Impeachment

Floor Speech

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Mrs. BLACKBURN. Mr. President, the first few weeks of the Biden administration produced an absurd number of Executive orders, soft talk on China policy, and the threat of open borders. These actions left the American people confused and diluted their faith in our institutions, but nothing made the American people feel more unsettled than the unprecedented second impeachment and trial of former President Donald J. Trump.

Impeachment is inherently political. The fallout is everything but. Last week, I was able to spend time talking to Tennesseans about what they saw and heard during the trial, and I was struck by how fiercely most of them spoke out against the very idea of it.

The House Managers didn't just fail to prove their case against the former President. They failed to convince the American people that the Members of the House of Representatives who supported impeachment acted in good faith when they drafted their single Article and transmitted it to the Senate for consideration.

Tennesseans saw no serious inquiry into the alleged connection between the former President's words and the actions of the dangerous rioters who breached the Capitol on January 6, 2021. They remain unpersuaded by the arguments the House Managers offered to prove the constitutionality of the trial itself. In fact, the only thing they remain firmly convinced of is that this second impeachment culminated in nothing but a partisan show trial designed to humiliate the former President and wipe the voices of more than 70 million Americans from the pages of history.

The Senate's vote to acquit the former President of these spurious charges put an end to the House Managers' charade, but it will take more than an entry into the Congressional Record to help the country rise above the enmity that fueled it. It is our duty to lead by example and get to work on behalf of the millions of Americans living under this cloud of anxiety, fear, and mistrust. I encourage my colleagues to quiet their hearts in the coming weeks and commit to doing the work that will put us on the path to economic recovery, quality in-person schooling, and a strong national defense. Only then will we be justified in asking those we serve to once again put their faith in us.

I would be remiss if I did not associate myself with the comments of the Republican Leader honoring Officer Eugene Goodman for his actions during the January 6, 2021 riot at the United States Capitol.

On that day, Officer Goodman found himself alone, facing off against a rushing tide of violence. Without blinking, he lured the mob away from the Senate chamber, protecting us from what we now know was an all but inevitable tragedy.

I was honored to celebrate these acts of bravery and self-sacrifice by joining the Senate's unanimous vote in support of S. 35, to award Officer Goodman the Congressional Gold Medal. I thank him for his courage and his commitment to duty, and for his willingness to continue to serve here in the Capitol.

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