Impeaching Donald John Trump, President of the United States, for High Crimes and Misdemeanors

Floor Speech

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Ms. ROYBAL-ALLARD. Madam Speaker, last week, we experienced a tragic day in American history when President Donald Trump incited insurrection with irresponsible aggressive rhetoric that encouraged and incited a mob of his supporters to violently breach and defile the United States Capitol Building. This attack was a supreme act of domestic terrorism that ultimately led to bloodshed and death in the sacred temple of our democracy.

I take no joy in voting to impeach President Trump, but the president has blood on his hands in the wake of this attempted coup. The fact remains no one, including the president of the United States, is above the law. And this president has sadly violated his oath to support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic. As members of Congress who have taken that same pledge, it is our duty to take this action.

His constant bombardment of false information alleging widespread voter fraud and his repeated attempts to delegitimize the 2020 presidential election has deeply divided an already fractured nation and has violently turned American against American. As this unprecedented attack on American democracy and our Constitution transpired, President Trump was reported to gleefully watch on television the attempted destruction to our nation's capitol while ignoring repeated pleas for him to call on his supporters to stand down.

Trump continues to reject any responsibility for the violence and has shown no remorse or concern for those who have died because of his insurrection. A heartbreaking example was his initial failure to honor the fallen Capitol Police officers by lowering the White House flag to half-staff.

At a time when thousands of Americans are dying of an insidious virus, which demands effective presidential leadership and unity of purpose to defeat, the president continues to be focused solely on himself. Defeating this pandemic cannot be undertaken while we have a president who denies its existence and is actively encouraging violence to overturn a well-documented free and fair election.

Even after the tragedy of January 6th, Trump continues to fuel the fire of his supporters with his self-serving and dangerous rhetoric and to incite violence and distrust across America. He still refuses to denounce the insurrection and unequivocally call on his supporters to stand down from carrying out their armed threats against our nation's capitol and state capitols across the country.

This lack of leadership and concern for the lives of our countrymen and women is one more example that confirms Donald Trump is unfit for office and poses a true danger to America and American democracy. To protect our country and our democracy, he must be impeached and barred from holding federal office again.

This lack of leadership and concern for the lives of our countrymen and women is one more example that confirms Donald Trump is unfit for office and poses a true danger to America and American democracy. To protect our country and our democracy, he must be impeached and barred from holding federal office again.

I cast my vote today for the safety of my constituents and all Americans nationwide, and for the survival of our democracy in the days, months, and years to come. In good conscience, I simply have no other choice.

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