Rep. John Lewis advocated for the impeachment of President Trump Tuesday during the House of Representatives Morning Hour speeches, saying to not do so would “betray the foundation of our democracy.”
“Today, I come with a heavy heart, deeply concerned about the future of our democracy,” the civil right icon began.”People approach me everywhere I go, whether I’m traveling back and forth to Atlanta or around our country, they believe, they truly believe that our nation is descending into darkness,”
“They never dreamed that the United States, once seen as a beacon of hope, and as an inspiration to people striving for equality and justice, would be fallen into such disgrace,” the Georgia Democrat said. “It keeps me up at night. We took an oath to protect this nation against all domestic enemies and foreign enemies. Sometimes, I’m afraid to go to sleep for fear that I will wake up and our democracy will be gone, will be gone and never returned.”
Mr. Lewis continued by criticizing the Trump administration for obstructing House investigations and having a “disregard for ethics for the law, and for the Constitution.”
“Mr. Speaker, the people of this nation realize that if they had committed even a half of the possible violations, the federal government would be swift to seek justice. We cannot delay. We must not wait. Now is the time to act,” he said.
“I have been patient while we tried every other path, and used every other tool. We will never find the truth unless we use the power given to the House of Representatives, and the House alone, to begin an official investigation as dictated by the Constitution,” Mr. Lewis said.
“The future of our democracy is at stake. There comes a time when you have to be moved by the spirit or history to take action to protect and preserve the integrity of our nation. I believe, I truly believe, the time to begin impeachment proceedings against this president has come. To delay or to do otherwise would betray the foundation of our democracy,” he said.
Democrats’ discussions of impeachment have been reignited after a whistleblower alleged that Mr. Trump withheld military aid to Ukraine to get the country to dig up dirt on former Vice President Joseph R. Biden, a Democratic presidential front-runner, and his son Hunter Biden.
Mr. Trump denied the accusation, saying Tuesday he temporarily withheld the aid so that other countries would pay their fair share.
According to MSNBC, 174 out of 235 House Democrats now support the president’s impeachment.
• Bailey Vogt can be reached at bvogt@washingtontimes.com.
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