Chris Pappas: “I stand in support of the four articles of impeachment. Mr. Speaker, over the past few months I have paid careful…”

“I stand in support of the four articles of impeachment. Mr. Speaker, over the past few months I have paid careful attention to the testimony, statements and reports regarding the charges against the President of the United States. After reviewing all of the information available, I have come to the conclusion that in fact the President did commit perjury by lying under oath and he did obstruct justice and abuse his power by allowing White House officials to perpetuate his inaccurate statements to them. This by no means was an easy decision for me. It is a decision based on principle and facts and not on poll numbers. It troubles me that the Congress is forced to deal with these issues instead of working on issues that would improve the quality of life for the people of my district in Central New Jersey and of our nation. This issue has had quite a stir in my district and I am sure almost every other district around the nation. It would be easy to poll the issue and vote the 'politically popular' way, but I was elected to cast votes based on principle and upholding the Constitution. I will do just that today. Some have said that those who cast votes in favor of impeachment may pay a political price in the future. While that may in fact be true, our nation, our Constitution and the rule of law will pay an even greater and lasting price if we do not do the right thing.”