This Wednesday, the full House was scheduled to vote on and presumably approve articles of impeachment against President Donald Trump, including charges of abuse of power and obstruction of Congress. While Trump and his allies kept raging online, Massachusetts Democratic Congressman Joe Kennedy III took to the House floor with a solemn defense of his vote in favor of impeachment and the process in general. While Trump keeps up his stream of petty, obnoxious insults, Kennedy — in line with the somber proclamations of some of his fellow Democrats — pointed to “justice” as underlying the impeachment process.
He directly addressed his children. He shared:
‘Dear Ellie and James: This is a moment that you’ll read about in your history books. Today, I will vote to impeach the president of the United States. And I want you to know why. He broke our laws. He threatened our security. He abused the highest, most sacred office in our land… I can’t stop thinking about the costs to our country. Not just the impeachable offenses, but the collateral damage of a president who uses power like a weapon against his own people.’
Trump has actually just recently also pointed to how the impeachment process would be reflected in history. He claimed in a rambling six-page letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) that people would be reflecting on his remarks in one hundred years — but that does not seem poised to happen in the way that he’s hoping for. Right now, Trump is already a global laughingstock.
Kennedy continued:
‘Let the record show that today justice won. That we did our job. That we kept our word. That we stood our sacred ground. Let the record show that we did not let you down.’
Former Congressman David Jolly called them “just perfect words by Rep. Joe Kennedy.” Watch below:
Dem. Rep. Joe Kennedy addresses his children in remarks on impeachment: "Dear Ellie and James: This is a moment that you'll read about in your history books. Today, I will vote to impeach the president of the United States. And I want you to know why." https://t.co/FSKRPsJV7d pic.twitter.com/JvlRXSJzuf
— ABC News (@ABC) December 18, 2019
Republicans have consistently and loudly claimed that Democrats are pursuing impeachment only because of political animosity for the president, but the facts of the situation simply do not support that assertion. Trump was caught trying to pressure Ukraine into producing damaging intel on his domestic political rivals. Now, he is facing duly proceeding consequences.
