On the recordFebruary 4, 2020
this morning, I let Minnesotans know that I will vote to remove President Donald Trump from office. I rise today because, on this historic vote, I want Minnesotans to understand why and where I think we go from here. I was reluctant to go down the path of impeachment. While I strongly disagree with the President on many issues, I see impeachment as a last resort, and I feared that leaping to impeachment would only serve to drive us even further into our political corners. This changed when I read the whistleblower report, which alleged nothing less than the President's corrupt abuse of power, an abuse that had the potential to undermine our election in 2020. For me, this left no choice but for the House to fully investigate these allegations. When the House sent the two Articles of Impeachment to the Senate, it became my job to ``do impartial justice according to the Constitution and the laws,'' and I take that oath as seriously as anything I have ever done. This impeachment trial has been about whether the President's corrupt abuse of power--power that he used for his own personal, political benefit while betraying the public trust--is a high crime and misdemeanor as defined by the Founders of our Constitution. I believe that it is, and I also believe that to condone corrupt behavior such as this undermines the core values we stand for as a nation that no one is above the law, including and most especially the President.…
