Dear Ms. Neerman:
Thank you for taking the time to contact me about the impeachment of President Trump. I appreciate hearing from you.
As you may know, on December 18, 2019, the House took a partisan vote to impeach President Trump. Article I, Abuse of Power, was passed with a vote of 230-197, and Article II, Obstruction of Congress, passed with a 229-198 vote. In an unprecedented act, Speaker Pelosi withheld the Articles for 28 days until January 15, 2020, when the House voted to appoint Impeachment Managers and to transmit the Articles to the Senate.
On January 16, 2020, the Senate Impeachment Trial formally began with the swearing-in of Chief Justice John Roberts and the swearing-in of Senators. During the impeachment trial, the House Managers and the White House Counsel will present their respective cases by offering opening arguments and presenting evidence. Following these presentations, Senators will have the opportunity to question the House Managers and the White House Counsel. At that time, the Senate could consider whether to call additional witnesses or to request additional evidence.
I have been clear that, based on the unpersuasive evidence collected by the House, and the weakness of their case for impeachment, I do not see the need for additional witnesses. The Constitution provides that the House “shall have the sole Power of Impeachment,” and that the Senate “shall have the sole Power to try all Impeachments.” It is the responsibility of the House of Representatives during an impeachment inquiry to collect evidence and to make the case for impeachment. It is not the responsibility of the Senate to do the work that the House failed to do, particularly when they failed to issue subpoenas for testimony. This is especially true where the Speaker and the majority have been insistent about the strength of their case justifying the impeachment and removal of a duly-elected President.
As a U.S. Senator, I have a constitutional responsibility to participate fully in the Senate impeachment trial. I will listen to both sides, carefully consider the evidence, and join my colleagues in rendering a verdict. I will also make sure that President Trump is treated fairly and receives a presumption of innocence rather than a presumption of guilt. The President deserves this basic guarantee of due process during the most consequential of constitutional events.
Unfortunately, the majority in the House ran a blatantly partisan impeachment process, which presumed the President was guilty while denying the President and the minority basic due process rights. Despite the lack of evidence presented, the House still voted to impeach President Trump along purely partisan lines. Compared to previous inquiries, the investigation into President Trump happened seven times faster than the investigation of President Nixon, and twenty times faster than the investigation of President Clinton.
Instead of focusing on real issues like securing our border, modernizing our infrastructure, or supporting our military, certain outspoken House members and Speaker Pelosi are using all of their time and resources to once again try to cast doubt on the results of the 2016 election. It is unfortunate that their partisan games have now prevented the Senate from conducting the work of the American people.
Thank you again for taking the time to contact me. Please do not hesitate to reach out again about other important issues.
Sincerely,