Roby Comments on Articles of Impeachment
U.S. Representative Martha Roby (R-AL) made comments this week during the House Judiciary Committee’s markup of H. Res. 755, the articles of impeachment against President Trump.
“The articles of impeachment before us in this Committee do not meet the necessary requirements nor have they followed an exhaustive pursuit to even find all of the facts of the case,” Representative Roby said. “The American people deserve a process that puts politics aside. The American people deserve a process that is led by our promise to protect and defend the Constitution. The American people simply deserve better.”
Members of the Judiciary Committee offered amendments to the articles throughout the debate, and both articles of impeachment were reported out of the Committee with a partisan vote of 23-17. Next week, the House of Representatives is scheduled to vote on the articles of impeachment.
The full text of Representative Roby’s speech is below.
I have made clear how woefully incomplete this process has been, how the Minority’s right to a hearing has been completely disregarded, how no fact witnesses were called before us, and how staff questioning staff to get the truth was bizarre.
No matter what any Member on this side says here tonight, the Majority will unanimously vote to send these articles of impeachment to the House Floor. However, I have a duty to continue to point out how flawed this process has been. All Members of Congress are required to take an oath of office at the beginning of every Congress. By taking this oath, we swear above all else, to defend the Constitution of the United States.
I have the distinct honor to represent the hardworking people of Southeast Alabama. They have placed their trust in me to represent their values and be their voice here in Congress. This revered and longstanding oath serves as a guiding principle for every decision I make as a Member of Congress.
For the record, let me be clear:
I believe in the rule of law.
I believe that no person is above the law.
I believe process is vital to this very institution.
I have stated time and time again before this Committee: process matters. Without abiding by a framework that adheres to our Constitution, we are charting a course that does not follow our country’s founding principles.
Whether you identify as a Republican, Democrat, or Independent, whether you agree or disagree with a president’s policies, whether you like or even dislike a president, the American people should feel cheated by what has taken place here.
We sit here tonight without all the facts of the case because the Majority decided to conduct an incomplete and inadequate pursuit of the truth. Many questions remain.
With the consequential decision of impeaching a president, it is our right and duty to the citizens of this country to properly use the powers of congressional oversight, to adjudicate impasses through the courts, and arrive at actual undisputed facts of a case that all Americans, regardless of ideology, can agree are truthful and honest.
In the impeachment proceedings of President Nixon, the underlying facts of the case were undisputed. In the impeachment proceedings of President Clinton, the underlying facts of the case were undisputed. Here before us tonight, that is not the case.
The articles of impeachment before us in this Committee do not meet the necessary requirements nor have they followed an exhaustive pursuit to even find all of the facts of the case. Therefore, the bar to impeach a sitting president of the United States has not been met.
For the sake of our country and for the future trajectory of this body, I implore my colleagues to take a hard look at the course of this investigation. It has severely discounted the tenets of our democratic system.
Tomorrow, we write history: a history that cannot be undone. A dangerous precedent will be set for future Majorities of this body.
The American people deserve a process that puts politics aside. The American people deserve a process that is led by our promise to protect and defend the Constitution. The American people simply deserve better.
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