WASHINGTON DC (December 10, 2019) — Senator Charles "Chuck" Grassley today made the following statement regarding House Democrats’ announced articles of impeachment against President Donald Trump:
“The Democrats’ desire to overturn the 2016 election by impeaching President Trump has been abundantly clear since before he took the oath of office. But try as they might, they’ve struggled to arrive at a charge that can stand up to scrutiny. First it was collusion with Russia, but the special counsel spent two years and $35 million investigating, only to debunk the theory. Yesterday’s report by the Justice Department Inspector General revealed that this claim was built on a foundation of lies and rumors pushed by Trump’s opponents. So the Democrats set their sights on an alleged quid pro quo, but that didn’t poll well with voters. They changed their allegation to bribery, but the facts and history didn’t seem to support that claim either. So once again, they are watering down their charge.
“The House’s strung-out preoccupation with impeachment has come at a cost. For example, USMCA languished in the House for more than a year, only to finally and conveniently move just minutes after Speaker [Nancy] Pelosi announced articles of impeachment. Meanwhile, the Senate has been focused on issues that matter most to the American people, like strengthening the economy, promoting job and wage growth and preventing a government shutdown.
“If the House decides to move forward, the Senate will do its constitutional duty with fairness and clear eyes, not blind partisanship.”
