{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://gaetz.house.gov/media/press-releases/congressman-matt-gaetz-slams-democrats-his-opening-statement-prior-judiciary", "Congressman Matt Gaetz Slams Democrats in His Opening Statement Prior to Judiciary Committee Impeachment Markup", "2019-12-11", "2019", "2019-12", "Republican", "House", "FL", "Matt Gaetz", "G000578", "gaetz.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Washington, D.C.Today, in the House Judiciary Committee's opening statements on Articles of Impeachment Against President Donald J. Trump, U.S. Congressman Matt Gaetz (FL-01) outlined the Democrats' evolution of impeachable offenses, from Russia collusion to bribery.\n\t\n\tRep. Gaetz pointed out that even the Democrats' top witnesses couldn't prove a crime: Even their seemingly most anti-Trump witness, Lt. Col. Vindman, said I was never involved in anything that I would consider bribery or extortion.'\n\t\n\tIn the midst of the impeachment process, House Democrats have forgotten about Americans. Now with no crime and no victim, House Democrats impeach because they have no agenda for America. Congressman Gaetz said.\n\t\n\tThe video of Rep. Gaetz speaking at the House Judiciary Committee mark-up on articles of impeachment and a rough transcript can be found below.\nCLICK HERE TO WATCH REP. GAETZ'S REMARKS\n\nTRANSCRIPT\n\n\"This is the fastest, weakest, thinnest, most partisan, impeachment in American Presidential history.\nFor all the radical left's accusations against the President's honestytheir lies fuel this incendiary, scorched-earth impeachment strategy.\nWhen a member of this committee said that President Trump was an agent of the Russian government, engaged in a criminal conspiracy with the Russianshe lied.\nNeeding a new way to undermine our President, the Democrats said he obstructed justicebut they couldn't make the case, they didn't have the facts, and there are no obstruction of justice articles in this impeachment.\nNeeding another new distraction, Chairman Schiff announced a whistleblower. He said we'd hear from this person about bad Presidential conduct. Some in the media reported on the whistleblower, raising serious questions about political bias, improper motivationand scandalous coordination of a political hit job with the operatives of none other than Chairman Adam Schiff.\nWith public opinion turning against impeachment, Democrats scurried to assemble focus groups and commission polls. They learned that accusing the President of bribery would be good politics. While Democrat House members are willing to follow the pundits and consultantsthe evidence and witnesses were not.\nEven their seemingly most anti-Trump witness, Lt. Col. Vindman, said I was never involved in anything that I would consider bribery or extortion.\nLo and behold, there are now no bribery allegations in the Articles. Another lie.\nBut the biggest lie of all was that House Democrats wouldn't put our beautiful nation through a partisan impeachment.\nSpeaker Pelosi said impeachment must be compelling and bipartisan.\nChairman Nadler said impeachment should not be partisan.\nTonight they stubbornly defy the standard they once setfor themselves.\nNot only has this weak case failed to convince the President's supporters to abandon him  they can't even convince the President's congressional critics to go along with this sham.\nDemocrats Jeff Van Drew and Collin Peterson don't support the President. And they don't support this hot garbage impeachment either.\nCongressman Will Hurd is a critic of the President. He told you the truth: this isn't impeachable.\nAfter years of pointless and endless investigations against President Trump, this witch hunt is no longer simply troublesome, it has become deeply and excruciatingly tiresome. It's time to move on. The American People hate this.and its making some of them hate us.\nThis is nothing more than the sloppy, straight-to-dvd Ukrainian sequel to the failed Russia Hoax. If it seems like you've seen this movie before, it's because you have.\nAnd we all know how the cycle goes. Last night's promised smoking gun is today's disappointing nothing-burger.\nIt's like democrats forgot that they're impeaching President Trump for delivering military aid that President Obama withheld. Now with no crime and no victim, House Democrats impeach because they have no agendafor you.\nImpeachment has become reflexive for Democrats. It's what they've wanted all along. Impeachment is their passion, their drug, their all-consuming ambition and obsession. It has been since the moment they stopped crying at Hillary Clinton's election night sob-fest. They say President Trump abused his powera sad placeholder for an actual impeachable offense.\nPresident Trump's true crime in their eyes was winning the 2016 election, against all odds  and against the establishment of both parties.\nThe only relevant QPQ is the American People's decision to send President Trump to the White House, in exchange for Trump's commitment to support our workers, restore our economy, defend our troops, and drain the swamp.\nHow dare they accuse President Trump of abusing hispower when they have released the phone records of journalists and congressmen, contrived a kangaroo court, and subjected this Administration to more harassment than any other in American History. They are the sorest of sore losers.\nThe second article accuses President Trump of obstructingCongress?\nIf *obstruction* in Congress is an impeachable offensemaybe we best impeach ourselves.\nFor it is this fact-free impeachment that has obstructed progress on a budgeton border securityon an infrastructure planand on economic reforms to put America first.\nThe American People know what this is really about. It's not Ukraine. It's not Russia. It's not House Democrats' nosiness into executive decision-making.\nIt is about the election. They've seen enough of their candidates to know that none can win. Even Michael Bloomberg said Trump is getting stronger by the day and will eat alive the current field.\nTheir problem isn't only with President Trump. They look down on those of us who voted for him. We know it. You know it. And they know it.\nBut we face this illegitimate impeachment with our heads high, our facts straight and our commitment to our unyielding president deeply intensified.\"\n###", 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://gaetz.house.gov/media/press-releases/congressman-matt-gaetz-slams-democrats-his-opening-statement-prior-judiciary"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.9593158029019833, "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"}