Here is the official record from the U.S. House floor on how representatives from New York and Connecticut acted on impeaching President Donald Trump for the second time in over a year. The article of impeachment charges Trump with inciting last week's insurrection at the Capitol.
The final tally was 233-205 to impeach the president — 10 Republicans voted to impeach: Rep. Liz Cheney of Wyoming, the third-ranking House Republican; Reps. John Katko of New York; Adam Kinzinger of Illinois; Anthony Gonzalez of Ohio; Fred Upton and Peter Meijer of Michigan; Jaime Herrera Beutler and Dan Newhouse of Washington state; Tom Rice of South Carolina; and David Valadao of California.
All Democrats who voted supported impeachment, while 197 Republicans voted no.
WSHU has included lawmakers' statements and transcriptions from representatives who spoke on the House floor.
Rep. John Larson (D-CT1) — Voted “Yea”
— Rep. John Larson (@RepJohnLarson) January 13, 2021
Rep. Joe Courtney (D-CT2) — Voted “Yea”
Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-CT3) — Voted “Yea”
Not accepting the will of the American people, the president unleashed the most horrific violence that overwhelmed the security forces at the U.S. Capitol and put the lives of so many at risk.
— Rosa DeLauro (@rosadelauro) January 13, 2021
My remarks urging my colleagues to impeach the president here: pic.twitter.com/t9soGM6LrT
“On November 3, the American people voted overwhelmingly for Joe Biden and Kamala Harris to serve as president and vice president of the United States. The country was about to enter a new era, with great hope for change. Yet, with a decisive mandate and majority, the president used untruthful claims to end the completion of the Constitutional process counting electoral votes, making Joe Biden president of the United States.
Not accepting the will of the American people, the president unleashed the most horrific violence that overwhelmed the security forces at this Capitol, which was overrun for the first time since 1812, putting the lives of so many at risk, a day of infamy. This impeachment will be viewed as a transcendent vote, where all will be judged.
Vote to impeach the President of the United States, Donald J. Trump.”
Rep. Jim Himes (D-CT4) — Voted “Yea”
“Search your soul, consider your oath. And I add four more words. Reflect on your legacy. Which way is history flowing right now? Will Donald Trump join the pantheon of Washington, Lincoln, Roosevelt and Reagan? Or will his 33% approval ratings and the condemnation of principled Republicans consign him to the heap of reviled demagogues with Joseph McCarthy and Andrew Johnson? Where he goes in history, you go in history! Unless today you make a stand.”
Rep. Jahana Hayes (D-CT5) — Voted “Yea”
“I take no joy in casting a vote to condemn one of the darkest acts we have seen in American history,” said Rep. Hayes in a statement after voting to impeach the president. She did not make a speech on the House floor.
“As I cast this vote today, I must now walk amongst thousands of troops deployed to defend our Capitol against insurrectionists.
I echo the words of Liz Cheney, leader in the Republican conference, ‘The President of the United States summoned this mob, assembled the mob, and lit the flame of this attack. Everything that followed was his doing. None of this would have happened without the President. The President could have immediately and forcefully intervened to stop the violence. He did not. There has never been a greater betrayal by a President of the United States of his office and his oath to the Constitution.’
Today, I cast my vote to impeach President Donald J. Trump in solemn defense of our democracy, respect for our Constitution, and preservation of the Union. I pray that our nation comes together at this harrowing time.”
Rep. Lee Zeldin (R-NY1) — Voted “Nay”
“I am sickened and aggrieved by what we had to witness last Wednesday and call for investigation and prosecution to the fullest extent of the law, every single person who participated in the violence and loss of life in this Capitol building last Wednesday.”
“I, as a member, sit here listening to the entire debate, desperately need to better understand the two standards that are at play in this House.Why is it okay if a House Democrat calls for violence in the streets, but not if you’re a Republican? Why can a House Democrat be rewarded with a gavel and a chairmanship if they’re calling for physical confrontation of a Trump administration official, but they will be punished if they’re a Republican?”
“The double standards that we have seen time and time again, we all, I need to better understand what the rules are of this House. Why is it that a committee chairman can lie to the American public about having more than circumstantial evidence that the President colluded with the Russians in order to win the 2016 election, but of course, the Republicans can’t and wouldn’t lie to the American public about something like this? We need to better understand what these two standard are that are at play and to complete the record, because the House Democrats are here to make President Trump the first president to be impeached twice. So I’ll complete the record.”
First off, in the articles of impeachment, it’s written that the president gave a speech and he told his supporters to come here and that he incited this riot. One speaker after another, after another have repeated that in the article of impeachment, but we all know this was a preplanned attack. We all know that there [were] pipe bombs being discovered while the President was speaking. We all know the Capitol perimeter was being breached during the President’s speech. We know that this was pre-planned, and it started while the president was speaking. Why is that not in the articles of impeachment? Why is that not being incorporated into my colleagues’ remarks?”
“To complete the record, if you want to make the President the first President in the United States to be impeached twice, we’ll add something else to that. Thank you to the President for his efforts to defeat MS-13 in my district.”
“Thank you for the president to move the embassy in Israel to Jerusalem and recognize sovereignty in the Golan Heights and to take al-Baghdadi, to eliminate the ISIS caliphate, to have an economy this time last year that was stronger than I have remembered in my entire lifetime. Yet, we’ll complete the record. In all fairness, as the President leaves one week from today, let’s be honest about hte double standards that exist inside of this chamber and let’s alost be honest that this President--I yield back.”
Rep. Andrew Garbarino (R-NY2) — Voted “Nay”
Last week, I upheld my Constitutional duty to count and certify the results of the presidential election. Which is why today, I am abiding by the Constitution and voting against this rushed impeachment.
— Rep. Andrew Garbarino (@RepGarbarino) January 13, 2021
Read my full statement here: pic.twitter.com/BF96019ugk
Rep. Tom Suozzi (D-NY3) — Voted “Yea”
“Former Congressman Tom Lantos, a Holocaust Survivor, would often say: ‘The veneer of civilization is paper thin. We are its guardians, and we can never rest,’ said Rep. Suozzi in a statement after voting to impeach Trump. He did not make a speech on the House floor.
“I was in the Capitol Chamber on January 6th when we were told to take out the gas masks as rioters breached the doors and gunshots rang through the Capitol.
Thousands of people – criminals - desecrated our Capitol, breaking in windows and doors, attacking our brave officers and vandalized offices. Rioters wearing army fatigues, waved Confederate and Trump flags, donned Nazi swastikas and I saw one man who wore a shirt saying, ‘Camp Auschwitz – Staff.’
President Trump instigated this and must be held accountable. The President’s duty is to protect our Republic and its people. Yet, he built a mob, filled it with lies, and encouraged it to ‘fight to stop the steal.’ Now we hear intelligence reports that thousands of armed militias and white supremacists are planning to come again on or before January 20.
My colleagues, my friends on both sides of the aisle. We must together call upon the President to denounce this violence, to tell his supporters to stay home and to ensure a peaceful transition of power.
Mr. President, you have not put America first and now you must be removed.”
Rep. Kathleen Rice (D-NY4) — Voted “Yea”
“President Trump betrayed his oath to the Constitution by inciting a deadly insurrection on the U.S. Capitol last week,” Rep. Rice said in a statement following her vote to impeach the president. She did not make a speech on the House floor.
If we do not hold the President accountable for this act of sedition, it would set a dangerous precedent and pose a lethal threat to the future of democracy in this country. For that reason, I voted today to impeach Donald Trump. He must now be convicted by the Senate and removed from office immediately.
For those of us who were in the Capitol that day, this attack will haunt us and our families for the rest of their lives. For every American, it will leave a permanent stain on the great history of our democracy. Any violation of the peaceful transfer of power – America’s most sacred tradition – must never be tolerated.
Democracy does not operate on its own. It only works if its stewards act with ethics and in good faith. It is time for us all to do the right thing and turn the page on this dark chapter in America’s history.”
