Lynn C. Woolsey: “this past Sunday, while attending church in my hometown of Petaluma, California, I was struck by how utterly sad I am.…”

“this past Sunday, while attending church in my hometown of Petaluma, California, I was struck by how utterly sad I am. Sad about the President's behavior, sad about the Committee on the Judiciary's unfair decision to not allow censure as an alternative, and the impact all of this will have on our Nation. Today, my heart is even heavier, because we are conducting this debate while our troops are in harm's way. My heart aches for the division separating us in this House, the distraction from the work of government that we were elected to do, the threat of this unfair process on our democratic system, and I am heartsick about the shame and waste of this impeachment process. Shamed because the President's conduct, while reprehensible, does not fit the definition under the Constitution. Waste, because while we carry on, we are not working for the important business of our Nation, and we ignore our young men and women fighting abroad. With these thoughts in mind and these feelings, I would like to share with my colleagues the prayer that I prayed Sunday in my church: Please, Lord, give wisdom, strength, and compassion to every Member of the House so that we do not turn against our country and our need to punish one man. Please help every Member of this House see that the real mistake would be to push forward without the alternative of censure to punish our Nation for one man's personal weakness.”