{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://cicilline.house.gov/press-release/cicilline-remarks-during-floor-debate-impeachment", "Cicilline Remarks During Floor Debate on Impeachment", "2019-12-18", "2019", "2019-12", "Democrat", "House", "RI", "David Cicilline", "C001084", "cicilline.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "WASHINGTON  Democratic Policy and Communications Committee (DPCC) Chair David N. Cicilline (RI-01) spoke on the House floor moments ago. Cicilline asked Republicans to consider the facts of the case, and to put our country ahead of their political party by voting to impeach President Donald Trump.\n\nThe full text of Cicilline's remarks is embedded at the end of this email. A video of his speech can be viewed by clicking the image below. An electronic copy can also be furnished upon request.\n\n\n--------------------------------------\nDavid N. Cicilline\nRemarks As Delivered\nImpeachment of President Donald J. Trump\nDecember 18, 2019\n\nI rise in support of the articles of impeachment against Donald J. Trump, the 45th President of the United States.\n\nMr. Speaker, no one runs for Congress to impeach a President. But this President has left us with no choice.\n\nPresident Trump abused the enormous powers of his office when he solicited foreign interference for the purpose of helping him in his re-election campaign in 2020.\n\nThe President betrayed our national security and undermined the security of our elections when he put his own personal, political interests ahead of the interests of our country. He tried to cheat to win re-election.\n\nThis wasn't an attack on Vice President Biden. It was an attack on our democracy.\n\nAnd if we do not hold him accountable today, we will no longer live in a democracy. We will live in a dictatorship where any future President will be free to abuse their office in order to get re-elected.\n\nSo today, every member of this chamber faces a choice. Whether to do what the Constitution demands and the evidence requires, or to turn a blind eye to this President's grave misconduct, a blind eye to the overwhelming evidence of high crimes and misdemeanors. \n\nTo my friends on the other side of the aisle, I say this: This is not about making history. This is about holding a lawless President accountable in the way our Framers intended.\n\nThis is a time to put our country over your political party. Do not seek safety in the high grass of a vote against these articles. \n\nWe are all Americans. Show the American people your devotion to your country is more powerful than your loyalty to your political party.\n\nUnited, we can defend our democracy from all enemies, foreign and domestic. Divided, we risk losing our democracy.\n\nAll you have to do is look at the evidence. Because it will leave you with only one answer: The President of the United States must be impeached.\n\nRemember these three facts:\n\n He tried to cheat. \nHe got caught.\nHe confessed.\nAnd then he obstructed the investigation into his misconduct.\n \nFor our democracy, for our Constitution, for the people you represent  and for all who will inherit our country from us  I pray you will do the right thing.\n\n-30-", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://cicilline.house.gov/press-release/cicilline-remarks-during-floor-debate-impeachment"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.3722088187932968, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}