[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 5 (Thursday, January 9, 2020)]
[House]
[Pages H142-H143]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                            IMPEACHMENT HOLD

  (Mr. SPANO asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. SPANO. Mr. Speaker, if there was any doubt that last month's 
impeachment vote was purely political, there shouldn't be now.
  Throughout the partisan impeachment inquiry, we were told that it was 
critical to move quickly because the threat of waiting was too great. 
The Schiff report even said: ``We cannot wait.''
  In the interest of speed, any hope of fairness was discarded. Rules 
were broken. Democrats couldn't wait on a minority hearing, breaking 
House rules

[[Page H143]]

that afforded us that right. Democrats couldn't wait on the courts to 
obtain additional testimony. But Speaker Pelosi continues to hold the 
articles from the Senate in an attempt to dictate the terms of the 
trial to Leader McConnell.
  The Constitution grants the Senate the sole power to try all 
impeachments, not the Speaker.
  Democrats voted to impeach the President for abuse of power and claim 
he is a threat to the Constitution, but look at what you are doing. You 
are trying to take the Senate's constitutional power for your own 
political gain.
  Follow the Constitution you spoke so much about. Transmit the 
articles to the Senate so that they can undertake their constitutional 
responsibility.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Brindisi). Members are reminded to 
address their remarks to the Chair.

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