Shelby Statement on Impeachment Witness Vote

Statement

U.S. Senator Richard Shelby (R-Ala.) today released the following statement regarding his vote to oppose additional evidence in the impeachment proceedings:

"Throughout the impeachment proceedings in the Senate, I have carefully listened as a juror to arguments from both the House managers and the President's counsel in an effort to fairly evaluate whether or not the President's actions meet the Constitution's high bar for an impeachable offense. It is evident to me that his actions are not worthy of removal from office, and I do not believe additional evidence would prove otherwise. The President's actions, as presented by the House in the two articles, do not constitute an impeachable offense.

"The framers of our Constitution were cautious to ensure that the impeachment and conviction of a sitting President would not be of partisan intent. The Senate holds the power to remove a duly elected President from office for actions that rise to the level of being a high crime or misdemeanor, not for conduct that some deem inappropriate."

Following nearly two weeks of impeachment proceedings in the Senate, the motion to subpoena additional witnesses failed in the Senate by a vote of 49-51. The full Senate will soon vote on the two articles of impeachment -- Abuse of Power and Obstruction of Congress.

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