Impeaching a president is incredibly serious, so I want you to hear directly
from me on this important matter.
Voting in support of the impeachment of President Trump under these
circumstances will do great damage to the institutions of government and could
invite further violence at a time the President is calling for calm.
If there was a time for America's political leaders to bend a knee and ask for
God's counsel and guidance, it is now. The most important thing for leaders to
do in times of crisis is to make things better, not worse.
The process used in the House of Representatives today to impeach President
Trump was an affront to any concept of due process and will further divide the
country. The President, who will be leaving office in less than a week, has
committed to an orderly transfer of power, encouraging calm, and rejecting
violence.
The House sought to legitimize a snap impeachment totally void of due process.
There were no hearings or witnesses. It was a rushed process that sets a new
precedent, and it will become a threat to future presidents.
Additionally, I fear leaders of the Senate are making the problem worse, not
better. The last thing the country needs is an impeachment trial of a president
who is leaving office in one week.
Democrats previously impeached the President over a matter which was not worthy
of that process. Now they have done it again, believing that this effort will
wash for history the fact that the first impeachment was based on the thinnest
of pretenses: a phone call with the leader of Ukraine. Impeachment should never
be a 'do-over,' but that is what Democrats have done today.
I believe my Republican colleagues who legitimize this process are doing great
damage to the country, the future of the presidency, and the Republican Party.
The millions who have supported President Trump and his agenda should not be
demonized because of the despicable actions of a seditious mob. The individuals
who participated in the storming of the U.S. Capitol should be met with the
full force of the law. They should and will be held accountable.
Sincerely,
Lindsey Graham
United States Senator
