this impeachment is nothing more than a
partisan exercise
designed to further divide the country
democrats claim
to want to unify the country but
impeaching a former president
a private citizen is the antithesis
of unity democrats brazenly
appointing a pro-impeachment democrat to
preside over the trial is not
fair or impartial and hardly encourages
any kind of unity in our country no
unity is the opposite of this travesty
we are about to witness
if we are about to try to impeach a
president
where is the chief justice if the
accused is no longer president
where is the constitutional power to
impeach him
private citizens don't get impeached
impeachment is for removal from
office and the accused here has already
left
office hyper-partisan democrats
are about to drag our great country down
into the gutter of rancor
and vitriol the likes of which has never
been seen in our nation's history
instead of doing the nation's work with
their new majorities in the house the
senate and the executive branch
democrats are wasting the nation's time
on a partisan vendetta
against a man no longer in office it's
almost as if they have no
ability to exist except in opposition to
donald trump
without him as their boogeyman they
might have to legislate
and to actually convince americans that
their policy prescriptions
are the right ones democrats are about
to do something
no self-respecting senator has ever
stooped to
democrats are insisting the election is
actually not over
and so they insist on regurgitating the
bitterness
of the election this acrimony
they are about to unleash has never
before been tried
why because calmer heads
have typically prevailed in our history
and allowed public opinion to cast blame
where blame is deserved this sham
of an impeachment will ostensibly ask
whether the president
incited the reprehensible behavior
and violence of january 6 when he said
i know everyone here will soon march to
the capitol
to peacefully and patriotically
make your voices heard peacefully
and patriotically hardly words of
violence
but what of democrat words what of
democrat
incitement to violence no democrat will
honestly ask
whether bernie sanders incited the
shooter that nearly killed steve scalise
and volunteer coach the shooter nearly
pulled off a massacre
i was there because he fervently
believed the false and inflammatory
rhetoric
spewed by bernie and other democrats
such as
the republican health care plan for the
uninsured
is that you die as this avowed bernie
supporter shot steve scalise nearly
killing him
and shot one of our coaches and two or
three of our staff
he screamed this is for health care ask
me
or anyone if that's incitement no
democrat will ask whether cory booker
incited violence
when he called for his supporters to get
get up in their face
of congress people a very visual and
specific incitement
no democrat will ask whether maxine
waters
incited violence when she literally told
her supporters and i
quote that if you see a member of the
trump administration
at a restaurant at a department store at
a gas station
or any place you create a crowd and you
push back on them
is that not incitement my wife and i
were pushed
and surrounded and screamed at by this
same type of mob
that maxine likes to inspire it's
terrifying
to have a swarm of people threatening to
kill you cursing at you and literally
holding you hostage
until police come to your rescue that
night we were assaulted by the crowd
i wasn't sure if we'd survive even with
the police protection
but no democrat has ever considered
impeaching maxine
for her violent rhetoric in fact
republicans
to our credit have never once thought it
legitimate
to formally censor or impeach these
democrats
no republican has sought to use the
government
to hold these democrats responsible for
antifa
and black lives matter violence that has
consumed our cities
all summer resulting in over a billion
dollars of destruction
looting and property damage not one
republican said
oh let's impeach the democrats who are
inciting this
because it would be ridiculous
many on the democrat side of the aisle
cheered them on
kamala harris famously offered to pay
the bill
for those who were arrested i wonder if
she'll be brought up on charges of
inciting violence
for that now that she's vice president
should kamala harris be impeached
for offering to pay for violent people
to get out of jail
who've been burning our cities down no
and no republican has offered that
because we're not going down the road
that democrats have decided this low
road of impeaching people for political
speech
should republicans impeach the democrat
mayor of seattle
who incited and condoned violence by
calling the armed takeover
of part of her city a summer of love
any republicans try to impeach her
on june 8 the new york post citing u.s
justice department statistics
reported that more than 700 law
enforcement officers
were injured during the antifa black
lives matter riots
there were at least 19 murders including
77 year old retired police officer david
dorn
yet democrats insist on applying a test
of incitement
to a republican that they refuse to
apply to themselves
i want the democrats to raise their
hands
if they have ever given a speech that
says
take back fight for your country
who hasn't used the words fight
figuratively
and are we going to put every politician
in jail
are we going to impeach every politician
who has used the words fight
figuratively in a speech shame
shame on these angry unhidged partisans
who are putting forth this sham
impeachment deranged by their hatred of
the former president
shame on those who seek blame and
revenge
and who choose to pervert a
constitutional process while doing so
i want this body on record every last
person here
is this how you think politics should be
look we've now got crazy partisans on
the other side of the aisle
trying to censor and remove two of the
republican senators
for their political position now look i
disagreed
i don't think congress should overturn
the electoral college
but impeaching or censoring or expelling
a member of congress you disagree with
is the truth so narrow that only you
know the truth
we now the media on your side saying
there is only
one set of facts one said of truth and
you can only interpret it this way
now we have seven senators on the other
side trying to expel
censor or impugn two senators on this
side
and i defend them not because i defend
their position i disagreed with their
position
but you can't impeach censor expel
people
you disagree with what's this coming to
in a few minutes i will insist on a vote
to affirm
that this proceeding we are about to
enter is unconstitutional
that impeachment of a private citizen is
illegal
and essentially a bill of attainder and
that no sense of fairness or due process
would allow the judge in the proceeding
to be a
partisan democrat already on favor
of the impeachment a sham this is
a travesty a dark plot on the history of
our country
i urge my colleagues to reconsider this
kangaroo court
and move forward to debate the great
issues of our day
with that i'd like to relinquish the
last moment or two of my time to a
senator
from wisconsin