Impeachment
Floor Speech
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Mr. PETERS. Mr. President, I swore an oath to defend the Constitution both as an officer in the U.S. Navy Reserve and as a U.S. Senator.
At the beginning of the impeachment trial, I swore an oath to keep an open mind, listen carefully to the facts, and in the end deliver impartial justice.
After carefully listening to the arguments presented by both House managers and the President's lawyers, I believe the facts are clear.
President Trump stands accused by the House of Representatives of abusing his power in an attempt to extort a foreign government to announce a trumped up investigation into a political rival and thereby put his personal interest ahead of national security and the public trust.
The President illegally withheld congressionally approved military aid to an ally at war with Russia and conditioned its release on Ukraine making an announcement the President could use to falsely discredit a likely political opponent.
When the President's corrupt plan was brought to light, the White House engaged in a systematic and unprecedented effort to cover up the scheme.
The President's complete refusal to cooperate with a constitutionally authorized investigation is unparalleled in American history.
Despite the extraordinary efforts by the President to cover up the facts, the House managers made a convincing case.
It is clear.
The President's actions were not an effort to further official American foreign policy.
The President was not working in the public interest.
What the President did was wrong, unacceptable, and impeachable.
I expected the President's lawyers to offer new eyewitness testimony from people with firsthand knowledge and offer new documents to defend the President, but that did not happen.
It became very clear to me that the President's closest advisers could not speak to the President's innocence, and his lawyers did everything in their power to prevent them from testifying under oath.
Witness testimony is the essence of a fair trial. It is what makes us a country committed to the rule of law.
If you are accused of wrongdoing in America, you have every right to call witnesses in your defense, but you also don't have the right to stop the prosecution from calling a hostile witness or subpoenaing documents.
No one in this country is above the law--no one--not even the President.
If someone is accused of a crime and they have witnesses who could clear them of any wrongdoing, they would want those witnesses to testify. In fact, not only would they welcome it, they would insist on it.
All we need to do is use our common sense. The fact that the President refuses to have his closest advisers testify tells me that he is afraid of what they will say.
The President's conduct is unacceptable for any official, let alone the leader of our country.
Our Nation's Founders feared unchecked and unlimited power by the President. They rebelled against an abusive monarch with unlimited power and instead created a republic that distributed power across different branches of government.
They were careful students of history; they knew unchecked power would destroy a democratic republic.
They were especially fearful of an unchecked Executive and specifically granted Congress the power of impeachment to check a President who thought of themselves as above the law.
Two years ago, I had the privilege of participating in an annual bipartisan Senate tradition reading President George Washington's farewell address on the Senate floor.
In that address, President Washington warned that unchecked power, the rise of partisan factions, and foreign influence, if left unchecked, would undermine our young Nation and allow for the rise of a demagogue.
He warned that we could become so divided and so entrenched in the beliefs of our particular partisan group that ``cunning, ambitious and unprincipled men will be enabled to subvert the power of the people and to usurp for themselves the reins of government.''
I am struck by the contrast of where we are today and where our Founders were more than 200 years ago.
George Washington was the ultimate rock star of his time. He was beloved, and when he announced he would leave the Presidency and return to Mount Vernon, people begged him to stay.
There was a call to make him a King, and he said no. He reminded folks that he had just fought against a monarch so that the American people could enjoy the liberties of a free people.
George Washington, a man of integrity and an American hero, refused to be anointed King when it was offered to him by his adoring countrymen. He chose a republic over a monarchy.
But tomorrow, by refusing to hold President Trump accountable for his abuses, Republicans in the Senate are offering him unbridled power without accountability, and he will gleefully seize that power.
And when he does, our Republic will face an existential threat.
A vote against the Articles of Impeachment will set a dangerous precedent and will be used by future Presidents to act with impunity.
Given what we know, that the President abused the power of his office by attempting to extort a foreign government to interfere with an American election, that he willfully obstructed justice at every turn, and that his actions run counter to our Nation's most cherished and fundamental values, it is clear the President betrayed the trust the American public placed in him to fully execute his constitutional responsibilities.
This betrayal is by definition a high crime and misdemeanor. If it does not rise to the level of impeachment and removal, I am not sure what would.
The Senate has a constitutional responsibility to hold him accountable.
If we do not stand up and defend our democracy during this fragile period, we will be allowing this President and future Presidents to have unchecked power.
This is not what our Founders intended. The oath I swore to protect and defend the Constitution demands that I vote to preserve the future of our Republic. I will faithfully execute my oath and vote to hold this President accountable for his actions.
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