Have A Fair Trial in the Senate

Floor Speech

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Mr. GREEN of Texas. Mr. Speaker, and still I rise because I love my country.

I rise today with my mnemonic notes in hand to discuss impeachment. As we all know, there is an expectation of a trial in the Senate. The people of the United States of America expect a fair trial, not a fake trial.

Well, what is a fake trial? A fake trial exists when you have the equivalent of the foreperson of the jury indicating that he is coordinating efforts and working with the person who is accused; that is the President. The majority leader is indicating that he is working with the President, and he is a part of the jury. That is a fake trial.

You have a fake trial when you don't allow material, relevant witnesses to come forth and give their testimony. It is undisputed.

It is agreed to by most persons with some understanding of what is going on, that Mr. John Bolton, the National Security Advisor, former, is a material witness and should be heard. He has not been heard and has indicated that he will testify if subpoenaed. Mr. Bolton ought to be subpoenaed and he ought to be heard so that we can have a fair trial; not a fake trial.

It won't be a trial. Here is what it will be: It will be a briefing. If you simply call the Members to order, Mr. Majority Leader, and if you simply read what has been presented to you from the House, that is nothing more than a briefing.

And if the end result is something other than the President being convicted, all you have done is postpone justice. That is it. You are just postponing justice, but you also have done one additional thing. You will have said to the people of this country that the balance of power that you are there to protect is something that you would neglect.

The balance of power is something that we must have if we are not to have a monarchy. If we are to maintain democracy, there has to be a balance of power. The House of Representatives has to have the opportunity to investigate. The President blocked witnesses, blocked evidence that is of another nature--written evidence, if you will.

He has blocked evidence and witnesses, and witnesses are evidence, and we and the Members of the House have impeached him--and he will be impeached forever, by the way. We have impeached him for impeding a congressional investigation.

In so doing, we expect the Senate to at least protect the balance of power. That is what the House is here for. We are the sword of Damocles when it comes to the President. We are there, hanging there to let him know that he can be punished in the Senate by virtue of the House having impeached--punished in the sense that he will be removed from office, not in the sense that he would ever go to jail.

Finally this, on the question of war or peace: Mr. President, I believe Iran has given you an off-ramp. I think you ought to take the off-ramp that is going to lead to deescalation because it also leads to the road of peace.

I am a person who believes in peace. Choose peace. Choose the off- ramp that has been given to you and give us an opportunity to move forward with the work of the country. You will still be impeached, however.

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