Roybal-Allard votes to impeach Trump. Her statement.

Rep.Lucille Roybal-Allard in a file photo from Jan. 3, 2019.

Congresswoman Lucille Roybal-Allard (CA-40) issued the following statement detailing her support for impeaching President Trump for abuse of power and obstruction of Congress:

“Madam Speaker, today, the House of Representatives will vote to impeach the President of the United States.  In America’s 243-year history, he is only the third president to be impeached.  The rarity of this process reminds us impeachment is an extraordinary remedy and should be taken only against a president if their actions are simply beyond the pale.

“When Congress learns a president may have committed an impeachable act, it is Congress’s constitutional duty to investigate whether the president’s actions are impeachable.  Our House did just that when we learned the president may have undermined the Constitution in his dealings with the Ukrainian government.

“I disagree with President Trump on almost every issue. I do not agree with the way he runs his government.  I do not agree with his spending priorities. I do not agree with his treatment of migrants seeking asylum in this country. I believe he is temperamentally ill-suited to his office, to put it mildly. But I have had disagreements, of one kind or another, with every president with whom I have served. However, disagreements over policy, tone, and style are simply not enough to justify impeaching a president.

“The voters of our country placed incredible trust in this president when they elected him.  He now holds the most powerful office in the most powerful country in the world, the United States of America.  As president, he has a duty to use that power to uphold the Constitution and the rule of law.  Sadly, this president has violated that trust by soliciting and pressuring a foreign nation to interfere in the 2020 U.S. presidential election and by obstructing Congress’s impeachment investigation.  His actions undermine our Constitution, our system of government, and the rule of law.

“Today, the House is considering two separate articles of impeachment.  The first is that the president abused his power and second, that he obstructed Congress.  Both of these charges needed substantial evidence in order to be proven, and the investigations of the House Intelligence and Judiciary Committees have given us that evidence.

“Having reviewed that evidence, I will vote to impeach the president. I take no partisan joy in doing so. No American should take joy in the impeachment of a president. But as Members of Congress, we took an oath to support and defend the Constitution of the United States. Today we are living up to that responsibility.  My impeachment vote is also a signal to future presidents that they are not above the law and will be held accountable if they violate our Constitution.  

“When our children and grandchildren look back on this historic time, I hope they will know we did not shy away from our oath of office and that we fought to protect our democracy and to preserve our Constitution for them and for future generations.”