Tonko Votes in Support of Impeachment Resolution

Statement

Congressman Paul D. Tonko voted today to approve H.Res. 755, a resolution impeaching Donald John Trump, President of the United States, for high crimes and misdemeanors. The resolution establishes two articles of impeachment of the President for abuse of power and obstruction of Congress.

Article I, which passed by a vote of 230--197, impeaches the President for his abuse of power in soliciting the interference of Ukraine in the 2020 U.S. presidential election. Article II, which passed by a vote of 229--198, impeaches the President for his obstruction of Congress by directing a campaign of defiance of subpoenas issued by the House of Representatives in furtherance of the House's impeachment inquiry. With the passage of the impeachment resolution in the House of Representatives, the Senate shall now conduct an impeachment trial to determine whether to convict President Trump on these offenses and remove him from office.

Congressman Tonko's full statement:

"It is with both profound sorrow and an abundance of patriotism that I cast my vote in favor of the resolution to impeach President Trump. As conceived in our founding documents, Impeachment is an extraordinary remedy which, after thorough investigation and fact finding, I believe is required in these extraordinary times. I do not reach this decision out of any dislike of the President, but rather out of love for our country and our Constitution, the document that makes us the strong democracy that we are and the envy of the world.

"By pressuring Ukraine to open an investigation aimed at harming a domestic political rival, President Trump invited foreign interference into our electoral process and cast doubt as to whether "we the people' could expect a free and fair election in 2020. Similarly, as the House sought to investigate the underlying actions in Ukraine, President Trump refused to comply with the investigation, urging members of his administration to defy Congressional subpoenas, an action that would get anyone else thrown in jail. In subverting the investigation, President Trump destabilized our system of checks and balances and prevented the House of Representatives from exercising our core Constitutional duties.

"When faced with a President who has deliberately and maliciously acted to undermine the very core of our democracy -- our free and fair elections and our system of checks and balances -- my duty to the Constitution and our great country compels me to act. To not do so would render me complicit.

"As this process continues in the Senate, I pray for our country, for her people and for our President that we find the wisdom and grace to make the right decision and remember that the ties that bind us together as a nation are ever stronger than those that wish to tear us apart."

Source