[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 120 (Wednesday, July 17, 2019)]
[House]
[Page H5915]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         ADVANCE TO IMPEACHMENT

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Texas (Mr. Green) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. GREEN of Texas. Mr. Speaker, and still I rise, a proud American. 
But I am especially proud, Mr. Speaker, of this House of 
Representatives because, yesterday, this House engaged in the first 
part of a bipartisan--bipartisan--effort.
  It was bipartisan yesterday, but it is a bifurcated effort as well. 
Bifurcated because, yesterday, this House voted with a vote of 244 to 
condemn the President. Yesterday's vote was to condemn, the first part 
of the bifurcated process. Today's vote is to determine whether or not 
we will punish the President.
  The effort yesterday was wonderful. I supported it. But it does not 
punish the President. It does not fine him. He will remain in office.
  Today, we will deal with the question of what his punishment should 
be. Today, between 4 and 5, somewhere in there, there will be Articles 
of Impeachment voted on. This will be the opportunity for us to go on 
record letting the world know where we stand.
  If we vote to table, we are voting not to advance impeachment. If we 
vote to send it to the Committee on the Judiciary, we are voting not to 
advance impeachment.
  I will not vote to table. I will not vote to send it to the Committee 
on the Judiciary. I will want to move forward so that we can move to 
vote to impeach.
  This President has committed impeachable offenses. Yesterday, we 
condemned him for them. Today is our opportunity to punish him for 
them.
  And for those who might say, ``Well, if you do this, there may be 
some people who won't like you,'' well, there are times when you have 
to do that which is neither safe nor politic nor popular. You have to 
do it because it is right.
  But I would also say this: If we voted yesterday to condemn him, 
those who are not going to like you are not going to like you any more 
today when you vote to impeach than they will if you vote not to 
impeach. They are still going to be where they were when you decided 
that you were not going to support what the President has been doing 
since he has been in office.
  Finally this, Mr. Speaker. I love my country. It means something to 
me to be a part of the fiber and fabric of this country. And because I 
love it, I will not allow anyone to be above the law.
  The President has been above the law some 91 days since the Mueller 
report was presented--some 91 days. I think that it is time for us to 
send the President a clear message that he is not above the law. I 
think it is time for us to impeach.
  I also believe that this, and understand, what we are doing today 
with impeachment, does not impact the Mueller report. It does not 
impact what the Committee on the Judiciary is doing or any other 
committee investigating obstruction. Obstruction has nothing to do with 
what we will vote on today. This is about what the President has done.
  You cannot incite people to harm other people with your words. You 
can't yell, ``Fire,'' in a crowded theater.
  The President has committed an impeachable offense, and we ought to 
take it up. He ought to be impeached.
  I will vote to advance to impeachment, and I pray that this President 
will be impeached today.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Members are reminded to refrain from 
engaging in personalities toward the President.

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