Impeachment

Floor Speech

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Ms. STABENOW. Mr. President, I rise today to speak about the terrible events of January 6, the impeachment vote, and the need to hold people accountable for their actions.

While the U.S. Senate did not achieve the two-thirds vote necessary to convict former President Donald Trump, this will go down in history as the largest bipartisan vote ever to hold a President accountable for high crimes and misdemeanors under our Constitution.

Former President Donald Trump spent months pushing a big lie--that the November election was stolen from him. He inspired, encouraged, and incited a deadly insurrection at the U.S. Capitol in order to stop the certification of the electoral college vote, and then he did nothing to stop the violence, which caused massive injury and loss of life.

I wish to convey my personal and deep gratitude to all of the Capitol Police officers who courageously put their lives on the line to protect all of us that day, and I join with my colleagues in grieving the loss of life and injuries that so many suffered as a result of this violent insurrection.

This wasn't just an attack on a building. It was an attack on all of the people who work there. It was an attack on our form of government. It was an attack on our Constitution. It was an attack on ``We the People.''

This bipartisan vote sent an important message: In America, no President is above the law. And inciting violence against our government is illegal and dangerous.

Now, as a nation, we must move forward. We must do everything we can to bring down the temperature of our debates, find common ground on issues we care about, and reduce the divide in our families and communities. And we must continue to strive for accountability and justice. Our democracy demands no less.

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