To hold a fair and honest impeachment trial and we are nearing a vote where we will fail to hold the President accountable for his abuse of power and a cover up thanks to the Senate Republican majority. This body is complicit in that cover up refusing to call witnesses and obtain documents to get the full truth. How can we turn a blind eye to the truth? As we cast one of the most important votes we will ever take Yes mister President. We are approaching a sad day for this body and for this country, but to those across the country who feel profoundly angry and saddened by this miscarriage of Justice, my message is this do not give up do not stop fighting to save our democracy because. America is worth the fight America is worth the fight. Make no mistake try as they might to cover it up. The full truth will come out and the facts have already been the facts that have already been revealed are damning the President's hand-picked Embassador Gordon Sunline testified quote everyone was in the loop in quote the more we find out the more revealing his testimony becomes not only. Is the President implicated, So is the vice President and the Secretary of State and the Attorney General and the President's acting chief of staff and his former energy Secretary and even the White House Council, the lead lawyer in this fairy proceeding. This is a Pandora's box. The Republican Party is fighting to keep shot, but it will not stay shut the President's misdeeds. And his wide circle of accomplices will go down as one of the ugliest episodes in American history. Even now the evidence gathered by the House and that the President abused his office and taxpayer funds for personal gain is staggering. Ambassador Sunland didn't sugarcoat the truth Was there a quid pro quo. The answer is yes, that was his quote using. Power for personal gain That is the very essence of abuse of power, and that's precisely what this President did. that's hardly even in dispute. the evidence is overwhelming. President first with held a coveted meeting until the Ukrainian President would announce investigations into the Bidens and the debunked conspiracy theory that Ukraine not Russia interfered in our 2016 election, the President next with Health congressionally appropriated military aid illegally to try and force the Ukrainian President into making the announcement of the investigation. The Independent Government Accountability Office confirmed that the President acted illegally the President threatened our National security, the security of an ally and the integrity of our next presidential election. How much more could be at stake? Ukrainian officials began asking about the aid only hours after the president's now infamous July. Fifth call with President Saline That's according to Laura Cooper, the deputy assistant Secretary of Defense for Russia, Ukraine and Eurasia, a former deputy foreign Minister in Ukraine, reports Ukraine new of the freeze in July and the whole world knew once the story broke the news on August 20, -eighth The President got caught and was forced to release the aid. He got caught Red handed and immediately commenced a scorched Earth blockade in Congress and the courts to cover up his grave misdeeds again. The facts are not in dispute so mister President knowing that these are some of the most serious and solemn words I will ever say or other on this floor, I will vote. To convict the President on both articles of impeachment, he is guilty by any standard. if he is allowed to act with impunity, He will be a continuing threat to the sanctity of our democracy. He is patently unfit to hold the highest office in our land. while the Senate may vote to acquit him, he will not be exonerated not by this. Sham trial While the Senate may vote to acquit the President history will not. Now senators on the other side of the aisle are publicly and not so publicly admitting that they believe the President is guilty that the House managers prove their case. But these same senators did not vote to hear witnesses and get documents they will fail to hold the President accountable for the wrong doing they now say he's guilty of this is one of the worst abuses of presidential power in our nation's history this. As bad as or worse than Nixon, President Nixon Nixon tried to corrupt the 1970 - two election and covered up, but he didn't try to extort an ally or invite foreign interference in our election. At that time, Members of his party with courage refused to turn a blind eye. The Republican Party of Today Bears no resemblance to the party of Howard Baker who Into the truth, Howard ask what did the President know? and when did he know it? it bears no resemblance to the party of Barry Goldwater, John Rhodes and Hugh Scott, who went to Nixon to tell him the Republican party could no longer protect him from impeachment and and removal. I'm grateful to the honorable officials who had the courage to act this time around who defied the President's order not to come forward Ambassador. Bitch, Lieutenant Colonel Venmo, Ambassador Taylor Mister Kent and the others. They risk their careers and even their personal safety. We should at least at least show the same courage because the consequences of failing to hold this President to account could not be graver. The guard rails have been taken off the President invited Russian interference in the 2016. And invited Chinese interference in the upcoming 2020 election, he said on National television. he would probably take foreign interference again. He is unapologetic and unrepentant. What is he going to do next Once the Senate Republicans let him get away with this abuse. Once we show that we are no longer a co-equal branch. We have never seated so much power to the executive. you can rest assured this President of all presidents will use that power and abuse. it take his word for it, he said. And I quote article to allows me to do whatever I want in quote. Politics Her prize winning presidential historian John Meacham said that the President is now and this is his quote quote functionally a monarch in quote that is stunning. Again, mister President these are sad days for our nation, but as I said at the outset we cannot and will not seed our democracy conceived our democracy. We cannot and will not conceive the values and principles that make this nation strong. We must restore the balance of power in our government. We must restore accountability. Most importantly, we must start doing the work the American people. Here to do our institutions are not representing what the American people want. Senate Republicans refusal to hold a fair impeachment trial, which is what 70 - five percent of the American people wanted is just the latest example. So while the Senate and the Constitution took a terrible battery, the last two weeks, I'm even more committed to breathing life into our shared principles. I'm going to continue the fight to take obscene amounts of secret money out of our elections to make it easier to vote and to bring power back to the American people and not handed over to an imperial presidency. The Senate will have future opportunities to restore our constitutional system. The only question is whether senators will rise to the occasion mister. I note the absence of a corn, the clerk will call the roll.