Friend,

On December 18, 2019, the House of Representatives passed two articles of impeachment against Donald Trump: abuse of power and obstruction of Congress. I voted yes on each article. I believe that impeachment is one of the gravest powers of Congress, second only to our power to declare war. It must always be our last option, reserved for those extremely rare times when we cannot wait for the next election. I believe that we are in one of those times. I explained my rationale for voting to impeach the President on the House floor. You can read my remarks below:

"Let’s start by making this very simple. No one in America could do what Donald Trump did and get away with it. No American elected official can call up a foreign government and ask for an investigation into a political opponent. No Member of Congress can call up a foreign official and ask for help in our re-election campaign. If we did so, we would likely get indicted.

No one is above the law, and the supreme law of the land is the Constitution. I first swore an oath to the Constitution when I joined the United States Air Force on active duty.

The oath that I took was not to a political party, or to a President, or a king. It was to a document that has made America the greatest nation on earth. And that carefully-crafted document contains a safeguard for when the President’s abuse of power is so extreme that it warrants impeachment.

We are not here because of policy disputes. While I disagree with the President, I acknowledge he has the right to restrict the number of refugees entering our country. He has the right to eliminate environmental executive orders. He has the right to sign a bill that gave tax breaks to the wealthy.

But the President does not have the right to cheat and to solicit foreign interference in our elections. That is illegal, it is not what the voters elected him to do, and we will not stand for it.

The President’s actions were particularly insidious because he also used our government for private gain. He conditioned taxpayer funded military aid and a critical White House meeting with the Ukrainian President on the requirement that Ukraine publicly announce an investigation into his political opponent. By harming Ukrainian national security, he also harmed US national security.

And then he solicited foreign interference again on the South Lawn of the White House by asking Ukraine to investigate his political rival, and then he asked China to do the same. That pattern of abuse of power is not acceptable. 

Whether or not the Senate convicts, the House has an independent duty to do the right thing. That’s why we have passed over 275 bipartisan bills that are still stuck in the Senate. Whether impeaching or legislating, we will continue to be faithful to the Constitution regardless of what the Senate may or may not do.

Moreover, impeachment is a form of deterrence. Our children are watching. No President wants to be impeached. Whether Donald Trump leaves in one month, one year, or five years, this impeachment is permanent, it will follow him for the rest of his life, and it will be included in all future history books. And the people will know why we impeached.

It’s very simple: No one is above the law. Not our Commander in Chief. Not our President."



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Ted Lieu for Congress - United States
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