In Fulfillment of Oath of Office, Rep. Chu to Vote to Impeach President Trump
Statement
Today, the House of Representatives will vote on two articles of impeachment against President Donald Trump. This marks only the third time in American history that a President will have been impeached. Rep Judy Chu (CA-27), issued the following statement announcing her intention to vote for the articles of impeachment:
"We know that President Trump withheld desperately needed military aid to Ukraine. We know he used it to demand Ukraine interfere in our upcoming election for his own political benefit. And we know Ukraine knew. All of this was revealed in the call summary released by the White House, and in the over one hundred hours of testimony before the House Intelligence, Oversight, and Judiciary committees. And these facts are undisputed. It is clear that Donald Trump had corrupt intentions. And it is clear that at every step, he acted to hide his crimes and obstruct Congress's legal investigation. This corruption and obstruction are betrayals of the oath of office and the Constitution, and they pose a clear threat to our elections and the future of our democracy. Therefore, in fulfilment of my oath of office to uphold the Constitution, it is with solemn purpose today that I vote to impeach President Donald Trump.
"The two articles we vote for today stem from a call with the President of Ukraine in which President Trump made clear that before the Congressionally approved military aid to Ukraine would be released, the President of Ukraine had to perform a "favor' for Trump and make a public announcement of an investigation into former Vice President Joe Biden, a leading candidate for the 2020 Democratic nomination. That the demand was for an announcement, and not any substantial report, demonstrates that the goal was simply to use Ukraine to smear the President's political opponent. Through interviews with current and former administration officials, it was revealed that the push for a public investigation into Joe Biden was a priority of the Trump administration, led by his personal attorney Rudy Giuliani, and over the objections of ambassadors and career foreign service officials. Rudy Giuliani himself has stated that it was his intention to find dirt on Joe Biden, and that he recommended those in his way, like Ambassador Marie Yovanovitch, be fired. And despite Administration officials trying to distance themselves from Giuliani by claiming he was simply the President's personal attorney, the White House's call transcript in which the President repeatedly urges Ukraine's government to work directly with Giuliani reveals the truth that Ukrainian policy was being dictated not by national interest by personal interest.
"To turn a blind eye to the President openly courting foreign interference in our elections would set a dangerous precedent that any President can use the power of the office for personal gain. This was what the Founders feared, which is why Congress was established as a check and overseer, and why impeachment was included as a measure of recourse for a President who flaunts our laws and the Constitution. And unfortunately, due to the President's flagrant behavior and concerted effort to obstruct any and all legal investigations, impeachment was the only option left to us. My vote today for impeachment is a vote to defend our democracy and our elections from any interference, foreign or domestic."
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