[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 207 (Monday, December 23, 2019)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1639]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]





IMPEACHING DONALD JOHN TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES, FOR HIGH 
                        CRIMES AND MISDEMEANORS

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                           HON. JAHANA HAYES

                             of connecticut

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, December 18, 2019

  Mrs. HAYES. Madam Speaker, my commitment has always been to be honest 
and transparent with the people of Connecticut's 5th District on my 
thinking and the decisions I make. Impeachment is not a course I wanted 
to pursue. I came to Congress to make a difference, not to impeach a 
President.
  After extensive review of the articles of impeachment and the 
available evidence, I will vote in favor of impeaching the President of 
the United States. I do not take this action lightly and understand the 
gravity of the moment.
  As the impeachment discussion progressed, I remained committed to not 
weighing in publicly, believing it was important that everyone had the 
chance to examine the case for themselves. As the investigation 
proceeded, I deliberately chose not to comment without having had a 
chance to review all the evidence and study the full articles as 
drafted.
  I have now had the chance to thoroughly consider all the evidence and 
the articles of impeachment being considered on the floor of the House 
of Representatives. It is clear to me that the President attempted to 
use the Office of the President to demand a foreign leader investigate 
an American citizen for political gain.
  As I listened to the testimony, I became more concerned about the 
actions of the President. While some may argue these actions do not 
merit impeachment, to do nothing and normalize this behavior would be a 
dereliction of my oath of office. This is a moment where I must lead, 
and I will vote yes when the articles of impeachment are brought to the 
floor of the House.

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