The go with the free cspan radio app. House members will have one hour to debate a rule tomorrow that sets up six hours of general debate equally divided on the house floor before a final vote takes place on those two articles of impeachment. The rules for debate were approved by the House Rules Committee earlier this evening on a partyline vote of 94. [indiscernible chatter] are you ready . The rules committee will come to order. The rules committee will come to order. It is unfortunate that we have to be here today. But the actions of the president of the United States make the necessary. President trump withheld congressionally approved a two ukraine, a partner under siege come a not to fight corruption but to extract a personal political favor. President trump refused to meet with ukraines president in the white house until he completed this scheme. All the while, leaders in russia , the very nation holding a large part of ukraine hostage, the very nation that interfered with our elections in 2016, had yet another meeting in the Oval Office Last week. These are not my opinions, these are uncontested facts. We have listened to the hearings. We have read the transcripts. It is clear that this president acted in a way that not only violates the public trust, he jeopardized our National Security and he undermined our democracy. He acted in a way that rises to the level of impeachment. That is why we are considering this today, a resolution impeaching donald john trump, president of the United States, for high crimes and misdemeanors. Choice buts no other to act with urgency. When i think back to the founders of this nation, they were particularly concerned about foreign interference in our elections. They understood that allowing outside forces to decide american campaigns would cause the fundamentals of our democracy to crumble. But the evidence shows, that is exactly what President Trump did, not only allowed but solicited foreign interference to help him win reelection. Which shocks me, quite frankly, about so many of my republican friends is their inability to to acknowledgment President Trump acted improperly. Seems like the only republican members willing to admit that the president did something wrong are retired or announced they intend to retire at the end of this congress. I get it, it is hard to criticize a president of your own party but that shouldnt matter here. Clinton whensident he was president and i still do today. When this house impeached him, which i didnt agree with, i went to the house floor and i said i thought what president clinton did was wrong because moments like this call for more than just reflexive partisanship. They require honesty and they require courage. Are any republicans today willing to muster the strength to say that what this president did was wrong . Let me say again what happened here. The president withheld congressionally approved military aid to a country under siege, to extract a personal political favor. He didnt do this as a matter of u. S. Policy, he did this for his own benefit. That is wrong. And if that is not impeachable conduct, i dont know what is. I have heard some of the other side suggest this process is about overturning an election. That is absurd. This is about President Trump using his office to try and rig the next election. Think about that. We like to say every vote that everyver vote counts. We learned in grade school about all the people who fought and died for that right. It is a sacred thing. I remember as a middle school are in 1972, leaving leaflets at the homes of potential voters urging them to support George Mcgovern for president , no relation by the way. I thought he had a great last toe and he was dedicated ending the war in vietnam and feeding the hungry and helping the poor. To this day what an honor it was to ask people to support him, even though i was too young to vote myself. And what a privilege it was later it in life to ask voters for their support in my own campaign. I have been proud of winning campaigns and losing ones. People like that would be great president s, like senator mcgovern, werent given that chance. Make no mistake, i was disappointed but i accepted it. I would take losing an election any day of the week when the American People rendered that verdict. But i will never, i mean come i will never be ok if other nations decide our leaders for us. The president of the United States is rolling out the welcome mat for that kind of foreign interference. To not act would set a dangerous president president , not just for this president but for every future president. The evidence is as clear as it is overwhelming, and this administration hasnt handed over a single subpoenaed documents to refute it, not one. It is up to us to decide whether the United States is still a nation where no one is above the america isther allowed to become a land run by those who act more like kings or queens. As if the law doesnt apply to them. It is not secret President Trump has a penchant for cozying up to the notorious dictators. He has complimented vladimir putin, congratulated rodrigo duterte, fell in love with kim i could lauded erdogan. Go on and on. Maybe the president is jealous. Hat they can do what they want these dictators are the antithesis of what america stands for. We let President Trump act like the law doesnt apply to him, we move a little closer to them. Benjamin franklin left the Constitutional Convention and said the founders have created a republic, if you can keep it. There are no guarantees. Our system of government will persist only if we fight for it. The simple question for us is this. I we willing to fight for this democracy . Forre we willing to fight this democracy act of i hope everyone searches their conscience. To my republican friends, imagine any democratic president sitting in the oval office. Would your answer be the same . No one should be allowed to use the powers of the presidency to undermine our elections or cheat in a campaign, no matter who it is and no matter what their party. We all took an oath, not to defend a Political Party but to uphold the constitution of the United States. History is testing us. We cant control what the senate will do, but each of us can decide whether we pass that test , whether we defend our democracy and whether we uphold our oath. We will put a process in place to consider these articles on the house floor and when i cast my vote in favor, my conscience will be clear. Before i turn to the Ranking Member i want to recognize his leadership on this committee. We take up a lot of contentious matters appear in the rules committee, and often we are on different sides of many issues. With integrity and cares deeply about this house. There will be passionate disagreement today, but i have no doubt we will continue working together in the future and side by side on this committee to better this institution. Let me also state for the record that chairman nadler is unable to be here because of a family medical emergency. We are all keeping him in our thoughts and prayers. Testifying instead is congressman raskin. He is not only a valued member of this committee but also a the judiciary and oversight committees. In addition, he is a constitutional law professor so he has a comprehensive and unique understanding of what we are talking about today. I appreciate him stepping in and testifying this morning. I also want to welcome back Ranking Member collins, a former member of the rules committee, someone who i dont often agree with but someone who i respect nonetheless and appreciate all of his contributions to this institution. Having said that, i will turn it over to our Ranking Member, mr. Cole, for any remarks he wishes to make. Thank you. Let me begin by reciprocating the personal and professional respect for you and the other members of this committee, as well. Because i do think very highly of each and every person on this committee, particularly of you, mr. Chairman. This is a day where we will disagree very strongly. As you referenced, it is a sad , for thee personally rules committee, for the institution of the house and for the American People. We are meeting today on a rule for considering articles of impeachment against a sitting president of the United States on the floor of the house of representatives. This is not the result of a fair process and certainly not a bipartisan. Sadly, the democrats impeachment inquiry has been flawed and partisan from day one. So i guess it should come as knows apprise that democrats preordained outcome is also flawed and partisan. Seven weeks ago when this committee met to do to consider a resolution to guide the process, the democrats impeachment inquiry, i warned they were treading on shaky ground with their unfair and closed process. Howecting how could things played out reaffirms my earlier judgment that this flawed process was crafted to ensure a partisan preordained result. This entire process was tarnished further by the speed with which my democratic colleagues on the judiciary and Intelligence Committees have rushed to deliver their predetermined judgment. To impeach the president for something, anything, whether there are stones left unturned or if there is any proof at all. There is no way this can and should be viewed as legitimate, certainly not by republicans whose minority rights have been trampled on every step on the way and certainly not by the American People observing this disastrous political show scene by scene. As i said before, on like any impeachment proceedings in modern history, the partisan process prescribed and pursued by democrats is truly unprecedented. And it contradicts Speaker Pelosis own words. Back in march of this year, she said, quote, impeachment is so divisive to the country that unless there is something so compelling and overwhelming and bipartisan, i dont think we should go down that path because it divides the country. The keyword in that quote is bipartisan. Indeed, during the nixon and him and clinton impeachment, the process for opening the inquiry was considered on a bipartisan basis. Back then, both sides traded the process with the seriousness it deserved. Negotiating and finding agreement across the aisle to ensure fairness and due process from all involved in the inquiries. That is not the case today. Instead, democrats have pushed forward using a partisan process that limited the president s right to due process, prevented the minority from exercising their rights, and charged ahead to a vote to impeach the president whether the evidence is there or not. I suppose i shouldnt be surprised by any of this. Democrats in the house have been pushing to impeach President Trump since before he was even sworn in. In december 2017, when a current democratic member of the house forced a vote on impeachment resolution, 58 democrats voted to impeach the president. Even without an investigation, without any evidence to point to. Those numbers have only grown since then. Majorityint where the is now pushing for it for a final vote on impeachment heedless of where it takes the country and regardless of whether they have proven their case. Mr. Chairman, it didnt have to be this way. When she became and trusted with thisavel over the house of congress, Speaker Pelosi assured us all that she would not move forward with impeachment unless it was bipartisan and unless there was a clear consensus in the country. Neither of those commissions are present here. The polls on impeachment shows the country evenly split, 46. 5 of americans in favor of impeachment and 46. 5 against. That is hardly what i would call a National Consensus in favor of impeaching President Trump. When half of americans are telling you that what you are doing is wrong, you should listen. I think this is especially the case given how close we are to the next election. Months, the American People are going to vote on the next president of the United States. Why are we plunging the country into this kind of turmoil and this kind of trauma now, when the voters themselves will resolve the matter one way or another in less than a year from today . All this achieves is to make the political polos are polarization and divisions of my country even worse. That makes no sense to me. We may be moving forward with a vote. I certainly dont believe the majority has proven its case or convinced the American People that the weeks of wasted time was worth it. Personally, i believe the articles themselves are unwarranted. The majority is seeking to remove the president over something that didnt happen, the alleged quid pro quo with the president of ukraine. Nevermind that the foreign aid went to ukraine as it was supposed to and nevermind that no investigation was required for the ukraine to get the aid and nevermind that the participants in the famous conversation, President Trump and president zelinski, said nothing and appropriate. According to the majority, a quid pro quo that never existed is an appropriate basis for removing the president from office. Yet even though the majority hasnt proven its case, and even though there is no basis for impeachment, they are still moving forward today. Aat i cant discern is legitimate reason why. Why the majority is moving forward when the process is so partisan, why they are moving forward when the American People are not with them, why they are moving forward when they havent proven their case, and why they are moving forward when there is no basis for impeachment. Why . Why put the country through all of this . It makes even less sense to me when we consider the realities of the United States senate. We already know that the votes to convict and remove the president from office simply arent there. Bluntly put, this is a matter that congress as a whole cannot resolve on its own. The majority is plunging forward regardless of the needless drama or the damage to the institution knowing fulluntry, well that the end of the day, the president will remain in office. And for what . Scoring political points with their partys base . Mr. Chairman, this doesnt make any sense to me. We didnt need to go this route. We didnt need to push forward on a partisan impeachment process that had only one possible result. But we are here anyway, regardless of the damage it does to the institution and regardless of how much further it divides the country. As i said at the beginning, mr. Chairman, this is a sad day for all of us, but it is especially sad for me knowing that this day was inevitable, preordained from the start, no matter what happened, no matter where the investigation lead, the democratic majority in the house of representatives was pushing since the day they took over to impeach President Trump. That,cts dont warrant mr. Chairman, and the process is unworthy of the outcome. The president shouldnt be impeached and i urge all members to vote in the rules committee and tomorrow on the house floor to vote no. Thank you very much. I appreciate your comments. Obviously, we have strong disagreements, and i just want, one technical point i would like to make. None of us in this house have had an opportunity to vote on impeachment. The resolution that the gentleman refers to, some of us opposed tabling it because we thought it should go to committee. Be appropriately evaluated. That is what this process achieved, the relevant committees did their work and investigated the claims of wrongdoing by the president and the Judiciary Committee recommended articles of impeachment. The first time anybody in this house will get an opportunity to vote on impeachment will be tomorrow. I want to welcome both of our witnesses. Mr. Raskin, we will begin with you. Thank you very much, mr. Chairman. Good morning, chairman, Ranking Member, good morning to all of our distinguished colleagues on the House Rules Committee and good morning to my friend mr. Collins. It is my solemn responsibility this morning to present for your consideration House Resolution 755 and the accompanying report concerning the impeachment of donald john trump, president of the United States, for high crimes and misdemeanors committed against the people of the United States. I am appearing this morning in place of chairman nadler, who couldnt be with us. Im sure i speak with all judiciary both the and rules committees in sending love and prayers to chairman nadlers wife joyce and all our hopes for a speedy recovery. The Judiciary Committee, along with the other committees that investigated President Trumps offenses, the Permanent Select Committee on intelligence, the committee on Foreign Affairs and the committee on oversight and reform, ring these articles with a solemn purpose and a heavy heart, but in an active faith with the constitutional oath of office we have all sworn. Investigating committees conducted 100 hours of deposition testimony with 17 sworn witnesses and 30 hours of public testimony with 12 witnesses. In Judiciary Committee is possession of overwhelming evidence that the president of the United States has committed high crimes and misdemeanor