My Thoughts on Impeachment

Today, the Senate concluded its impeachment trial of President Trump. After listening to the impeachment managers and the President's defense team, and carefully weighing the overwhelming evidence that was presented, I voted to find President Trump guilty on both articles of impeachment. I believe there would have been even more evidence to support this conclusion, but the Senate was denied the opportunity to see relevant documents and hear from firsthand witnesses. This was not a decision I made lightly, and I took no pleasure in it. However, based on the evidence, I concluded that the President's actions posed an ongoing threat to our democracy and warranted his impeachment and removal from office. Our President asked a foreign leader to announce a sham investigation into his political rival and withheld critical U.S. military aid in an effort to secure that investigation. He then obstructed the House of Representatives impeachment inquiry - refusing to allow relevant witnesses to testify or produce key documents and emails. To this day, the information blockade continues. These actions constitute abuse of power and obstruction of Congress. Before the votes, I spoke in more detail on the Senate floor about my reflections on the impeachment trial. You can read my remarks at https://go.senate.gov/X15V or watch them at https://go.senate.gov/YW11. Despite the outcome of the Senate vote, we must now look to the future and redouble our efforts to deliver on good governance for our country. I will continue my work to meet the needs and priorities of Rhode Islanders, like rebuilding our roads and schools, protecting affordable access to health care, and creating more decent-paying jobs across the state. And we must all work to build a better, stronger America together. Jack Reed United States Senator

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