Patsy T. Mink: “I ask each of you here to understand that the seat of which you occupy in this august Chamber has a constitutional limit…”

“I ask each of you here to understand that the seat of which you occupy in this august Chamber has a constitutional limit which expires on January 3. What right have we to extend this investigation beyond our term of office? There must be a limit. This investigation must end by the end of the year. We also ask you to follow those points that have been raised by the Ken Starr report, extended no further, limited to that. We also say that under the Constitution, we have to know what the rules are, exactly what is the standard of conduct which is impeachable. The Constitution says impeachable requires a definition of high crimes and misdemeanors and talks about treason and bribery. The Judiciary Committee has not had 1 day of hearings to help this country or this Congress to understand what constitutes an impeachable offense, so how can we vote today on an inquiry which has no standards, no rules of conduct, no time limit? The President's shameful conduct has brought humiliation to the Presidency, to his family, and to this nation.”