During the impeachment hearings, Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA), one of the earliest and most vocal voices in Congress to remove President Donald Trump from office, took to the floor to deliver a fiery speech that ended with applause ringing through the floor of the House.
"To quote the late Maya Angelou, 'When someone shows you who they are, believe them the first time,'" said Waters. "This day was not inevitable, but this was predictable, because this president has shown himself time and time again to believe that he is above the law, and he has no respect for our Constitution or our democracy."
"Based on all of that we know about Donald Trump, we could have predicted he would have abused the power of the president by corruptly soliciting the to publicly announce investigations into his political opponent, former Vice President Joseph R. Biden," continued Waters. "This impeachment resolution includes evidence this president withheld $391 million of taxpayer funds Congress appropriated for the purpose of providing vital military and security assistance to Ukraine to oppose Russian aggression. Another blatant abuse of power. Our investigations reveal this president advanced a discredited theory, promoted by Russia, alleging that Ukraine, rather than Russia, interfered in the 2016 United States presidential election, for corrupt purposes in pursuit of personal political benefit."
"Never before in our history have we experienced a president who has so clearly conducted himself in a manner offensive to and subversive of the Constitution and directed his Cabinet members, executive branch agencies, and other White House officials, to defy lawful subpoenas from Congress," said Waters. "Was he attempting to hide wrongdoing? It is without question this president has demonstrated he will remain a threat to national security and the Constitution if allowed to remain in office, and has acted in a manner grossly incompatible with self-governance and the rule of law, because at every turn he has shown us who he is."
"It is no secret this president could have been impeached a long time ago," Waters continued. "Today, we stand here with an irrefutable case and indisputable set of facts that this president absolutely abused his power an obstructed Congress. Any other individual who would have been caught conducting themselves in the way this president has would have been prosecuted to the full extent of the law. It is shameful any members of this House are willing to disregard the Constitution and turn a blind eye to the hard facts and ignore a confession from the president himself."
"History will remember those willing to speak truth to power," concluded Waters. "Yes, I called for Trump's impeachment early. This is our country. Our foremothers and forefathers shed their blood to defend this democracy. I refuse to have it undermined. I wholeheartedly support this resolution and am proud in the final analysis justice will have served in America and Donald Trump will have been impeached."
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