Congressman Panetta Votes to Impeach President Trump Articles include abuse of power and obstruction of Congress

WASHINGTON, DC – On Wednesday, December 18, Congressman Jimmy Panetta (CA-20) voted for House Resolution 755, impeaching President Donald Trump for high crimes and misdemeanors, including abuse of power and obstruction of Congress.

 

"I did not come to Congress to impeach the President.  But, I swore an oath to protect our country and defend the constitution.  That is why, today, I voted to approve two articles of impeachment against this President for abuse of power and obstruction of Congress. 

 

"In order to arrive at that solemn and somber conclusion, I used many of the same skills that I acquired early on as a former prosecutor.  By putting politics and emotions aside to focus on the underlying evidence and applying those facts to the articles of impeachment, I found it clear that the President subverted our national interest for his own personal and political interest.  The President then repeatedly ignored and refused to cooperate with the numerous requests and subpoenas of the investigation by Congress.  Moreover, the President proudly admitted this conduct and refuses to acknowledge that he did anything wrong.

 

"I do not take pride in impeaching a sitting president of the United States.  But as the U.S. Representative for the central coast of California, I am upholding my obligation under the United States Constitution and to protect the future of our democracy.         

 

"The impeachment of the President and his upcoming trial in the U.S. Senate will not stop us from getting things done.  As I have proven during my limited time in Congress, I will continue to work on and pass legislation that reforms our immigration laws, especially for Dreamers and farmworkers, promotes our agriculture, combats the effects of climate change, improves our health care system, lowers prescription drug prices, changes the tax code to help the middle class and small businesses, defends equal rights, and protects our values and way of life on the Central Coast."

 

After House passage of the articles of impeachment, the Senate is tasked with handling the impeachment trial. Senators act as the jury, and the chief justice of the United States presides over the proceedings. To remove a president from office, two-thirds of the members must vote in favor. If the Senate fails to convict, a president is considered impeached but is not removed.