House, With Some G.O.P. Support, Votes to Impeach Trump a Historic

“Give me a break. The president of the United States instigated an attempted coup in this country, people died. Everybody should be outraged, whether you’re a Democrat or a Republican. If this is not an impeachable offense, I don’t know what the hell is.” “President Trump is committed to a peaceful and uninterrupted transfer of power, but that’s not good enough for my colleagues across the aisle. With just seven days left in President Trump’s term, they are fast-tracking impeachment proceedings, a move, which will no doubt further divide an already fractured nation. Even House Democrats’ last impeachment effort —” “I hid in an office for hours, terrified to open the door because I did not know if a rioter was on the other side, ready to attack, kidnap or murder me.” “You cannot, consistent with the rule of law, punish that which the Constitution’s First Amendment declares protected. If you do it, the violators of duty to this Constitution.” “Those insurrectionists were not patriots. They were not part of a political base to be catered to and managed, they were domestic terrorists, and justice must prevail. But they did not appear out of a vacuum. They were sent here, sent here by the president, with words such as a cry to ‘fight like hell.’ Words matter. Truth matters, accountability matters.” “If we impeached every politician who gave a fiery speech to a crowd of partisans, this Capitol would be deserted. That’s what the president did. That is all he did.” “Let me ask you a question: What do you think they would have done if they had gotten in? What do you think they would have done to you? And who do you think sent them here — the most dangerous man to ever occupy the Oval Office.” “And you want to just go after a president, just go straight to the floor — no investigation, no judiciary committee, go straight to the floor, use it as a political weapon, as you wish. This is so dangerous what you’re doing.” “If we fail to remove a white supremacist president who incited a white supremacist insurrection, it’s communities like Missouri’s First District that suffer the most. The 117th Congress must understand that we have a mandate to legislate in defense of Black lives.” “The president took an oath to defend the Constitution against all enemies, foreign and domestic. Last week, there was a domestic threat at the door of the Capitol, and he did nothing to stop it. That is why with a heavy heart and clear resolve, I will vote ‘yes’ on these articles of impeachment.” [applause] “On this vote, the ‘ayes’ are 232. The ‘nays’ are 197….