Trump’s
conduct “far exceeded the high bar set in the Constitution”
Rep.
Jim Langevin (D-RI)
President
Trump put his own personal and political interest above the nation when he made
the release of Congressionally approved aid to Ukraine conditioned on the
announcement of an investigation of a political rival.
The
House impeachment managers have made this abundantly clear, a fact that even
Republican Senators don’t contest.
In
fact, for the first time in history a Senator has voted to remove a President
from his own party, and I commend Senator Romney for his courage and integrity.
The
President betrayed his oath of office.
However, instead of conducting an impartial trial and hearing the testimony of first-hand, fact witnesses, such as Ambassador Bolton, Senate Republicans have abdicated their responsibilities to the Constitution and the American people.
The
American people deserved a fair and legitimate Senate trial that considered the
full body of evidence to get to the whole truth.
Throughout
our nation’s history, the Senate has considered the testimony of witnesses in
every impeachment trial because critical information should not be left in the
dark when the stakes are this high.
I
commend Senators Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse for advocating for a trial
that considered every aspect of what transpired.
I
support their position that the President’s conduct reached – and, in fact, far
exceeded – the high bar set forth in the Constitution for an impeachable
offense. It is truly a dark day for democracy when partisan politics trump the
notion that no one is above the law.”