Amy Klobuchar: “today is a somber day for our country. As Senators, we are here as representatives of the American people. It is our…”

“today is a somber day for our country. As Senators, we are here as representatives of the American people. It is our duty, as we each swore to do when we took our oath of office, to support and defend the Constitution. We also took an oath, as judges and jurors in this proceeding, to pursue ``impartial justice'' as we consider these articles--including the serious charge that the President of the United States leveraged the power of his office for his own personal gain. Those are the oaths that the Framers set out for us in the Constitution, to guide the Senate in its oversight responsibilities. The Framers believed that the legislative branch was best positioned to provide a check on the Executive. They envisioned that the separation of powers would allow each branch of government to oversee the other. They also knew, based on their experience living under the British monarchy, that someday a President might corrupt the powers of the office.…”