Vicente Gonzalez: “I rise on a sad day for America, a sad day for Texas, and a very sad day for the people I represent. I am not gleeful…”

“I rise on a sad day for America, a sad day for Texas, and a very sad day for the people I represent. I am not gleeful for today. I came to Congress to lower the costs of prescription drugs, fight for a debt-free education, and improve the care of special-needs children, our seniors, and our veterans. I did not come to Congress to impeach a sitting President, but we have been given no choice. He has eroded the foundations of our democracy and used the office of the Presidency for personal and political gain. Our Founding Fathers feared that one day the power of the Presidency would stretch beyond its limits; thus, they enshrined in the Constitution a system of checks and balances. We cannot and will not lower the ethical standards of our Presidency. We cannot afford to wither like a cheap flower in bad weather, watching our democracy crumble and rot from within. That is not the America the world knows and loves, and it is certainly not the America we would be proud to have our future generations inherit. And that is why, today, I must vote to impeach the President of the United States and fulfill my oath to the Constitution.”