Political Quotes

“Mr. President, one of the most solemn obligations of Senators is try impeachments. The Constitution provides that the Senate shall have the ``sole power to try all impeachments,'' and that ``all civil officers of the United States shall be removed from office on impeachment'' for various offenses. Senators also take a special oath when hearing an impeachment case before the Senate holds an impeachment trial. I recently heard evidence in the case of Judge Porteous, who would have lifetime tenure under the Constitution unless he resigns or is removed by the Senate. The House of Representatives impeached Judge Porteous on four different articles. After deliberation, I voted to convict Judge Porteous of three of the four articles, but voted against conviction on one of the articles. I rise to explain my not guilty vote on one of the articles. Article I stated that Judge Porteous engaged in a pattern of conduct that is incompatible with the trust and confidence placed in him as a Federal judge. The Senate voted that Judge Porteous was guilty on this count by a unanimous vote of 96 to 0. Article IV stated that Judge Porteous knowingly made material false statements about his past both to the U.S. Senate and to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, in order to obtain the office of U.S. district court judge. The Senate voted to convict Judge Porteous on this count by a vote of 90 to 6. I voted against article IV because, in my view, it was duplicative of article I.…”