THE
THE SPEAKER PRO TEMPORE: THE GENTLEWOMAN FROM CALIFORNIA IS
YIELDED ONE MINUTE.
THE SPEAKER: THANK YOU, MADAM
SPEAKER.
SPEAKER.
SPEAKER. I THANK THE GENTLEMAN FOR
YIELDING AND FOR HIS LEADERSHIP.
MADAM SPEAKER, IN HIS ANNUAL
ADDRESS TO OUR PREDECESSORS IN
CONGRESS, IN 1862, PRESIDENT
ABRAHAM LINCOLN SPOKE OF THE
DUTY OF THE PATRIOT IN AN HOUR
OFDY SICIVE CRISIS -- OF
DECISIVE CRISIS FOR THE AMERICAN
PEOPLE.
PEOPLE.
PEOPLE. FELLOW CITIZENS, HE SAID, WE
CANNOT ESCAPE HISTORY.
WE WILL BE REMEMBERED IN SPITE
OF OURSELVES.
OF OURSELVES. NO PERSON OF SIGNIFICANCE OR
INSIGNIFICANCE, THE FIERY TRIAL
WILL LIGHT US DOWN IN HONOR OR
DISHONOR TO THE LATEST
GENERATION.
GENERATION. WE -- EVEN WE HERE, HE SAID,
HOLD THE POWER AND BEAR THE
RESPONSIBILITY.
RESPONSIBILITY. ST. PAUL WROTE, THINK ON THESE
THINGS.
THINGS.
THINGS. WE MUST THINK ON WHAT LINCOLN
TOLD US.
TOLD US.
TOLD US. WE, EVEN HERE, EVEN US HERE,
HOLD THE POWER AND BEAR THE
RESPONSIBILITY.
RESPONSIBILITY. WE, YOU AND I, HOLD IN TRUST THE
POWER THAT DERIVES MOST DIRECTLY
FROM THE PEOPLE OF THE UNITED
STATES.
STATES.
STATES. AND WE BEAR THE RESPONSIBILITY
TO FULFILL THAT OATH THAT WE ALL
SWEAR BEFORE GOD AND BEFORE ONE
ANOTHER.
ANOTHER.
ANOTHER. THE OATH TO DEFEND THE
CONSTITUTION AGAINST ALL ENEMIES
FOREIGN AND DOMESTIC, SO HELP US
GOD.
GOD.
GOD. WE
GOD. WE KNOW THAT WE FACE ENEMIES OF
THE CONSTITUTION.
THE CONSTITUTION. WE KNOW WE EXPERIENCE THE
INSURRECTION THAT VIOLATED THE
SANCTITY OF THE PEOPLE'S CAPITOL
AND ATTEMPTED TO OVERTURN THE
DULY RECORDED WILL OF THE
AMERICAN PEOPLE.
AMERICAN PEOPLE. AND WE KNOW THAT THE PRESIDENT
OF THE UNITED STATES INCITED
THIS INSURRECTION, ARMED
REBELLION, AGAINST OUR COMMON
COUNTRY.
COUNTRY.
COUNTRY. HE MUST GO.
HE IS A CLEAR AND PRESENT DANGER
TO THE NATION THAT WE ALL LOVE.
SINCE THE PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION
IN NOVEMBER, AN ELECTION THE
PRESIDENT LOST, HE HAS
REPEATEDLY LIED ABOUT THE
OUTCOME, TSAOED SELF-SERVING
DOUBT ABOUT DEMOCRACY AND
UNCONSTITUTIONALLY SOUGHT TO
INFLUENCE STATE OFFICIALS TO
REPEAL REALITY.
REPEAL REALITY. AND THEN CAME THAT DAY OF FIRE
WE ALL EXPERIENCED.
THE PRESIDENT MUST BE IMPEACHED
AND I BELIEVE THE PRESIDENT MUST
BE CONVICTED BY THE SENATE, A
CONSTITUTIONAL REMEDY THAT WILL
ENSURE THAT THE REPUBLIC WILL BE
SAFE FROM THIS MAN WHO IS SO
RESOLUTELY DETERMINED TO TEAR
DOWN THE THINGS THAT WE HOLD
DEAR AND THAT HOLD US TOGETHER.
IT GIVES ME NO PLEASURE TO SAY.
THIS IT BREAK MISHEART.
IT SHOULD BREAK YOUR HEART, IT
SHOULD BREAK ALL OF OUR TOGETHE
YOUR PRESENCE IN THIS HALLLOWED
CHAMBER THIS TESTAMENT TO YOUR
LOVE FOR OUR COUNTRY, FOR
AMERICA, AND TO YOUR FAITH PRES
LOVE FOR OUR COUNTRY, FOR AMERICA, AND TO YOUR FAITH PRESS
LOVE FOR OUR COUNTRY, FOR AMERICA, AND TO YOUR FAITH PRES
THE WORK OF OUR FOUNDERS TO
CREATE A OF OUR FOUNDERS TO
CREATE A MORE PERFECT DOCTOR
PERFECT UNION.
PERFECT UNION. THOSE INSURRECTIONISTS WERE NOT
PATRIOTS.
PATRIOTS.
PATRIOTS. THEY WERE NOT PART OF A
POLITICAL BASE TO BE CATERED TO
ANDING MORED.
ANDING MORED. THEY WERE DOMESTIC TERRORISTS AN
JUSTICE MUST PREVAIL.
BUT THEY DID NOT APPEAR OUT OF A
VACUUM.
VACUUM.
VACUUM. THEY WERE SENT HERE, SENT HERE
BY THE PRESIDENT, WITH WORDS
SUCH AS A CRY TO FIGHT LIKE
HELL.
HELL.
HELL. WORDS MATTER.
WORDS MATTER. TRUTH MATTERS.
TRUTH MATTERS. ACCOUNTABILITY MATTERS.
ACCOUNTABILITY MATTERS. THE PRESIDENT SAW THE
INSURRECTIONISTS NOT AS THE FOES
OF FREEDOM, AS THEY ARE, BUT AS
THE MEANS TO A TERRIBLE GOAL,
THE GOAL OF HIS PERSONALLY
CLINGING TO POWER.
THE GOAL OF THWARTING THE WILL
OF THE PEOPLE.
THE GOAL OF ENDING IN A FIERY
AND BLOODY CLASH NEARLY TWO AND
A HALF CENTURIES OF OUR
DEMOCRACY.
DEMOCRACY. THIS IS NOT THEORETICAL AND THIS
IS NOT MOTIVATED BY
PARTISANSHIP.
PARTISANSHIP. I STAND BEFORE YOU TODAY AS AN
OFFICER OF THE CONSTITUTION, A
SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF
REPRESENTATIVES.
REPRESENTATIVES. I STAND BEFORE YOU AS A WIFE, A
MOTHER, A GRANDMOTHER, A
DAUGHTER.
DAUGHTER.
DAUGHTER. A DAUGHTER WHOSE FATHER PROUDLY
SERVED IN THIS CONGRESS.
THOMAS DELSANDRO JUNIOR OF
MARYLAND, ONE OF THE FIRST
ITALIAN AMERICANS TO SERVE IN
CONGRESS.
CONGRESS.
CONGRESS. AND I STAND HERE BEFORE YOU
TODAY AS A THE NOBLEST OF
THINGS, A CITIZEN OF THE UNITED
STATES OF AMERICA.
WITH MY VOICE AND MY VOTE WORK A
PRIX TO ALL OF YOU, DEMOCRATS
AND REPUBLICANS, I ASK YOU TO
SEARCH YOUR SOULS AND ANSWER
THESE QUESTIONS.
THESE QUESTIONS. IS THE PRESIDENT'S WAR ON
DEMOCRACY IN KEEPING WITH THE
CONSTITUTION?
CONSTITUTION? WERE HIS WORDS AND
INSURRECTIONNARY MOB A HIGH
CRIME AND MISDEMEANOR?
DO WE NOT HAVE A DUTY TO OUR
OATH TO DO ALL WE
CONSTITUTIONALLY CAN TO PROTECT
OUR DEMOCRACY FROM THE AMBITIONS
OF A MAN WHO HAS SELF-ETHLY
DEMONSTRATED HE IS A VITAL
THREAT TO LIBERTY, TO
SELF-GOVERNMENT AND TO THE RULE
OF LAW?
OF LAW?
OF LAW? OUR COUNTRY IS DIVIDED, WE ALL
KNOW THAT.
KNOW THAT. THERE ARE LIVES -- TO THE RULE
IN THE LAND SPREAD BY A
DESPERATE PRESIDENT WHO FEELS
HIS POWER SLIPPING AWAY.
WE KNOW THAT TOO.
BUT I KNOW THIS AS WELL.
THAT WE HERE IN THIS HOUSE HAVE
A SACRED OBLIGATION TO STAND FOR
TRUTH.
TRUTH.
TRUTH. TO
TRUTH. TO STAND UP FOR THE
CONSTITUTION.
CONSTITUTION. TO STAND AS GUARDIANS OF THE
REPUBLIC.
REPUBLIC.
REPUBLIC. IN A SPEECH HE WAS PREPARED TO
GIVE IN DALLAS ON FRIDAY,
NOVEMBER 22, 196 , PRESIDENT
JOHN F. KENNEDY WAS TO SAY, WE
IN THIS COUNTRY, IN THIS
GENERATION ARE, BY DESTINY
RATHER THAN CHOICE, THE WATCHMEN
ON THE WALLS OF WORLD FREEDOM.
WE ASK, THEREFORE, THAT WE MAY
BE WORTHY OF OUR POWER AND
RESPONSIBILITY.
RESPONSIBILITY. THAT WE MAY BE WITH -- THAT WE
MAY BE WORTHY.
PRESIDENT KENNEDY WAS
ASSASSINATED BEFORE HE COULD
DELIVER THOSE WORDS TO THE
NATION BUT THEY RESONATE MORE
EVEN NOW.
EVEN NOW.
EVEN NOW. IN OUR TIME, IN THIS PLACE.
LET US BE WORTHY OF OUR POWER
AND RESPONSIBILITY.
AND RESPONSIBILITY. THAT WHAT LINCOLN THOUGHT WAS
THE WORLD'S LAST, BEST HOPE, THE
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, MAY
LONG SURVIVE.
LONG SURVIVE. MY FELLOW MEMBERS, MY FELLOW
AMERICANS, WE CANNOT ESCAPE
HISTORY.
HISTORY.
HISTORY. LET US EMBRACE OUR DUTY, FULFILL
OUR OATH AND HONOR THE TRUST OF
OUR NATION.
OUR NATION. AND WE PRAY THAT GOD WILL
CONTINUE TO BLESS