[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 167 (Tuesday, October 22, 2019)]
[House]
[Pages H8377-H8378]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




      DEMOCRATS' UNPRECEDENTED AND DANGEROUS IMPEACHMENT EXERCISE

  (Mr. JOHNSON of Louisiana asked and was given permission to address 
the House for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. JOHNSON of Louisiana. Madam Speaker, we are here tonight to draw 
attention to the Democrats' unprecedented and dangerous impeachment 
exercise. It is unprecedented because this has simply never happened 
before.
  In our nearly two-and-a-half centuries as a nation, there have only 
been three instances of impeachment proceedings against a President. In 
all

[[Page H8378]]

three cases, the impeachment inquiry was first properly authorized by a 
full vote of this House.
  Of course, today's sham was initiated unilaterally via a press 
conference. We haven't had a vote. They won't give us one.
  There is no due process for the accused, but, instead, there is a 
secret, partisan process somewhere behind closed doors.
  There is no respect or recognition for the rights of the duly elected 
Members of this House, even those of us on the committees of 
jurisdiction, like my House Judiciary Committee.
  It is unprecedented and it is also dangerous. And this is the biggest 
point: Corrupting and weaponizing impeachment to generate a 
predetermined political outcome is simply not right or fair, and it 
jeopardizes this entire institution.
  Do you know why? Because, if the American people are not able to 
trust the final results of the impeachment process on a matter this 
serious and this important, millions of citizens lose faith in the 
institution and lose faith in our Republic.
  This is a sham, and it needs to stop.

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