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[Page H2373]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
IMPEACHMENT IS NOT DEAD
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from
Texas (Mr. Green) for 5 minutes.
Mr. GREEN of Texas. Madam Speaker, and still I rise, with love of
country in my heart.
And still I rise, as I did some 659 days ago, more than 21 months,
when I first stood on the floor of the House of Representatives and
called for the impeachment of the President. In so doing, I had to fend
off the multitudes who wanted to know what crime the President had
committed, what law did he break.
We had to fight that fight, and we won, because it is now generally
perceived and believed that the President does not have to commit a
crime to be impeached.
In fact, Article II, Section 4 of the Constitution of the United
States of America addresses that question when it deals with high
crimes and misdemeanors as misdemeanors or misdeeds, pursuant to the
understanding that we have of the Constitution of the United States of
America.
And still I rise now, understanding that we have had to fend off
those who have said: You have to wait for the Mueller report. You have
to wait. Why not wait?
Here is why you don't have to wait: Because the Mueller report is
dealing with violations of the law. Misdeeds don't necessarily require
a violation of the law.
If you are corrupting society, if you are creating harm to society,
if you are causing things to happen in society that are unacceptable to
the people in the United States of America, an unfit President can be
impeached for those misdeeds that corrupt and harm society.
We are winning that fight. This fight is one that is easily won
because, as we proceed, it is going to become intuitively obvious that
these misdeeds are the problems, and the misdeeds are creating the
concerns in society.
It is my belief that we have a duty, a responsibility, and an
obligation under the Constitution to deal with an unfit President.
There are those who would want me to withhold my thoughts until after
there has been an investigation, when we have clear and convincing
evidence before our very eyes of the misdeeds: separating babies from
their mothers, who happen to be of color, I might add; talking about s-
hole countries that happen to be where people of color live, I might
add; talking about good people, or very fine people, in
Charlottesville, among those who are bigots, racists, xenophobes,
homophobes, and Islamophobes.
Yes, the evidence is there, because the President was putting in his
policies these bigoted statements. These statements went beyond his
words. They became a part of his policies. For this, he can be
impeached.
I stand where I stood 659 days ago, and I will continue to stand
until this President is removed from office.
We can investigate to the extent that we engage in what Dr. King
called the paralysis of analysis, just investigate until it is time for
another election, and then the election becomes the focal point.
My dear friends, my dear brothers and sisters, those who desire to
wait may do so. I will not wait. Impeachment is not dead.
____________________