>> that requires partisan consensus. the fact that you're even uraying at your home with a big decision and the black constitution which i have been determined to do duringw, the impeachment proceeding. madame president i ask consent to include the documents in the record following my remarks including the editorial to the wall street journal february 3rd and 2 the national review dated februar february 3rd for go the opinion editorial article will on sunday february 2nd 2020. these documents illuminate and

further explain my statement today. thank you madame president. >> without objection. >> when the framers wrote prior they didn't think someone like me deserve to be a united states senator. but they did likes mine donald trump being president. someone who thinks he is above the law and rules don't apply to him. so they made sure our democracy have the tool of impeachment to stop that kind of abuse of power. the house managers have clearly laid out a compelling case as evidence of donald trump's mom - - trumps that the president and the united states of america withheld

military aid for his political gain. he wanted a foreign country to announce, not actually conduc conduct, announcing an investigation into his political rivalal. then he refused to comply with congressional investigations into his misconduct. and but nonetheless i will refuse the senate trial of donald trump and get away with abusing the position of power for personal gain. abusing his position of power to stop congress from looking into his misconduct and then

softly claiming he has been exonerated. he will escape accountability because we have decided to let him he voted repeatedly to vote but all the things written down mr. truth we are in once as with the powerful and another. >> so let's speak the truth about whether systems of government mean in the real world. it means in our country walk into court houses and face systemic bias. too often they lack adequate legal representation whether overworked, underpaid or, both. it means young men named emmett till who are falsely

accuse then murdered i believe is because they came out and then that means future presidents of the united states will remember the united states senate failed to hold donald trump accountable. >> but nobody knows this better than me. nobody but he knows the institutions in this country

are set up to protect powerful people like him. he told us as much while regarding the sexual assault ofng women he said "when you are a star they let you do it. you can do anything he said that he can do whatever he wants. trump has shown us through his words and actions that he is above the law. and then to see him even though he is above the law and then to understand to leave them feeling but then to hold them accountable, it reinforces that love of trust in ourys system.

now i am under no illusion that this body is hold on - - willing to hold the president accountable. but as the united states senate impeachment trial, the american people must continue to strive for the most perfect union that our constitution promises. each have ann important role to play. we did that the united states supreme court equal justice. frederick douglass, who like many, prefer to be one of the founders of our nation

umt, quote the whole history of the progress that all concessions get laid's own - - one of those are just and just like so many before a fight against tyranny. this struggle has not been easy and it has left alienation and for too many files but it is a real power in this country but not with them because they are just a few people to expand their interest but now at the expense of others needs. the injustice of this trial is another example of the way our system of justice has worked

or more accurately, failed to work. but here's the thing. frederick douglass also told us that "if there is no struggle but he said it never did and it never will. so that a few people at the very top, the american people have to fight for the voice of the people in the power of the people. we must go into the darkness to shine a light and we cannot be deterred or overwhelmed and we cannot ever give up on our country we cannot ever give up on the ideals as a foundation

for our democracy. we can never give up on the meaning of true justice and as part of our history our past and clearly are present in the future, that in order to make the's values real and the promise of our country real we can never take it for granted. there will be moments in time and history with the greatest disappointment of all is to give up. we cannot ever give up fighting for who we know we are. and we must always see who we can be. that is the strength of our nation.. so as the senate votes today

donald trump will want the people to feel cynical. he will want us to think he is all-powerful. and we have no power. but we are not going to let him get away with that. we will not give him what he wants. because the true power and potential of the united states of america resides not with the president, but with the people. all the people. so in a long struggle for justice i will do my part to vote to convict his wallace act and remove him from office. and i urge my colleagues to join me on the right side of history. i yielded the. floor. >> the senator from new

hampshire. >> considering whether to convict the president of the united states on articles of impeachmentse is a solemn and consequential duty and i do not take it lightly. even before we had a country our founders put forward the notion of country first pledging the lives in sacred honors a place that was an idea imagining an opening for wasuntry where no one with the law.

this is what made and then to listen f carefully and the assertion by one of the constitutional basis for impeachmenten that is what i have done over the past few days with the extensive presentations answers the almost 200 questions with the presidents advocates and it clearly shows that president trump by using taxpayer dollars to extort a foreign government to provide itmisinformation from his political opponent the president of the united states

to use taxpayerr money with clear delivery as military aid to ukraine to interfere in our election. p-letter violated the law and the public trust and to put national security and the lives of ukrainian soldiers on the front line and at risk. although the country was alerted to the possibility the president had crossed a critical line from the now infamous july 25th phone call not that alone that led to the impeachment but in a scheme started earlier spearheaded by rudy giuliani. to acknowledge he was doing the personal political bidding when he engage withs ukrainian government and the

anticorruption government came into power for support for the united states for those to negotiate through mr. giuliani completing political interest of national security and diplomatic interest of the country and then as president zelensky announced a fake investigation into the bidens then mr. giuliani increased pressure. suddenly withoutho explanation or a legally required notification to congress the president ordered the critically needed military aid be held at. and then directly with interference of the american election of a foreign government and he ordered others in the ministration to work with mr. giuliani to

ensure the success. there is more evidence they should subpoena both witnesses and documents that would have given us a more complete understanding of what happened because of the strength to put country before self and is followed by lt. colonel vindman and yovanovitch and taylor and members of the administration. even americans coming forward were doing what we always ask if you say something wrong you need to see something or say something. it is a fundamental part of citizenship.

to care about each other and the country without regard to political policy americans step forward sometimes a real riskht to themselves they may and to make them safer to protect fundamental rights. into that representative government. those that appear before the house unfortunately they have not it with benefit of cross-examination is that a majority has decided that what it has heard it is not interested in learning more. those that corrupted foreign policy and put the nation's security at risk. not interested in learning

more and then to tip the scales and not interested in learning more to cover it up. increasingly over the last few days the president's defense team and more and more of my colleagues have acknowledged the president scheme and also that will not do it again i disagree so strongly and with that very rejection of the monarchy that it is absurd. president trump continues to invite foreign powers

interfere with the election but he calls it, quote perfect call. our founders knew, mr. presiden knew, mr. president, all leaders are fallible human beings and that her system of checks and balances could survive the human frailty the one thing that they fear that could not survive the oupresident who puts self-interest before the interest of the american people or who did not understand the difference between the two. as one wielding enormous power the president must put country first. for the behavior that violated that basic understanding to threaten democracy.

and outside of the election process for what they could do but between the time of elections and in the case of this president's continuing behavior to national security our founders believed they were established in a country unique in the history of humankind both on the rule of law generation after generation because of what has meant to individual and collective success and humankind worldwide. that is the america i have sworn an oath to protect i will vote in favor of both articles because it requires that congresses responsibility

as a coequal branch of government requires it, and the very foundation and security of american idea requires that. thank you mr. president i yielded the floor. mr. president today the senate is called upon to uphold our oath of office and duties to the constitution because president trump failed to do that himself. after listening closely to the impeachment manager in the president's defense team to waive the evidence presented to us and denied the opportunity to hear from first-hand witnesses i will vote to find him guilty of both articles of impeachment and to remove him from office i agree with those that impeachment should be rare and