Zoe Lofgren: “the Republican Party in this House has made a tragic decision for the Nation and a decision that will permanently damage…”

“the Republican Party in this House has made a tragic decision for the Nation and a decision that will permanently damage our constitutional democracy. The President of the United States had a sexual affair. That was wrong. Then, like many others who misbehave sexually, he tried to hide the affair. That was wrong too. But then the greater wrong occurred. The majority decided to give into the worst within themselves, their abiding hatred of this President. The majority has decided to discard our history, to damage our Constitution and to threaten our future to get the President, all the while pompously pronouncing they are doing the opposite. When the Founders wrote our Constitution, they provided for the rare remedy of impeachment that the Legislative Branch could utilize if the elected President should engage in conduct that would threaten our constitutional government. Only once in our 211 years has Congress voted to impeach a president, and, in that era of 1868, it was also radical Republicans who misused the tool of impeachment. Much of the country is watching what we do here with anger, sorrow, fear and disbelief. I share with my constituents the feeling of unreality about these proceedings.”