McCollum Vote to Table H.Res.537 Impeachment Resolution
Mr. Speaker, impeachment is the most consequential tool Congress has for upholding our duty to defend the Constitution and protect the American people from a president who has betrayed his oath and engaged in illegal conduct.
Bringing an impeachment resolution to the floor in the manner it was done by Congressman Green undermines the ability of Congress to make the serious and very real case for impeachment against this or any future president. Impeachment necessitates a deliberate process of investigation and thorough documentation of crimes committed against the American people.
President Trump was impeached twice during his first term because he proved himself to be unfit to serve in office, and I voted to impeach him both times. Before bringing those resolutions to the floor, the Democratic Majority in the House committed ourselves to building the case, as a prosecutor does for a trial. We conducted a formal inquiry during the first impeachment, where we subpoenaed witnesses and held public hearings. We produced the evidence to demonstrate that the President had abused his power and obstructed Congress.
When President Trump was impeached a second time for inciting an insurrection, the Democratic conference worked together to draft a factual and thoughtful impeachment resolution to reflect what Members of Congress and our entire nation witnessed on January 6, 2021. When the resolution was brought to the floor a week later, almost every House Democrat was a cosponsor. I presided over that vote in the House of Representatives, with full confidence in the case we were presenting to the American people.
By contrast, the impeachment resolution that I voted to table on June 25th was drafted in isolation by one member, and Representative Green introduced it a mere two hours before he came to the floor to push it to a vote. It was rushed to the floor with no coordination with the larger body of us who are working to hold President Trump accountable. It was not a serious attempt to gather the evidence and convince the American people of the grave nature of the President’s violations of the law and the Constitution.
Currently, the House of Representatives is controlled by the President’s party, and it is clear that their majority is unwilling to take even the most basic step to hold President Trump accountable for his illegal and unconstitutional actions. To be clear, the House of Representatives has a duty under the Constitution to hold a president accountable for illegal conduct. This obligation begins with an open, transparent process of Congressional hearings, investigations, and subpoenas. The Republican majority controlling this Congress will not allow that work to move forward, but a premature and poorly reasoned resolution like this hurts our ability to progress on the path to accountability for President Trump.
My constituents can count on me to hold Mr. Trump accountable in a manner that is fully transparent and clearly documents his malfeasance as the President of the United States.
Thank you, and I yield back.