Rep. Harley Rouda Statement on Impeachment

Washington, D.C. – I came to Congress in January with one primary goal - to work in a bipartisan manner and move our country and our communities forward. And I am proud to say I have honored that pledge and maintained the most legislatively productive agenda of any freshman Member of Congress. While I did not come to Congress to impeach the President, I took a solemn oath to my country and my constituents to support and defend the Constitution of the United States. 
 
President Trump’s confirmation that he abused the power of the Office of the President of the United States to invite foreign interference in our upcoming election is treasonous, jeopardizes the bedrock principle of free and fair elections, and is just one of many unethical, if not illegal, actions this President has taken.
 
More than 1,000 former federal prosecutors – both Republicans and Democrats, from rural and urban areas, and from coast to coast – agree that the President would have been charged with multiple felony counts of obstruction of justice if not for the Department of Justice’s Office of Legal Counsel opinion. The President has abused the highest office in the land to enrich himself and his family through financial transactions with foreign powers. Multiple congressional committees are currently investigating further abuses of power committed by the President. Sitting on the House Oversight Committee, I have seen firsthand the President and his Administration brazenly defy subpoenas and other constitutionally mandated requests – however, this recent display of obstruction is beyond the pale. These repeated betrayals of his oath to preserve, protect, and defend our nation’s constitution is why we must hold the President accountable using the powers granted to Congress by Article I of the Constitution.
 
This is bigger than party, polling, and politics as usual – this is an attack on the very foundation of our democracy by the President of the United States. I hope my colleagues, particularly those across the aisle, will join me in putting patriotism before party and simply do what is right for We The People. 
 
For these reasons cited above, I hereby support moving forward with pursuing Articles of Impeachment against the President of the United States.