeply port the other charges in Article I and justify those efforts and maintained that the impeach- troubling and unacceptable. sending an indictment to the Senate for trial, ment of the President of the United States In evaluating the president’s actions, I have I also regret that the House did not package must be considered as a last resort, reserved consulted the statements of the Founders and the charge regarding the military aid as a sep- only for the most serious crimes and constitu- of members of Congress who spoke during arate article, rather than combining it with the tional abuses. previous impeachment hearings. I have stud- president’s direct solicitation of a foreign in- Earlier this year, upon the conclusion of ied the late law professor Charles Black’s vestigation into his political rival. Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investiga- monograph Impeachment: A Handbook, writ- I have advocated for this change to Article tion, I determined that there was no evidence ten at the height of Watergate. I have consid- I to House leadership, in part because I be- that the president had committed an impeach- ered carefully the depositions of key wit- lieve it would provide for clearer debate in the able offense, and as a result I opposed calls nesses, watched hours of the testimony pro- Senate and among the general public. Why for his impeachment. In my view, the Special vided in public hearings, and carefully listened exactly the Trump Administration withheld mili- Counsel’s report identified a pattern of conduct to the questions and statements of my col- tary aid from Ukraine is a question on which beneath the office of the presidency, specifi- leagues on both sides of the aisle. The length reasonable minds—looking at the same set of cally: poor judgement, efforts to exert undue of my process has frustrated some of my con- facts—may reach different conclusions. But influence over an investigation, and attempts stituents, but on a matter of such gravity, I there is no such room for disagreement on to obstruct justice. However, in reviewing the have felt a responsibility to take the time nec- one stark fact: the President of the United available facts, I did not find sufficient informa- essary to gather all available information be- States asked a foreign government to aid in tion to support impeachment principally be- fore making a decision. his reelection by soliciting an investigation of cause the Special Counsel did not find ade- Here is what we know: in September, the his political opponent based upon trumped-up quate evidence that the president or his cam- White House released a call summary show- charges. Our Founders feared exactly this sit- paign team were involved in a conspiracy to ing that on July 25, 2019, just one day after uation, a president willing to illegitimately wield collude or coordinate with Russian efforts to the Special Counsel presented his findings the powers of his office against his political interfere with U.S. elections. It was my per- about the 2016 election to Congress, Presi- opponents in order to secure his reelection. As sonal judgement that the president’s efforts to dent Trump solicited the Government of North Carolina’s William Davie remarked at impede the investigation did not meet the Ukraine to publicly announce investigations the 1787 Constitutional Convention, ‘‘If he be

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I’m par- rate charge, that the president ‘‘without lawful deeply dismayed by the circumstances sur- ticularly proud that over two-thirds of my cause or excuse,’’ obstructed the congres- rounding this inquiry, likely impeachment, and nearly 340 bills are bipartisan and that I’ve sional inquiry into his actions. While I do not coming trial of the president. Indeed, my con- developed strong relationships across the dispute that the White House has been pro- cerns about our politics and the health of our aisle that are leading to important legisla- vocative in its defiance and sweeping in its democracy have only grown over the course tive accomplishments. claims of executive privilege, I also believe of this process. The divisiveness of this im- When I was sworn into office this past Jan- there are legitimate and unresolved constitu- uary, I swore an oath to protect and defend peachment inquiry has been terrible for our the Constitution of our great nation. That is tional questions about the limits of executive country, just as the Framers knew it would be. why in mid-September I called for an open privilege, and that before pursuing impeach- I also believe, however, that the president’s ef- and transparent process to determine wheth- ment for this charge, the House has an obliga- forts to solicit a foreign government’s involve- er the President’s actions warrant articles, tion to exhaust all other available options. ment in our upcoming election to undermine a and if they should receive a full trial in the It is important to note that the House has political opponent represents a clear and im- Senate. not attempted to enforce subpoenas for key minent threat to our democracy that cannot go On Friday morning, the House Judiciary Committee voted to send the resolution on witnesses to the charges before the president, unchecked. I see it as my duty to vote in sup- including those issued to Mick Mulvaney, John Articles of Impeachment to the House Floor. port of Article I in order to send a clear mes- You deserve to hear from me directly in ad- Eisenberg, and Russell Vought. The House sage to the president, to the country, and to vance of my vote now that the Committee has also failed to issue subpoenas to other the world that foreign interference in American work is complete. key witnesses, like John Bolton and Rick elections is not acceptable, not welcomed, and After reviewing the public testimony from Perry. In fact, because of a political decision will not be tolerated. In the end, I believe the non-partisan public servants and officials ap- to wrap up impeachment proceedings as failure of Congress to act in a bipartisan fash- pointed to their roles by the President him- quickly as possible, the House recently with- ion to send this message may represent the self—as well as the final House Intelligence drew a subpoena for Charles Kupperman, a Committee report—I have decided that this greatest threat of all to the health of our de- week I will vote yes on both Articles of Im- senior aide to John Bolton, and House coun- mocracy. peachment. sel asked a federal court to dismiss a lawsuit Earlier this year, I expressed my concern No elected leader is above the law. that would clarify Mr. Kupperman’s obligation that a partisan impeachment would further It is clear from the testimony and the re- to testify. deepen the political divisions in this country, port delivered to Congress that the President At the heart of this matter is a debate about and that the best recourse would be to rely on attempted to coerce a foreign government into investigating his political rival by with- the limits of the president’s executive privilege, our electoral process to litigate our dif- especially in the face of subpoenas issued by holding Congressionally-appropriated mili- ferences. But in this current moment, when tary assistance to a foreign ally. This is a congressional committees conducting an im- the subject of the president’s actions has been clear abuse of power by a sitting U.S. Presi- peachment inquiry. Professor Black has ar- to corrupt that very process, relying on the dent for his own personal gain. It is also gued that executive privilege has a stronger next election cannot be the solution. As I clear that the President obstructed Congress claim in the earlier stages of the impeachment square those concerns with our current mo- by refusing to produce documents and block- process, but that by the time of a Senate trial, ment, I take solace in the words of a previous ing testimony during the impeachment in- it should be clearer what specific information quiry, which is against the law. congressman from Maine’s Second District My values would require the same vote if is necessary for Congress to conclude its pro- who also confronted an impeachment vote ceedings. this were a Democratic President. It is about during his first term in office. Concerned with protecting our democratic values, about I believe that the House must exercise as the divisive impact of impeachment on the right and wrong, and about upholding my much restraint as possible in order to avoid country, then-Congressman William Cohen ob- oath to the Constitution and the rule of law. setting a dangerous precedent for the future. served: Gratefully yours, On the one hand, each of the two political par- It has been said that impeachment pro- Rep. Angie Craig ties has an interest in protecting the executive MN–02 ceedings will tear this country apart. To say December 15, 2019. privilege of the White House; there are some that it will tear the country apart is a propo- Mr. HAGEDORN. Madam Speaker, many communications that should remain confiden- sition I cannot accept. I think what would tear members of this body have publicly voiced tial, or at the very least not be released pub- the country apart would be to turn our backs support for impeachment since before this licly in order to protect our national security. on the facts and our responsibilities to ascer- President was sworn into office—some even On the other hand, the White House has tain them. That in my opinion would do far skipping the Inauguration, a time-honored made broad and in my view excessive claims more to start the unraveling of the fabrics of American tradition, because they viewed him regarding executive privilege, declaring as this country and the Constitution than would a as an illegitimate President. early as April of this year that it would contest strong reaffirmation of that great document. For a significant number of my colleagues, ‘‘all the subpoenas’’ and arguing that Con- In the face of the evidence before me today, this will not be the first—and possibly not even gress is powerless to force the White House I believe Cohen’s words still ring true—but the last time they vote to impeach President to comply. only if we commit ourselves not to become Trump. Several have openly admitted they are This tension is precisely why our system of mired in this current sad chapter of deep par- concerned if they don’t vote to impeach the government provides for a forum in which dis- tisanship in American history. We must turn President, he will be reelected. putes between the executive and the legisla- our eyes to the future and look for ways to ad- Even the highest-ranking member of this ture over the scope of their respective privi- dress the needs of the country and our con- body publicly stated that this process has leges and powers can be resolved. That forum stituents. We have made progress in the past been two and a half years in the making. The is the judicial branch. The House can—and in few days with the passage of important legis- Speaker admitted this just months after she other contexts has—gone to the courts to en- lation, like the National Defense Authorization told the American people that impeachment force committee subpoenas. Before wielding Act and the announcement of a budget deal would need to be compelling, overwhelming our awesome power to impeach a sitting that keeps government open, accomplishes and bipartisan. Yet, the only thing bipartisan president, we first ought to exhaust available important healthcare reforms, secures our bor- about this impeachment is the opposition to it. judicial remedies, or—at the very least—give ders, and funds our military. There remains Here are the facts: the courts a chance. If the president were to much more potential in the year ahead, if only Both President Trump and President defy a court order to produce documents or to we are able to set aside our differences and Zelensky say there was no pressure. give testimony in an impeachment inquiry, or work together toward common ground for the The call transcript shows no conditionality— if he were to encourage his subordinates to do good of the country. or ‘‘quid pro quo’’—between aid and an inves- the same, then a charge of obstruction would Ms. CRAIG. Madam Speaker, I include in tigation. be appropriate. But while the president’s re- The Ukrainians were not aware that aid was the RECORD an open letter to my constituents: sistance toward our investigative efforts has This is a somber time in our country as the withheld when Trump and Zelensky spoke. been frustrating, it has not yet, in my view, House this week weighs articles of impeach- Ukraine did not open an investigation, and still reached the threshold of ‘‘high crime or mis- ment against our President. It’s a vote that received aid and a meeting with President demeanor’’ that the Constitution demands. For no Member should ever want to take, and I Trump.

VerDate Sep 11 2014 06:51 Dec 19, 2019 Jkt 099060 PO 00000 Frm 00089 Fmt 7634 Sfmt 9920 E:\CR\FM\A18DE7.085 H18DEPT1 SSpencer on DSKBBXCHB2PROD with HOUSE H12202 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — HOUSE December 18, 2019 The sad truth is that this has been an overt- fired, you’re not getting the money.’ Well, resentative Al Green said in May, ‘‘I’m con- ly political process from the very beginning, son of a bitch. He got fired.’’ Even Joe Biden cerned that if we don’t impeach this presi- and an unwarranted attempt to remove our admitted just days ago in an interview with dent. he will get re-elected.’’ Again. you and NPR that it ‘‘looked bad.’’ Now you are try- your allies said, and did, all of these things duly elected President from office. I will vote ing to impeach me by falsely accusing me of long before you ever heard of President ‘‘no’’ and I urge my colleagues on both sides doing what Joe Biden has admitted he actu- Zelensky or anything related to Ukraine. As of the aisle to vote against this divisive im- ally did. you know very well. this impeachment drive peachment. President Zelensky has repeatedly de- has nothing to do with Ukraine, or the to- I include in the Record a letter from Presi- clared that I did nothing wrong, and that tally appropriate conversation I had with its dent Trump to Speaker PELOSI. there was No Pressure. He further empha- new president. It only has to do with your sized that it was a ‘‘good phone call,’’ that ‘‘I attempt to undo the election of 2016 and THE WHITE HOUSE, don’t feel pressure,’’ and explicitly stressed steal the election of 2020! Washington, December 17, 2019. that ‘‘nobody pushed me.’’ The Ukrainian Congressman Adam Schiff cheated and lied Hon. NANCY PELOSI, Foreign Minister stated very clearly: ‘‘I have all the way up to the present day, even going Speaker of the House of Representatives, never seen a direct link between investiga- so far as to fraudulently make up, out of Washington, DC. tions and security assistance.’’ He also said thin air. my conversation with President DEAR MADAM SPEAKER: I write to express there was ‘‘No Pressure.’’ Senator Ron John- Zelensky of Ukraine and read this fantasy my strongest and most powerful protest son of Wisconsin, a supporter of Ukraine who language to Congress as though it were said against the partisan impeachment crusade met privately with President Zelensky, has by me. His shameless lies and deceptions, being pursued by the Democrats in the House said: ‘‘At no time during this meeting . . . dating all the way back to the Russia Hoax, of Representatives. This impeachment rep- was there any mention by Zelensky or any is one of the main reasons we are here today. resents an unprecedented and unconstitu- Ukrainian that they were feeling pressure to You and your party are desperate to dis- tional abuse of power by Democrat Law- do anything in return for the military aid.’’ tract from America’s extraordinary econ- makers, unequaled in nearly two and a half Many meetings have been held between rep- omy, incredible jobs boom, record stock mar- centuries of American legislative history. resentatives of Ukraine and our country. ket, soaring confidence, and flourishing citi- The Articles of Impeachment introduced Never once did Ukraine complain about pres- zens. Your party simply cannot compete by the House Judiciary Committee are not sure being applied—not once! Ambassador with our record: 7 million new jobs; the low- recognizable under any standard of Constitu- Sandland testified that I told him: ‘‘No quid est-ever unemployment for African Ameri- tional theory, interpretation, or jurispru- pro quo. I want nothing. I want nothing. I cans, Hispanic Americans, and Asian Ameri- dence. They include no crimes, no mis- want President Zelensky to do the right cans: a rebuilt military: a completely re- demeanors, and no offenses whatsoever. You thing, do what he ran on.’’ formed VA with Choice and Accountability have cheapened the importance of the very The second claim, so-called ‘‘Obstruction for our great veterans; more than 170 new ugly word, impeachment! of Congress,’’ is preposterous and dangerous. federal judges and two Supreme Court Jus- By proceeding with your invalid impeach- House Democrats are trying to impeach the tices: historic tax and regulation cuts; the ment, you are violating your oaths of office, duly elected President of the United States elimination of the individual mandate; the you are breaking your allegiance to the Con- for asserting Constitutionally based privi- first decline in prescription drug prices in stitution, and you are declaring open war on leges that have been asserted on a bipartisan half a century; the first new branch of the American Democracy. You dare to invoke basis by administrations of both political United States Military since 1947, the Space the Founding Fathers in pursuit of this elec- parties throughout our Nation’s history. Force; strong protection of the Second tion-nullification scheme—yet your spiteful Under that standard, every American presi- Amendment; criminal justice reform; a de- actions display unfettered contempt for dent would have been impeached many times feated ISIS caliphate and the killing of the America’s founding and your egregious con- over. As liberal law professor Jonathan world’s number one terrorist leader, al- duct threatens to destroy that which our Turley warned when addressing Congres- Baghdadi; the replacement of the disastrous Founders pledged their very lives to build. sional Democrats: ‘‘I can’t emphasize this NAFTA trade deal with the wonderful Even worse than offending the Founding Fa- enough . . . if you impeach a president, if USMCA (Mexico and Canada); a break- thers, you are offending Americans of faith you make a high crime and misdemeanor out through Phase One trade deal with China; by continually saying ‘‘I pray for the Presi- of going to the courts, it is an abuse of massive new trade deals with Japan and dent,’’ when you know this statement is not power. It’s your abuse of power. You’re doing South Korea; withdrawal from the terrible true, unless it is meant in a negative sense. precisely what you’re criticizing the Presi- Iran Nuclear Deal; cancellation of the unfair It is a terrible thing you are doing, but you dent for doing.’’ and costly Paris Climate Accord; becoming will have to live with it, not I! Everyone, you included, knows what is the world’s top energy producer; recognition Your first claim, ‘‘Abuse of Power,’’ is a really happening. Your chosen candidate lost of Israel’s capital, opening the American completely disingenuous, meritless, and the election in 2016, in an Electoral College Embassy in Jerusalem, and recognizing baseless invention of your imagination. You landslide (306–227), and you and your party Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights; a know that I had a totally innocent conversa- have never recovered from this defeat. You colossal reduction in illegal border crossings, tion with the President of Ukraine. I then have developed a full-fledged case of what the ending of Catch-and-Release, and the had a second conversation that has been mis- many in the media call Trump Derangement building of the Southern Border Wall—and quoted, mischaracterized, and fraudulently Syndrome and sadly, you will never get over that is just the beginning, there is so much misrepresented. Fortunately, there was a it! You are unwilling and unable to accept more. You cannot defend your extreme poli- transcript of the conversation taken, and the verdict issued at the ballot box during cies—open borders, mass migration, high you know from the transcript (which was im- the great Election of 2016. So you have spent crime, crippling taxes, socialized healthcare, mediately made available) that the para- three straight years attempting to overturn destruction of American energy. late-term graph in question was perfect. I said to the will of the American people and nullify taxpayer-funded abortion, elimination of the President Zelensky: ‘‘I would like you to do their votes. You view democracy as your Second Amendment. radical far-left theories us a favor, though, because our country has enemy! of law and justice, and constant partisan ob- been through a lot and Ukraine knows a lot Speaker Pelosi, you admitted just last struction of both common sense and common about it.’’ I said do us a favor, not me, and week at a public forum that your party’s im- good. our country, not a campaign. I then men- peachment effort has been going on for ‘‘two There is nothing I would rather do than tioned the Attorney General of the United and a half years,’’ long before you ever heard stop referring to your party as the Do-Noth- States. Every time I talk with a foreign lead- about a phone call with Ukraine. Nineteen ing Democrats. Unfortunately, I don’t know er, I put America’s interests first, just as I minutes after I took the oath of office, the that you will ever give me a chance to do so. did with President Zelensky. Washington Post published a story head- After three years of unfair and unwar- You are turning a policy disagreement be- lined. ‘‘The Campaign to Impeach President ranted investigations, 45 million dollars tween two branches of government into an Trump Has Begun.’’ Less than three months spent, 18 angry Democrat prosecutors, the impeachable offense—it is no more legiti- after my inauguration, Representative Max- entire force of the FBI, headed by leadership mate than the Executive Branch charging ine Waters stated. ‘‘I’m going to fight every now proven to be totally incompetent and members of Congress with crimes for the day until he’s impeached.’’ House Democrats corrupt, you have found NOTHING! Few peo- lawful exercise of legislative power. introduced the first impeachment resolution ple in high position could have endured or You know full well that Vice President against me within months of my inaugura- passed this test. You do not know, nor do Biden used his office and $1 billion dollars of tion, for what will be regarded as one of our you care, the great damage and hurt you U.S. aid money to coerce Ukraine into firing country’s best decisions, the firing of James have inflicted upon wonderful and loving the prosecutor who was digging into the Corney (see Inspector General Reports)—who members of my family. You conducted a fake company paying his son millions of dollars. the world now knows is one of the dirtiest investigation upon the democratically elect- You know this because Biden bragged about cops our Nation has ever seen. A ranting and ed President of the United States, and you it on video. Biden openly stated: ‘‘I said, ‘I’m raving Congresswoman, Rashida Tlaib, de- are doing it yet again. telling you, you’re not getting the billion clared just hours after she was sworn into of- There are not many people who could have dollars’ . . . I looked at them and said: ‘I’m fice, ‘‘We’re gonna go in there and we’re taken the punishment inflicted during this leaving in six hours. If the prosecutor is not gonna impeach the motherf****r.’’ Rep- period of time, and yet done so much for the

VerDate Sep 11 2014 06:51 Dec 19, 2019 Jkt 099060 PO 00000 Frm 00090 Fmt 7634 Sfmt 9920 E:\CR\FM\A18DE7.100 H18DEPT1 SSpencer on DSKBBXCHB2PROD with HOUSE December 18, 2019 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — HOUSE H12203 success of America and its citizens. But in- fraudsters (they never thought that such evi- House Democrats are basing the entire im- stead of putting our country first, you have dence would be presented), the so-called peachment on hearsay testimonies grounded decided to disgrace our country still further. whistleblower, and the second whistleblower, on absolutely no evidence of a crime. You completely failed with the Mueller re- disappeared because they got caught, their However, last week we had a look at some port because there was nothing to find, so report was a fraud, and they were no longer you decided to take the next hoax that came going to be made available to us. In other real wrongdoing. We found out from the Jus- along, the phone call with Ukraine—even words, once the phone call was made public, tice Department’s Inspector General that the though it was a perfect call. And by the way, your whole plot blew up, but that didn’t stop investigation into whether President Trump when I speak to foreign countries, there are you from continuing. colluded with the Russians was based on many people, with permission, listening to More due process was afforded to those ac- fraudulent information filed with the secret the call on both sides of the conversation. cused in the Salem Witch Trials. court. The FBI was found to have withheld ex- You are the ones interfering in America’s You and others on your committees have elections. You are the ones subverting Amer- culpatory evidence and senior FBI leaders long said impeachment must be bipartisan— were found to have manipulated facts in order ica’s Democracy. You are the ones Obstruct- it is not. You said it was very divisive—it ing Justice. You are the ones bringing pain certainly is, even far more than you ever to support this false collusion narrative, justify and suffering to our Republic for your own thought possible—and it will only get worse! their investigation, and expand it. This hap- selfish personal, political, and partisan gain. This is nothing more than an illegal, par- pened on multiple occasions. Before the Impeachment Hoax, it was the tisan attempted coup that will, based on re- While the Mueller investigation found no col- Russian Witch Hunt. Against all evidence, cent sentiment, badly fail at the voting lusion, some Members of Congress, like and regardless of the truth, you and your booth. You are not just after me, as Presi- House Impeachment Leader ADAM SCHIFF, deputies claimed that my campaign colluded dent, you are after the entire Republican with the Russians—a grave, malicious, and knowingly promoted this falsehood and used Party. But because of this colossal injustice, similar tactics to engineer this impeachment slanderous lie, a falsehood like no other. You our party is more united than it has ever forced our Nation through turmoil and tor- been before. History will judge you harshly inquiry. This is unacceptable. ment over a wholly fabricated story, ille- as you proceed with this impeachment cha- For the above reason, I voted to censure gally purchased from a foreign spy by Hil- rade. Your legacy will be that of turning the Chairman ADAM SCHIFF and will vote against lary Clinton and the DNC in order to assault House of Representatives from a revered leg- these articles of impeachment. our democracy. Yet, when the monstrous lie islative body into a Star Chamber of par- We know this impeachment is a sham. They was debunked and this Democrat conspiracy tisan persecution. dissolved into dust, you did not apologize. know this impeachment is a sham. They know Perhaps most insulting of all is your false that we know it is a sham. You did not recant. You did not ask to be display of solemnity. You apparently have so forgiven. You showed no remorse, no capac- We all know this shameful impeachment little respect for the American People that began the moment the President was elected, ity for self-reflection. Instead, you pursued you expect them to believe that you are ap- your next libelous and vicious crusade—you proaching this impeachment somberly, re- long before he ever had a single telephone engineered an attempt to frame and defame servedly, and reluctantly. No intelligent per- call with any foreign government. We’ve heard an innocent person. All of this was moti- son believes what you are saying. Since the the numerous quotations by those on the vated by personal political calculation. Your moment I won the election, the Democrat other side that validate that fact. And, yet the Speakership and your party are held hostage Party has been possessed by Impeachment by your most deranged and radical rep- other side persists in attempting to over-turn Fever. There is no reticence. This is not a the results of the legitimate election of Presi- resentatives of the far left. Each one of your somber affair. You are making a mockery of members lives in fear of a socialist primary dent Donald J. Trump, because he dares to impeachment and you are scarcely con- drain a swamp to which they are beholden. challenger—this is what is driving impeach- cealing your hatred of me, of the Republican ment. Look at Congressman Nadler’s chal- Party, and tens of millions of patriotic When the President calls for an investiga- lenger. Look at yourself and others. Do not Americans. The voters are wise, and they are tion of corruption, the other side calls it take our country down with your party. seeing straight through this empty, hollow, ‘digging for dirt.’ When they dig for dirt, they If you truly cared about freedom and lib- and dangerous game you are playing. call it an ’investigation’. erty for our Nation, then you would be de- I have no doubt the American people will voting your vast investigative resources to This is a sad day for America. This im- hold you and the Democrats fully responsible exposing the full truth concerning the FBI’s peachment is the worst case of partisan poli- in the upcoming 2020 election. They will not horrifying abuses of power before, during, tics in the history of our Republic. soon forgive your perversion of justice and and after the 2016 election—including the use Mrs. DINGELL. Madam Speaker, no one abuse of power. of spies against my campaign, the submis- There is far too much that needs to be enters Congress hoping to impeach the presi- sion of false evidence to a FISA court, and done to improve the lives of our citizens. It dent. But when duty demands it, we have no the concealment of exculpatory evidence in is time for you and the highly partisan other choice. Our founders included in the order to frame the innocent. The FBI has Democrats in Congress to immediately cease Constitution a provision for impeachment, a great and honorable people, but the leader- this impeachment fantasy and get back to ship was inept and corrupt. I would think provision to be used only in the face of the work for the American People. While I have that you would personally be appalled by gravest threats to our democratic republic. no expectation that you will do so, I write these revelations, because in your press con- Deciding how to vote cannot be accurately this letter to you for the purpose of history ference the day you announced impeach- portrayed in tweets or sound bites, so I wel- and to put my thoughts on a permanent and ment, you tied the impeachment effort di- come the opportunity to explain my thoughts. indelible record. rectly to the completely discredited Russia One hundred years from now, when people Unlike many others in the Democratic Party, Hoax, declaring twice that ‘‘all roads lead to look back at this affair, I want them to un- I was, at first, hesitant about impeachment. As Putin,’’ when you know that is an abject lie. derstand it, and learn from it, so that it can one of the few who predicted that Donald I have been far tougher on Russia than Presi- never happen to another President again. Trump could win the election, I made clear dent Obama ever even thought to be. Any member of Congress who votes in sup- Sincerely yours, that I would work with him if he would help the ONALD J. TRUMP, port of impeachment—against every shred of D hard-working men and women of my district in truth, fact, evidence, and legal principle—is President of the United States of America. Michigan. showing how deeply they revile the voters Mr. POSEY. Madam Speaker, I rise to op- I worked with his team on lowering drug and how truly they detest America’s Con- pose the articles of impeachment that have prices, improving trade policies, addressing stitutional order. Our Founders feared the been produced by this flawed process, which the opioid crisis and updating major conserva- tribalization of partisan politics, and you are was based on hearsay and testimony largely tion efforts. We made progress in some areas. bringing their worst fears to life. Worse still, I have been deprived of basic collected from a closed-door, one-sided inves- I have also opposed many of this adminis- Constitutional Due Process from the begin- tigation. tration’s positions, including threatening to ning of this impeachment scam right up In fact, the only witness we heard from who take away protections for people living with until the present. I have been denied the had direct knowledge of the conversation in pre-existing medical conditions, withdrawing most fundamental rights afforded by the question, testified that President Trump did not from the Paris climate agreement, instituting a Constitution, including the right to present want a quid pro quo and confirmed that the travel ban affecting Muslim-majority countries evidence, to have my own counsel present, to aid to Ukraine was released without the and tearing families apart at the border. confront accusers. and to call and cross-ex- launching of any investigation that the Presi- These policies were wrong, but they were amine witnesses, like the so-called whistle- blower who started this entire hoax with a dent’s detractors say he was seeking. not impeachable offenses. Our democracy false report of the phone call that bears no The two articles of impeachment in the res- supports dissenting opinions, and I respect the relationship to the actual phone call that olution—abuse of power and obstruction of office of the presidency. was made. Once I presented the transcribed Congress—are broad and cite no specific Pressure began early this year for me to call call, which surprised and shocked the crimes that the President committed. The for impeachment. The billionaire Tom Steyer

VerDate Sep 11 2014 06:51 Dec 19, 2019 Jkt 099060 PO 00000 Frm 00091 Fmt 7634 Sfmt 9920 E:\CR\FM\A18DE7.100 H18DEPT1 SSpencer on DSKBBXCHB2PROD with HOUSE H12204 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — HOUSE December 18, 2019 ran advertisements in The Detroit News and Did President Trump’s actions rise to the To describe these counts as ‘‘weak’’ over- The Detroit Free Press and on news websites level of a threat to our democracy? Yes. Fu- states them. A partisan process, designed and social media calling for impeachment. ture generations and historians will judge us if from the beginning to achieve a desired result, People in my district had strong opinions ev- we did not address these dangers. I will cast brings to the Floor two counts that do not erywhere I went, from the grocery store and my vote to protect our Constitution, our demo- begin to meet the constitutional standard for farmers markets to church and my bagel cratic republic and the future of our country. impeachment, even if all of the facts alleged place. Mr. THORNBERRY. Madam Speaker, in are assumed true. It is a misuse—one might At the time, my constituents were focused 1998, I voted for three of the four counts of say ‘‘abuse’’—of the Constitution’s impeach- on the Mueller report into Russian interference impeachment brought against President Clin- ment power. in the 2016 election, which they hoped would ton. Those votes were some of the most dif- One final concern: the partisan process provide a case for impeachment. But it wasn’t ficult I have cast during my 25 years in Con- used in this case degrades established bound- clear. What the report did reveal—a finding gress. Impeachment is an extreme remedy, aries of political competition that have helped that was often overlooked in the focus on the which, in effect, alters a decision made by the this nation survive intense political differences Trump campaign’s contacts with Russians—is American people through an election. It was for over two hundred years. As a result, I fear that Moscow is trying to divide our country. clear, however, that President Clinton had lied that partisan impeachment efforts may well Then, in October, came reports that Mr. under oath in a judicial proceeding, a felony become just another tool in the political arse- Trump and his administration withheld con- crime for which other Americans are routinely nal, expected to be pursued by whichever gressionally approved military aid to Ukraine prosecuted and convicted. In my view, dis- party loses a presidential election. while asking for a foreign government to in- missing such a crime because the lies in- The damage done to our constitutional proc- vestigate one of his political rivals. An inspec- volved private rather than public actions or be- esses and to our institutions by this hyper-par- tor general appointed by Mr. Trump found that cause the perjurer was the President of the tisan, flawed process is greater than any al- there was a credible, urgent and potentially United States would have undermined the rule leged harm done by the President’s phone immediate threat to our national security. of law and presented a danger to our constitu- call. I hope and trust that the American people No matter the party affiliation of the person tional system of government. Therefore, I in their wisdom will see that appropriate occupying the White House or the party of the voted for three of the counts. boundaries and constitutional balance are re- majority in Congress, our founders built our The count of impeachment that I voted stored. Constitution on a system of three equal against in 1998 involved ‘‘abuse of power.’’ It Mr. GARAMENDI. Madam Speaker, im- branches of government, with very clear over- was essentially a repeat of the perjury recited peaching a President is one of the most sol- sight responsibilities delegated to the Con- in other counts and a failure to provide infor- emn and consequential decisions the United gress. The whistle-blower report required Con- mation to Congress. It was also one of two States Congress can make. It is not an action gress to investigate the facts and follow the counts that failed to receive a majority of the I or my fellow House colleagues take lightly. issue. votes on the Floor of the House. Impeachment exists to protect our democracy. In contrast to 1998, the votes I make today News outlets seem to assume that House As Alexander Hamilton wrote in the Federalist are not difficult at all. After three years of in- Democrats and Republicans have been as ob- Papers, the impeachment clause in the Con- vestigating this President, House Democrats sessed with impeachment as they are, and stitution exists to address ‘‘the misconduct of center their case for impeachment on one that every single Democrat had her mind public men,’’ which involves ‘‘the abuse or vio- phone call between President Trump and the made up from Day 1. But the truth is that lation of some public trust.’’ President of Ukraine, a transcript of which has many of us on both sides have remained fo- The investigations and hearings conducted been released. by the House Intelligence and Judiciary Com- cused on kitchen-table issues that matter to I believe that aspects of that phone call, mittees provide overwhelming evidence that everyone. particularly discussing an investigation of a po- President Trump abused his power and en- While the House Intelligence and Judiciary litical opponent, were inappropriate for a presi- dangered our national security when he co- Committees undertook the job of gathering the dent. I recognize that ignoring potentially cor- facts, House leaders and other committees rupt behavior because of political prominence erced Ukraine into investigating his likely rival worked to lower prescription drug prices, pro- could lead to another set of problems. None- in the 2020 election by withholding $391 mil- tect the environment, restore voting rights to theless, under the circumstances, I believe lion in critical military aid and a White House citizens and devise trade deals that level the that it would have been best if the President meeting from the Ukrainian government. With- playing field. had avoided such topics. holding this military assistance to Ukraine as it A vote as serious as impeaching the presi- Inappropriate does not mean impeachable. enters the fifth year of its deadly war against dent of the United States deserves thoughtful, The Constitution sets a high standard for im- Russia endangers Ukraine’s sovereignty and reflective and deliberate attention. Each day, peachable conduct: ‘‘Treason, Bribery, other safety as well as the United States’ national after attending my own committee hearings high Crimes and Misdemeanors.’’ (Article II, security interests. and markups, meetings and events with con- Section 4) A potentially inappropriate con- President Trump has also issued a blanket stituents, I would come home to start my own versation does not begin to approach that order prohibiting all executive office personnel studies on the impeachment inquiry. standard, as the counts brought before us from testifying in Congressional impeachment I read testimonies from firsthand witnesses, today demonstrate. hearings, responding to subpoenas and turn- parsed the majority and dissenting opinions Count one alleges ‘‘abuse of power,’’ the ing over documents. Therefore, he has ob- from the committees’ reports and listened to same phrase rejected by the House in the structed the legitimate and Constitutional obli- the voices on both sides. I spent weeks read- Clinton impeachment. The allegations relate to gation Congress has to conduct an impeach- ing the Constitution, constitutional scholars, the phone call, an investigation that was never ment inquiry when there is evidence of wrong- the Federalist Papers and papers from both conducted, and a temporary delay in military doing by the President. the Nixon and Clinton impeachment proc- aid being released. In spite of a last-minute at- No one is above the law. The President’s esses. tempt in the Judiciary Committee’s report to actions leave me no choice. President Trump By the end, I was convinced: The facts allege some form of bribery, the evidence and has violated his oath to ‘‘faithfully execute the showed that President Trump and his adminis- the law do not support the charge, and the Office of the President of the United States,’’ tration put politics over country by asking a Committee made no serious attempt to prove and to, ‘‘preserve, protect and defend the foreign government to investigate a political it. Instead, we are left with a nebulous, subjec- Constitution of the United States against all rival while withholding military aid that affects tive phrase that can be used to cover any po- enemies foreign and domestic.’’ Now I will up- our national security. litical or stylistic difference. hold my Oath of Office to preserve and protect Further evidence showed a clear obstruction Count two alleges ‘‘obstruction of Con- our Constitution and my promise to my con- of Congress. Blocking key witnesses from the gress.’’ I find it remarkable that an impeach- stituents to carefully analyze all issues before administration from testifying and even intimi- ment process which, in contrast to those prior, me. I will vote in favor of both articles of im- dating sitting witnesses sets a dangerous has been totally partisan with no attempt at a peachment against President Donald John precedent. jointly-decided bipartisan process, would at- Trump. If we don’t address this abuse of power, we tempt to impeach a president for resisting Ms. McCOLLUM. Madam Speaker, the arti- abdicate our constitutional and moral responsi- such partisanship. In addition, I believe that it cles of impeachment introduced in the U.S. bility. Failing to address it would also condone is a mistake to essentially criminalize the in- House of Representatives fulfill an obligation these actions as acceptable for future adminis- herent tensions between the legislative and incumbent upon every Member of Congress to trations. executive branches of government. defend the Constitution, protect our national

VerDate Sep 11 2014 06:51 Dec 19, 2019 Jkt 099060 PO 00000 Frm 00092 Fmt 7634 Sfmt 9920 E:\CR\FM\A18DE7.096 H18DEPT1 SSpencer on DSKBBXCHB2PROD with HOUSE December 18, 2019 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — HOUSE H12205 security, and ensure our democracy is not cor- eration of the facts established by the The SPEAKER pro tempore. All time rupted by a foreign power. For every Member House Permanent Select Committee on for general debate has expired. of Congress, holding the President of the Intelligence (HPSCI) and the House Pursuant to House Resolution 767, United States accountable to the Constitution Committee on the Judiciary, as well as the previous question is ordered on the and protecting our most fundamental demo- reflecting upon my constitutional re- resolution, as amended. cratic values is not a political decision based sponsibilities as a Member of Congress. The question of adoption of the reso- on loyalty or partisan affiliation. In fact, it is an I would note that the constitutional lution, as amended, shall be divided be- inherent duty upon which we have sworn a sa- remedy for high crimes and mis- tween the two articles. cred oath. demeanors—such as abuse of power—is The question is on the adoption of The sole person responsible for precipitating impeachment. Regrettably, the Presi- Article I. this impeachment process is President Donald dent’s severe misconduct with respect The question was taken; and the J. Trump. President Trump’s willful, flagrant, to Ukraine showed a complete dis- Speaker pro tempore announced that and corrupt misconduct is a betrayal of the regard for our constitution, our demo- the ayes appeared to have it. public trust. At this historic and sober moment, cratic system of government, and the Mr. NADLER. Madam Speaker, on the American people understand that as a na- security of our nation and our allies. that I demand the yeas and nays. tion of laws there can be no person, not even The President left the House with little The yeas and nays were ordered. the President of the United States, who is choice but to faithfully discharge its The vote was taken by electronic de- above the law. Let these articles of impeach- duty. ment also serve as a clear and unambiguous As the Chairman of the House Appro- vice, and there were—yeas 230, nays message to all future presidents: Congress, as priations Subcommittee on Defense, I 197, answered ‘‘present’’ 1, not voting 3, a co-equal branch of government, will never believe that it is unconscionable that as follows: tolerate or appease an abusive, corrupt execu- an American leader would use nearly [Roll No. 695] tive. $400 million in military aid appro- YEAS—230 With the power granted to the U.S. House priated by Congress—and signed into Adams Finkenauer McBath under Article I, Section 2 of the U.S. Constitu- law by the President himself—as lever- Aguilar Fletcher McCollum tion (‘The House of Representatives . . . shall age for personal gain. Allred Foster McEachin have the sole Power of Impeachment’), I in- Amash Frankel McGovern There are fundamental reasons why Axne Fudge McNerney tend to vote in favor of the resolution to im- U.S. law provided these desperately Barraga´ n Gallego Meeks peach President Donald J. Trump for high needed funds to Ukraine. I would em- Bass Garamendi Meng ´ crimes and misdemeanors. phasize that, in 2014, Russia invaded Beatty Garcıa (IL) Moore Mr. BRENDAN F. BOYLE of Pennsylvania. Bera Garcia (TX) Morelle Ukraine and illegally annexed the Beyer Golden Moulton Madam Speaker, this is the fourth impeach- Ukrainian territory of Crimea while Bishop (GA) Gomez Mucarsel-Powell ment proceeding against a president of the Russian-backed separatist forces seized Blumenauer Gonzalez (TX) Murphy (FL) Blunt Rochester Gottheimer Nadler United States, and the most serious. control of key cities in eastern President Trump committed numerous Bonamici Green, Al (TX) Napolitano Ukraine. The fighting in eastern Boyle, Brendan Grijalva Neal crimes. He conditioned two official acts, hun- Ukraine continues to this day and has F. Haaland Neguse dreds of millions of dollars in military aid and Brindisi Harder (CA) Norcross killed more than 13,000 Ukrainians an Oval Office meeting, on getting help for his Brown (MD) Hastings O’Halleran while forcibly displacing more than campaign in return. When his scheme was Brownley (CA) Hayes Ocasio-Cortez two million individuals. Bustos Heck Omar publicly exposed, he did everything possible to Additionally, the impeachment re- Butterfield Higgins (NY) Pallone obstruct the investigation. ports issued by the HPSCI and the Carbajal Himes Panetta Congress voted to grant hundreds of mil- Ca´ rdenas Horn, Kendra S. Pappas House Committee on the Judiciary lions of dollars in military aid to our ally Carson (IN) Horsford Pascrell present an irrefutable case that the Cartwright Houlahan Payne Ukraine because it is both morally right and in President’s behavior constituted an on- Case Hoyer Pelosi our national interest to stand with them in their Casten (IL) Huffman Perlmutter fight to preserve their independence against going threat to a free and fair Presi- Castor (FL) Jackson Lee Peters Russian aggression. I was one of the mem- dential election in 2020. Castro (TX) Jayapal Phillips Further, I believe that the Presi- Chu, Judy Jeffries Pingree bers of Congress who advocated and voted dent’s refusal to comply with the im- Cicilline Johnson (GA) Pocan for this military aid. It was never intended to Cisneros Johnson (TX) Porter peachment inquiry is representative of become a bargaining chip for the President to Clark (MA) Kaptur Pressley Clarke (NY) Keating Price (NC) use to get foreign help for his re-election cam- his broader contempt for Congress and its constitutional role as a separate Clay Kelly (IL) Quigley paign. Cleaver Kennedy Raskin The factual evidence is clear and con- and coequal branch of government. Clyburn Khanna Rice (NY) vincing. It was reinforced by the testimonies of Congress must continue to work dili- Cohen Kildee Richmond gently to protect and fully exert its Connolly Kilmer Rose (NY) every single fact witness, all of whom are ca- Cooper Kim Rouda reer, nonpartisan public servants or Trump ap- complete range of constitutional pre- Correa Kind Roybal-Allard pointees. rogatives and maintain the balance of Costa Kirkpatrick Ruiz So, the matter before us, ultimately, is not a power that has existed for 231 years. Courtney Krishnamoorthi Ruppersberger Finally, I would highlight that the Cox (CA) Kuster (NH) Rush question of fact, for the evidence is undis- Craig Lamb Ryan puted. Nor is it a question of law, as the Con- administration’s complete repudiation Crist Langevin Sa´ nchez stitution is clear. The heart of the matter is of constitutionally-proscribed legisla- Crow Larsen (WA) Sarbanes this: will Members of this House have the tive authorities stands in stark con- Cuellar Larson (CT) Scanlon trast to the courage and patriotism Cunningham Lawrence Schakowsky courage to choose fidelity to the Constitution Davids (KS) Lawson (FL) Schiff over loyalty to political party? demonstrated by the whistleblower Davis (CA) Lee (CA) Schneider The Constitution has endured for more than who filed a formal complaint with the Davis, Danny K. Lee (NV) Schrader Intelligence Community’s Inspector Dean Levin (CA) Schrier two centuries, not just because of the bril- DeFazio Levin (MI) Scott (VA) liance of our founders, but because of the General, as well as the public servants DeGette Lewis Scott, David commitment of generations of Americans to who testified before the House. These DeLauro Lieu, Ted Sewell (AL) uphold it. For the sake of our Constitution, and individuals deserve our utmost respect DelBene Lipinski Shalala and gratitude. Delgado Loebsack Sherman the sake of our country, for Americans today Demings Lofgren Sherrill and tomorrow, I urge all Members to have the As the Senate moves forward with a DeSaulnier Lowenthal Sires courage to vote yes. trial to determine whether to convict Deutch Lowey Slotkin Mr. VISCLOSKY. I rise today in sup- the President of impeachable offenses, Dingell Luja´ n Smith (WA) Doggett Luria Soto port of two articles of impeachment— be assured that I will continue to work Doyle, Michael Lynch Spanberger one regarding abuse of power and one hard to address the pressing needs of F. Malinowski Speier regarding obstruction of Congress— our nation’s citizens, from creating Engel Maloney, Stanton more opportunities for good-paying Escobar Carolyn B. Stevens against President Trump. Eshoo Maloney, Sean Suozzi I decided to support the President’s jobs to decreasing the cost of prescrip- Espaillat Matsui Swalwell (CA) impeachment after a judicious consid- tion drugs. Evans McAdams Takano

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Thompson (CA) Trone Waters RECORDED VOTE Balderson Griffith Pence Thompson (MS) Underwood Watson Coleman Banks Grothman Perry Titus Vargas Welch Mr. NADLER. Madam Speaker, I de- Barr Guest Peterson Tlaib Veasey Wexton mand a recorded vote. Bergman Guthrie Posey Tonko Vela Wild A recorded vote was ordered. Biggs Hagedorn Ratcliffe ´ Torres (CA) Velazquez Wilson (FL) The SPEAKER. This is a 5-minute Bilirakis Harris Reed Torres Small Visclosky Yarmuth Bishop (NC) Hartzler Reschenthaler (NM) Wasserman vote. Bishop (UT) Hern, Kevin Rice (SC) Trahan Schultz The vote was taken by electronic de- Bost Herrera Beutler Riggleman Brady Hice (GA) Roby NAYS—197 vice, and there were—ayes 229, noes 198, Brooks (AL) Higgins (LA) Rodgers (WA) Abraham Granger Palazzo answered ‘‘present’’ 1, not voting 3, as Brooks (IN) Hill (AR) Roe, David P. Aderholt Graves (GA) Palmer follows: Buchanan Holding Rogers (AL) Buck Hollingsworth Rogers (KY) Allen Graves (LA) Pence [Roll No. 696] Amodei Graves (MO) Perry Bucshon Hudson Rooney (FL) Armstrong Green (TN) Peterson AYES—229 Budd Huizenga Rose, John W. Burchett Hurd (TX) Rouzer Arrington Griffith Posey Adams Garcia (TX) O’Halleran Burgess Johnson (LA) Roy Babin Grothman Ratcliffe Aguilar Gomez Ocasio-Cortez Byrne Johnson (OH) Rutherford Bacon Guest Reed Allred Gonzalez (TX) Omar Calvert Johnson (SD) Scalise Baird Guthrie Reschenthaler Amash Gottheimer Pallone Carter (GA) Jordan Schweikert Balderson Hagedorn Rice (SC) Axne Green, Al (TX) Panetta Carter (TX) Joyce (OH) Scott, Austin Banks Harris Riggleman Barraga´ n Grijalva Pappas Chabot Joyce (PA) Sensenbrenner Barr Hartzler Roby Bass Haaland Pascrell Cheney Katko Simpson Bergman Hern, Kevin Rodgers (WA) Beatty Harder (CA) Payne Cline Keller Smith (MO) Biggs Herrera Beutler Roe, David P. Bera Hastings Pelosi Cloud Kelly (MS) Smith (NE) Bilirakis Hice (GA) Rogers (AL) Beyer Hayes Perlmutter Cole Kelly (PA) Smith (NJ) Bishop (NC) Higgins (LA) Rogers (KY) Bishop (GA) Heck Peters Collins (GA) King (IA) Smucker Bishop (UT) Hill (AR) Rooney (FL) Blumenauer Higgins (NY) Phillips Comer King (NY) Spano Bost Holding Rose, John W. Blunt Rochester Himes Pingree Conaway Kinzinger Stauber Brady Hollingsworth Rouzer Bonamici Horn, Kendra S. Pocan Cook Kustoff (TN) Stefanik Brooks (AL) Hudson Roy Boyle, Brendan Horsford Porter Crawford LaHood Steil Brooks (IN) Huizenga Rutherford F. Houlahan Pressley Crenshaw LaMalfa Steube Buchanan Hurd (TX) Scalise Brindisi Hoyer Price (NC) Curtis Lamborn Stewart Buck Johnson (LA) Schweikert Brown (MD) Huffman Quigley Davidson (OH) Latta Stivers Bucshon Johnson (OH) Scott, Austin Brownley (CA) Jackson Lee Raskin Davis, Rodney Lesko Taylor Budd Johnson (SD) Bustos Jayapal Rice (NY) Sensenbrenner DesJarlais Long Thompson (PA) Burchett Jordan Butterfield Jeffries Richmond Simpson Diaz-Balart Loudermilk Thornberry Burgess Joyce (OH) Carbajal Johnson (GA) Rose (NY) Smith (MO) Duncan Lucas Timmons Byrne Joyce (PA) Ca´ rdenas Johnson (TX) Rouda Smith (NE) Dunn Luetkemeyer Tipton Calvert Katko Carson (IN) Kaptur Roybal-Allard Smith (NJ) Emmer Marchant Turner Carter (GA) Keller Cartwright Keating Ruiz Smucker Estes Marshall Upton Carter (TX) Kelly (MS) Case Kelly (IL) Ruppersberger Spano Ferguson Massie Van Drew Chabot Kelly (PA) Casten (IL) Kennedy Rush Stauber Fitzpatrick Mast Wagner Cheney King (IA) Castor (FL) Khanna Ryan Stefanik Fleischmann McCarthy Walberg Cline King (NY) Castro (TX) Kildee Sa´ nchez Steil Flores McCaul Walden Cloud Kinzinger Chu, Judy Kilmer Sarbanes Steube Fortenberry McClintock Walker Cole Kustoff (TN) Cicilline Kim Scanlon Stewart Foxx (NC) McHenry Walorski Collins (GA) LaHood Cisneros Kind Schakowsky Stivers Fulcher McKinley Waltz Comer LaMalfa Clark (MA) Kirkpatrick Schiff Taylor Gaetz Meadows Watkins Conaway Lamborn Clarke (NY) Krishnamoorthi Schneider Thompson (PA) Gallagher Meuser Weber (TX) Cook Latta Clay Kuster (NH) Schrader Thornberry Gianforte Miller Webster (FL) Crawford Lesko Cleaver Lamb Schrier Timmons Gibbs Mitchell Wenstrup Crenshaw Long Clyburn Langevin Scott (VA) Tipton Gohmert Moolenaar Westerman Curtis Loudermilk Cohen Larsen (WA) Scott, David Turner Golden Mooney (WV) Williams Davidson (OH) Lucas Connolly Larson (CT) Sewell (AL) Upton Gonzalez (OH) Mullin Wilson (SC) Davis, Rodney Luetkemeyer Cooper Lawrence Shalala Van Drew Gooden Murphy (NC) Wittman DesJarlais Marchant Correa Lawson (FL) Sherman Wagner Gosar Newhouse Womack Diaz-Balart Marshall Costa Lee (CA) Sherrill Walberg Granger Norman Woodall Duncan Massie Courtney Lee (NV) Sires Walden Graves (GA) Nunes Wright Dunn Mast Cox (CA) Levin (CA) Slotkin Walker Graves (LA) Olson Yoho Emmer McCarthy Craig Levin (MI) Smith (WA) Walorski Graves (MO) Palazzo Young Estes McCaul Crist Lewis Soto Waltz Green (TN) Palmer Zeldin Ferguson McClintock Crow Lieu, Ted Spanberger Watkins Fitzpatrick McHenry Cuellar Lipinski Speier Weber (TX) ANSWERED ‘‘PRESENT’’—1 Fleischmann McKinley Cunningham Loebsack Stanton Webster (FL) Flores Meadows Davids (KS) Lofgren Stevens Gabbard Wenstrup Fortenberry Meuser Davis (CA) Lowenthal Suozzi Westerman NOT VOTING—3 Foxx (NC) Miller Davis, Danny K. Lowey Swalwell (CA) Williams Fulcher Mitchell Dean Luja´ n Takano Hunter Serrano Shimkus Wilson (SC) Gaetz Moolenaar DeFazio Luria Thompson (CA) Wittman Gallagher Mooney (WV) DeGette Lynch Thompson (MS) Womack Gianforte Mullin DeLauro Malinowski Titus b 2050 Gibbs Murphy (NC) Woodall DelBene Maloney, Tlaib So Article II was agreed to. Gohmert Newhouse Wright Delgado Carolyn B. Tonko Gonzalez (OH) Norman Yoho Demings Maloney, Sean Torres (CA) The result of the vote was announced Gooden Nunes Young DeSaulnier Matsui Torres Small as above recorded. Gosar Olson Zeldin Deutch McAdams (NM) A motion to reconsider Article I was ANSWERED ‘‘PRESENT’’—1 Dingell McBath Trahan laid on the table. Doggett McCollum Trone Gabbard Doyle, Michael McEachin Underwood A motion to reconsider Article II was F. McGovern Vargas laid on the table. NOT VOTING—3 Engel McNerney Veasey Hunter Serrano Shimkus Escobar Meeks Vela f Eshoo Meng Vela´ zquez Espaillat Moore Visclosky b 2032 Evans Morelle Wasserman ENROLLED BILL SIGNED Finkenauer Moulton Schultz Mr. CLOUD changed his vote from Fletcher Mucarsel-Powell Waters Cheryl L. Johnson, Clerk of the ‘‘yea’’ to ‘‘nay.’’ Foster Murphy (FL) Watson Coleman House, reported and found truly en- So Article I was agreed to. Frankel Nadler Welch rolled a bill of the House of the fol- The result of the vote was announced Fudge Napolitano Wexton Gallego Neal Wild lowing title, which was thereupon as above recorded. Garamendi Neguse Wilson (FL) signed by the Speaker on Tuesday, De- The SPEAKER. The question is on Garcı´a (IL) Norcross Yarmuth cember 17, 2019: the adoption of Article II. NOES—198 H.R. 5363. An act to reauthorize mandatory The question was taken; and the Abraham Amodei Babin funding programs for historically Black col- Speaker announced that the ayes ap- Aderholt Armstrong Bacon leges and universities and other minority- peared to have it. Allen Arrington Baird serving institutions, and for other purposes.

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