Rep. Mark Takano to Vote in Support of Articles of Impeachment Against President Donald Trump

Statement

Today, Rep. Mark Takano (D-Calif.) released this statement announcing his intent to support two articles of impeachment against President Donald Trump, charging the president with abuse of power and obstruction of Congress.

"Today, with my constituents in mind and in faithfulness to the oath I swore to protect and defend our Constitution, I will vote to impeach President Donald Trump.

"The facts that were uncovered during the House's impeachment inquiry are uncontested and point to unlawful misconduct by President Trump -- misconduct that demands that we, the Congress, hold him to account. The president abused the power of his office for personal and political gain by withholding crucial military aid from Ukraine and making the release of that aid contingent on Ukraine's announcement of an investigation into the president's political rival. This is corrupt and an egregious abuse of power by the president that undermined the integrity of our elections, which are the foundation of our democracy, and threatened our national security. For this reason, I will vote in support of the first article of impeachment charging President Donald Trump with abuse of power.

"Furthermore, throughout the House's impeachment inquiry, President Trump and the White House refused to cooperate with Congress' investigation. By preventing key witnesses to his abuses from testifying and withholding documents requested by Congress related to the impeachment inquiry, President Trump engaged in obstruction of Congress. What the president obstructed wasn't trivial -- he obstructed a Congressional investigation of great significance to our national interest and infringed on Congress' ability to carry out our constitutional duty. This unprecedented level of contempt for the law and violation of our democratic norms is serious, which is why I will also be voting in support of the second article of impeachment charging President Donald Trump with obstruction of Congress.

"No one is above the law, and that includes the person who holds the highest office in the land. It is our duty as a separate and co-equal branch of government to hold the president accountable for his abuse of power and his violation of the public trust.

"Impeachment is a solemn process that must be devoid of politics and that must be undertaken to check presidential misconduct and to restore the people's faith in our government. As we move to the next step in this serious process in the Senate, I urge my Senate colleagues to remember their oath and to act in the best interest of our nation -- for the sake of our constitution, our democracy, and the American people."

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