On the recordOctober 22, 2019
We are here tonight to draw attention to the Democrats' unprecedented and dangerous impeachment exercise. It is unprecedented because this has simply never happened before. In our nearly two-and-a-half centuries as a nation, there have only been three instances of impeachment proceedings against a President. In all three cases, the impeachment inquiry was first properly authorized by a full vote of this House. Of course, today's sham was initiated unilaterally via a press conference. We haven't had a vote. They won't give us one. There is no due process for the accused, but, instead, there is a secret, partisan process somewhere behind closed doors. There is no respect or recognition for the rights of the duly elected Members of this House, even those of us on the committees of jurisdiction, like my House Judiciary Committee. It is unprecedented and it is also dangerous. And this is the biggest point: Corrupting and weaponizing impeachment to generate a predetermined political outcome is simply not right or fair, and it jeopardizes this entire institution. Do you know why? Because, if the American people are not able to trust the final results of the impeachment process on a matter this serious and this important, millions of citizens lose faith in the institution and lose faith in our Republic. This is a sham, and it needs to stop. ____________________
