[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 154 (2008), Part 1]
[House]
[Page 15]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




    BEGIN IMPEACHMENT HEARINGS ON RESOLUTION OF IMPEACHMENT OF VICE 
                               PRESIDENT

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Florida (Mr. Wexler) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. WEXLER. Madam Speaker, on November 7, 2007, this House voted to 
refer Congressman Kucinich's resolution of impeachment of Vice 
President Cheney to the House Judiciary Committee. As a member of the 
Judiciary Committee, I now ask that we immediately begin impeachment 
hearings.
  The issues at hand are far too serious to ignore. Dick Cheney faces 
credible allegations of abuse of power that if proven may well 
constitute high crimes and misdemeanors.
  Did the Vice President manipulate intelligence to push this Nation 
into war based on false pretense?
  Did the Vice President unmask a covert CIA agent for political 
purposes?
  Did the Vice President order the illegal surveillance of Americans 
and the illegal use of torture?
  These questions must be answered.
  Just recently, former White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan 
revealed that the Vice President and his staff purposely gave him false 
information to report to the American people, a clear obstruction of 
justice.
  This administration has undermined the checks and balances of our 
government by brazenly ignoring congressional subpoenas and recklessly 
claiming executive privilege. Impeachment hearings are the only way to 
force the Bush administration to answer questions and tell the truth.
  Congress must take the first step by enforcing the subpoenas against 
Harriet Miers and the President's Chief of Staff and hold them in 
contempt of Congress. In this time, at this moment, Congress must stand 
for the truth. If we fail to act, history may well judge us complicit 
in the alleged crimes of Vice President Cheney.
  Madam Speaker, a growing chorus of Americans are calling for 
accountability. The response from Congress thus far has been silence 
and denial.


                Announcement by the Speaker Pro Tempore

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentleman from Florida is reminded to 
refrain from personal references toward the Vice President.
  Mr. WEXLER. Madam Speaker, not long ago I launched a Web site in 
support of my call for hearings. The people responded en masse. After 
only 4 weeks, over 189,000 Americans have registered their support for 
hearings, names I now hold in my hand. These frustrated and patriotic 
Americans come from all 50 States and share one common goal: 
Accountability for the Bush-Cheney administration and a rebirth of 
Congress as an equal branch of government.
  So many have been working on this cause before me. Groups like 
Democrats.com, AfterDowningStreet.org, CodePink, ImpeachBush.org, 
Impeach for Peace and others. All told, there have been well over 1 
million signatures urging us to take action.
  Tomorrow, I will deliver these names to my colleagues on the 
Judiciary Committee with a letter to my friend Chairman Conyers calling 
for hearings. I will ask my colleagues to sign this letter. In 
addition, tomorrow, and continuing every day for months, I will publish 
in the Congressional Record several thousand names of supporters who 
have signed up.
  History demands that we take action, because the case against Vice 
President Cheney is far stronger than the illegalities surrounding 
Watergate. When compared to the partisan and petty allegations made 
against President Clinton by Ken Starr and the GOP Congress, the true 
gravity of the case against the Vice President appears in its 
devastating clarity. In fact, in the history of our Nation, we have 
never encountered a moment where the actions of a President or a Vice 
President have more strongly demanded the use of the power of 
impeachment.
  I have heard the arguments that it is too late, that we have run out 
of time, and that we don't have the votes. While today there may not be 
enough votes to impeach, it is premature to think that such support 
would not exist after hearings. Let us remember that it wasn't until 
after hearings began that the Watergate tapes emerged. Who knows what 
facts will come forth when the full truth is told in this case?
  Arguing that it is too late signals to future administrations that in 
the waning months in office they are immune from constitutional 
accountability. Hold hearings which will put the evidence on the table, 
and the evidence alone must determine the outcome.

                          ____________________