Contact: Sarah Abel
Phone: 202-225-5506
[email protected]

Washington, DC—Rep. Ron Kind released the following statement after voting for the articles of impeachment against President Donald J. Trump:

“Until now, I have reserved judgment, waiting for all the facts to come out. I’ve reviewed the evidence and followed the hearings. It’s clear the President’s actions were a flagrant abuse of constitutional power; it was unlawful, and it jeopardized our national security. The President had every opportunity to present contrary evidence but didn’t. Instead, he chose to obstruct the inquiry, preventing top officials from testifying and withholding relevant information.

My vote today was not about the President himself—more importantly, it was about defending the rule of law, our Constitution, and what signal we send future presidents of what is acceptable behavior. Asking another country to meddle in our election and withholding vital security assistance from an ally is what our founders feared and why they placed impeachment in our Constitution. If any president—Democrat or Republican—had committed these offenses, I would have reached the same conclusion.

“I took an oath of office, not to any political party or person, but to preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States—and it’s an oath I take seriously. It’s why I’ve supported impeachment inquiries into both Presidents Clinton and Trump—the only member of Congress to do so. Because Congress is the only institution in our democracy that can hold a president accountable.

“The decision of whether or not the President should be removed from office now rests with the Senate. In the meantime, I will continue to work across party lines, tackling issues of importance like lowering health care and prescription drug costs, ending trade wars, and combating the student loan debt crisis.”

Print Friendly, PDF & Email