And Still I Rise
Floor Speech
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Mr. GREEN of Texas. Madam Speaker, and still I rise with love of country in my heart and, I must say, I rise today, unfortunately, some 146 days since the Mueller report was released, some 48 days since Mr. Mueller testified, some 48 days for the President to be above the law since the testimony of Mr. Mueller, 146 days above the law since the report was presented to Congress.
And still I rise, with a very special message, however. I want people to know that there is more than hope. I rise today to say that there will be an impeachment. The President will be impeached.
Some things bear repeating.
The President will be impeached. There will be a vote taken sometime this week, I am told, for the Judiciary Committee to make some sort of official announcement.
I rise to say that the President will be impeached, in spite of some and because of others.
I rise today to say that he will be impeached because the hands of history are piloting his ship of fate. And I believe that history will not allow us, the Members of this august body, to allow the President to be above the law. I believe that if we fail to do so, it would make Article II, Section 4 of the Constitution meaningless. It would have no application to the term that we quite often use, ``no person is above the law.'' We would then have to say: No person is above the law, saving at least one person.
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Article II, Section 4, if it is to have meaning, means that the President will be impeached. So I rise to stand here on the floor of the House and announce that it will happen.
But there is one question that is outstanding, and that is whether the bigotry emanating from the Presidency is going to be a part of that impeachment.
I believe that if the radical Republicans in 1868 could impeach Andrew Johnson, who was the bigot of his time, if they could impeach Andrew Johnson, it seems to me we ought to be able to impeach this President for bigotry emanating from the Presidency as well.
Andrew Johnson was opposed to the Freedmen's Bureau. He fought the notion that the persons who had been freed should have the same liberties that other in this country enjoyed, and he was impeached. Republicans did it. Radical Republicans did it.
I believe that we ought to have the same standard today that we had in 1868, and if we should, I believe that there will be an impeachment. So I am announcing today that there will be an impeachment.
One final point. After the vote, whenever it takes place in the Judiciary Committee, I will have some additional special statements to make, but I am reserving them for after the vote.
I love my country. Democracy hangs in the balance. Liberty and justice for all must prevail. And if it is to prevail, there must be and will be an impeachment. The hands of history are piloting the ship of fate.
And still I rise.
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