Frank Riggs: “this is a historic moment. Only twice before in the history of our great Republic have we stood at the brink of such…”

“this is a historic moment. Only twice before in the history of our great Republic have we stood at the brink of such dramatic action concerning a sitting President. The burden upon us as Members of this House is great, and one that I do not take lightly. I know a majority of our colleagues feel the same way. The eyes of the nation are on us as we perform this duty with the best interests of our democracy at heart. I rise today to urge bipartisan support of an impeachment inquiry into the very serious allegation of felony criminal conduct by the President of the United States. Our oath of office requires no less. It has become clear over the last several months that the President lied under oath in the Paula Jones case, lied under oath to the grand jury, and after taking an oath to the nation--an oath in which he swore to uphold the Constitution and faithfully execute the law--he lied to the American people. Our American government--our systems of laws--is based on truth. We all rely on our leaders to respect and uphold that system. The President of the United States is the chief law enforcement officer in our country, and when the chief law enforcement officer shows utter disregard for the truth and such little respect for the judicial process, it is no less than an assault on the rule of law. Congress cannot stand idly by. We have a prescribed Constitutional duty, as the people's representatives.…”