[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 129 (Thursday, September 24, 1998)]
[House]
[Pages H8535-H8536]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




OPPOSING ANY DEAL TO SHORT-CIRCUIT THE CONSTITUTIONAL PROCESS REGARDING 
                             THE PRESIDENT

  (Mr. DeLAY asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. DeLAY. Mr. Speaker, let us dispense with the notion that Congress 
can punish the President, punish either by a so-called censure, a fine, 
or any other punishment. Such a deal is unconstitutional, and anyone 
who believes in that kind of deal believes not in the rule of law but 
the rule of man, and needs to read the Constitution.
  Impeachment is a process of deciding whether a President is fit for 
office.

[[Page H8536]]

 The Founding Fathers did not give Congress the authority to punish the 
President. That is for the judicial system to decide. The question 
before the House is, is this President fit for office? Has he 
disqualified himself to continue to lead this Nation?
  The decision for the House is whether to impeach or not to impeach. 
The decision for the Senate is to remove from office or not to remove. 
Any action to punish this President, any deal cut that short-circuits 
the constitutional process, is unconstitutional, and I will fight for 
the Constitution.
  Mr. Speaker, this is not the time to abandon our Constitution. I urge 
my colleagues to read the Constitution, to support the process, and 
resist the temptation to cut a deal with the President.

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