[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 164 (Thursday, October 12, 2017)]
[House]
[Page H7983]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        ARTICLES OF IMPEACHMENT

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Texas (Mr. Al Green) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. AL GREEN of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I rise today as a proud Member of 
this House. I am always so honored to know that I have the preeminent 
privilege of standing in the well of the Congress of the United States 
of America. There are only 435 people who are elected as Members from 
the various States who have voting rights in Congress on legislation, 
who have this privilege, so it is an honor for me to do it. I want 
people to know that when I stand here, my words are sincere and my 
efforts are those that I believe can make a difference in the lives of 
all Americans.
  Mr. Speaker, yesterday, I called to the attention of the House of 
Representatives Articles of Impeachment, and I called these Articles of 
Impeachment to the attention of the House because it is a part of a 
process. It can be a three-step process, which has been used on 
multiple occasions in the past, a three-step process that allows the 
Member to give notice. After the Member gives notice, the Member does 
not have to allow a vote to take place immediately.
  The Member can decide that, rather than have the vote take place 
within 2 days, the Member can give notice a second time and then allow 
that process to move forward, and the Speaker can then set a time for 
the Member to give a final notice, or present the actual Articles of 
Impeachment.
  I have chosen to use the three-step process: initial notice; 
thereafter to come back before this House, which every Member has the 
privilege of doing and which has been done before, and again notice the 
House; and, thereafter, have the articles considered with a final 
reading.
  Mr. Speaker, I don't think it is any secret that I have indicated 
that the President should be impeached. It is no secret. I don't think 
it is any secret that I have indicated that there will be a vote in 
Congress on Articles of Impeachment.
  If perchance I have been misunderstood, allow me to make it 
perspicuously clear today: there will be a vote. There is a three-step 
process that we are pursuing. That process will continue when we 
return. And when we return, I assure everyone there will be a vote.
  There has been some confusion. My suspicion is because where there 
are few facts, there is much speculation, so there has been some 
confusion about why we didn't go forward yesterday.
  So now allow me to make it abundantly clear: no person, no living, 
breathing child of God influenced my decision to move forward as I 
have.
  Others can give their opinions. No one did. I did not receive an 
opinion indicating that I should not go forward as I did.
  I have made my decision. This is where I stand. If I stand alone, Mr. 
Speaker, I have no fear of standing alone.
  If Rosa Parks could sit alone in a racist Southern town to deal with 
injustice and bring about some form of justice, surely I can stand 
alone in the well of the Congress and stand alone on where I stand with 
impeachment.
  If Dr. King could go to jail and write one of the greatest essays on 
human rights I have ever read, surely I can stand in the well of the 
Congress--if he could go to jail--and I can extoll and expand upon why 
I believe we have to move forward with impeachment.
  Finally, this: those of you who bothered to read the Articles of 
Impeachment, and I beg that you would, because that is why this time is 
being made available, so that everyone can read it and understand why 
we are going forward, and those of who you will read them will find 
that I don't approve of anyone calling mothers dogs. I don't approve of 
it. I don't approve of it. I don't care who you are. When you say 
``SOB,'' you are saying that somebody's mother is a dog. I don't 
approve of that.
  By the way, that is not widely published that that is in the Articles 
of Impeachment, but it is there. It is there for all to see.
  So for those who believe that motherhood is sacred, for those who 
believe that a President of the United States ought not say ``SOB,'' 
and you know what it means--I never use the B word. I never use 
profanity. But I want you to know this: I am going to move forward with 
those Articles of Impeachment, and motherhood is sacred.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Members are reminded to refrain from 
engaging in personalities toward the President.

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