McHenry: The Body of Evidence is Weak and Woefully Insufficient for Impeachment
Washington,
December 18, 2019 -
Today, Republican leader of the House Financial Services Committee Patrick McHenry (NC-10) took to the House floor to speak in opposition to the Democrats’ partisan attempt to undo the 2016 election. The Financial Services Committee was one of six instructed by the Speaker to transfer records to the Judiciary Committee to support the Democrats’ three-year effort to impeach the President. Despite issuing numerous subpoenas and obtaining more than one million documents under the guise of an investigation into “financial industry compliance with banking statutes and regulations,” Committee Democrats did not provide any evidence related to the impeachment inquiry.
Watch Ranking Member McHenry’s remarks here or by clicking on the image above.
Read Ranking Member McHenry’s remarks as delivered:
“In 2016, sixty-three million Americans went to the polls and elected Donald Trump President of the United States. House Democrats have been trying to overturn the election ever since. In fact, they’ve tried five additional times to the one that’s before us to impeach the President. Including the vote in May of 2017, just five months into his term.
“In January of this year, House Democrats took control of this chamber and they were faced with a choice. They could use the tools of the Majority to pursue legitimate priorities of the American people—policies that can impact their lives—or they could use the tools to undo the 2016 election. They made their choice. Since then, House Democrats have issued more subpoenas than bills have been signed into law. That tells us all we need to know about this Congress and that party.
“Rather than launch a legitimate investigation, Democrats turned to focus groups to workshop their language, to see if they could sell this to the American people. And the American people have rejected it. Instead of negotiating with the Executive Branch, for instance, and allowing the courts to resolve any legitimate disputes, House Democrats rushed an impeachment vote.
“So here we are, twelve weeks later, voting whether to impeach the President based on the thinnest record in modern history. It’s no surprise that the Senate is already asking for additional witnesses and more documents and real evidence. The body of evidence is weak and woefully insufficient for impeachment.
“And with that, I yield back on this sad day for this institution.”
