Patty Murray: “Mr. Chief Justice, this past year certainly has been a difficult time for America. I have to say, as a citizen, as a…”

“Mr. Chief Justice, this past year certainly has been a difficult time for America. I have to say, as a citizen, as a woman, and as a parent, I cannot begin to describe how deeply disappointed and angry I am with the President. I came to Washington, D.C. in 1992. Over the last 6 years I have worked with Bill Clinton. I trusted him. I thought I knew him. I refused to believe he would demean the presidency in the way that he has. His behavior was appalling and has hurt us all. But as a Senator, I have an obligation under the Constitution that transcends any sense of personal betrayal I might have. I am sworn to render my judgment based on the evidence presented and the larger question of what the framers of the Constitution meant when they wrote the impeachment clause. I have listened carefully throughout this debate. I have read and listened to every available article and argument. Like all of you, I have spent more hours on this case that I ever wanted to and have felt the tremendous weight of this decision. I believe that perjury and obstruction of justice can be considered high crimes. The question is whether the facts in this case support the allegations that the President committed these crimes. The Republican House managers presented a theory. But after listening carefully to both sides and, most importantly, reviewing the words of the witnesses themselves, they did not prove their theory of perjury and obstruction of justice beyond a reasonable doubt to me.”