Jim McGovern

Mr. McGOVERN

Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I remind the gentlewoman that Hunter Biden was here today. He wants to testify in public, but Republicans said no because they want to do it behind closed doors so they can go on FOX News and cherry-pick facts and figures and distort the truth. Mr. Speaker, Republicans aren't interested in transparency in this investigation, and apparently the Rules Committee isn't either. In our markup yesterday, Democrats offered nine amendments. They were all voted down by Republicans, but in the official Rules Committee report, contrary to years of committee practice and tradition, the majority left out descriptions of those amendments. Instead of reading, for example, that Republicans defeated an amendment to add ``open and transparent'' to investigative proceedings, members of the public will only see that Republicans voted down ``amendment No. 4.'' Instead of defeating an amendment requiring committees to hold an open hearing as part of the investigation, the Record will show that the majority simply voted down ``amendment No. 5.'' Republicans are literally hiding Democratic amendments about transparency. You cannot make this stuff up, Mr. Speaker, and this is especially shocking to me because it is so out of line with the way this committee has run historically under this chairman. I am deeply disappointed, and I hope that this isn't an indication of how the majority intends to operate in the future. Further, to make sure that these amendments show up somewhere in this historical Record, I am going to put the summaries in the Congressional Record. Mr. Speaker, I include in the Record the summaries of our nine amendments, which Republicans intentionally left out of the Rules Committee report. Democratic Amendments to H. Res. 918 1. Offered by Rep. McGovern--adds a preamble describing President Joe Biden's career of honorable public service and former President Trump's multiple impeachments and 91 pending felony charges. 2. Offered by Rep. Leger Fernandez--Adds a preamble stating that the months-long Republican-led investigation into President Joe Biden has yielded no evidence of wrongdoing by the President. 3. Offered by Rep. Scanlon--Adds a preamble describing the tens of thousands of pages of records provided by the Administration and dozens of hours of testimony heard as part of the investigation. 4. Offered by Rep. Neguse--Adds ``Open and Transparent'' to investigative proceedings by the committees on Oversight and Accountability, Ways and Means, and the Judiciary. 5. Offered by Rep. Leger Fernandez--Requires the committees on Oversight and Accountability, Ways and Means, and the Judiciary to each hold at least one open hearing as part of the investigation. 6. Offered by Rep. Scanlon--Provides that a chair or ranking member cannot issue a subpoena in furtherance of the impeachment inquiry if they did not comply with a House, committee, or select committee subpoena. 7. Offered by Rep. McGovern--Strikes the provision deeming H. Res. 917 as adopted. 8. Offered by Rep. McGovern--Amends H. Res. 917 to exclude access to grand jury material related to a pending criminal prosecution, a prosecution arising from the January 6 attack on the Capitol, or a case in which former President Trump is a defendant. 9. Offered by Rep. Neguse--Adds a preamble stating that by December 11 in the first session of the 117th and 116th Congresses, 71 and 78 bills had been enacted, respectively, versus 22 in the 118th Congress; and stating that the House spent 26 days electing two Speakers in 2023.

Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, Members should be advised that Joe Biden, not Hunter Biden, is President of the United States. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Nadler), the distinguished ranking member of the Committee on the Judiciary.

Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. Neal), the distinguished ranking member of the Committee on Ways and Means.

Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, This article quotes Philip Bobbitt, a constitutional scholar at Columbia Law saying impeachment ``is supposed to be the most extreme sanction in American politics, and if you reach for it every time you think it will help you in the polls, I fear it will become degraded.'' Mr. Speaker, everything the gentleman just said has been debunked, and it is just nuts. I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from California (Mr. Schiff).

Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, I will tell the gentleman what is a mockery: This is a mockery. We hear the same tired, old conspiracy theories being recycled over and over again that have all been debunked. I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Goldman) to further debunk them.

Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, may I inquire as to how much time is remaining.

Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Wasserman Schultz).

Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, does the gentleman from Oklahoma have any other speakers?

Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from Massachusetts (Ms. Clark), the distinguished Democratic whip.

Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, it is amazing. A pattern is developing. If you will notice, my Republican friends never talk about Joe Biden. It is all Hunter Biden. They seem to be obsessed with him. I don't know. They need to get some help. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from California (Mr. Swalwell).

Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from Washington (Ms. Jayapal).

Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the distinguished gentleman from New York (Mr. Jeffries), the Democratic leader.

Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from California (Mr. Robert Garcia).

Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from Colorado (Mr. Neguse), a distinguished member of the Rules Committee.

Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, if we defeat the previous question, I will offer an amendment to the rule to bring up H.R. 12, a bill that would ensure every American has full access to essential reproductive healthcare, including abortion care. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to insert the text of my amendment into the Record, along with any extraneous material, immediately prior to the vote on the previous question.

Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from Massachusetts (Mrs. Trahan) to discuss our proposal.

Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, Republicans are saying the quiet part out loud. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to include in the Record a Rolling Stone article from today titled: ``GOP Rep. Explains Impeachment Push: `Donald J. Trump 2024, Baby!''' [From RollingStone, Dec. 13, 2023] GOP Rep. Explains Impeachment Push: `Donald J. Trump 2024, Baby!' (By Nikki McCann Ramirez) House Republicans will vote Wednesday on whether to formalize their impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden. The party has struggled to gin up a legitimate rationale for moving forward with the inquiry, which has yet to produce any credible evidence of wrongdoing, but one Republican is saying the quiet part out loud. When Rep. Troy Nehls (R-Texas) was asked Tuesday on Capitol Hill what he's hoping to gain from an impeachment inquiry, Nehls responded: ``All I can say is: Donald J. Trump 2024, baby!'' Video of the encounter was obtained exclusively by Rolling Stone. When reached for additional comment on Wednesday, Nehls said in a statement to Rolling Stone that Republicans ``will follow the rule of law and go where the facts lead us.'' Nehls is one of Trump's most ardent supporters in Congress, and even floated the former president as a potential House Speaker after Republicans booted Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) from the role in October. His comments are essentially an admission of what has long been obvious to many, which is that the GOP's fraught effort to dig up dirt on President Biden and his family is nothing more than a ham-fisted political stunt meant to hurt the president's reelection chances and place Trump back in the White House. Republicans for months have been trotting out flimsy bits of evidence they say point to Biden's corruption. They've produced nothing substantial, however, nor have they been able to articulate exactly which high crimes and misdemeanors the president may have committed. Hunter Biden, the president's son whom Republicans believe worked with his father on illegal financial dealings, bashed the investigations while defying a GOP subpoena for closed-door testimony on Wednesday. ``I'm here today to make sure the House committee's illegitimate investigations of my family do not proceed on distortions, manipulated evidence, and lies,'' he told reporters outside the Capitol. ``For six years MAGA Republicans including members of the House committees who are in a closed-door session right now, have imputed my character, invaded my privacy, attacked my wife, my children, my family, and my friends. They've ridiculed my struggle with addiction, they've belittled my recovery, and they have tried to dehumanize me, all to embarrass and damage my father.'' Meanwhile, Trump is embroiled in a sea of criminal and civil legal trouble. Cases in Washington, D.C., and Georgia relate directly to his effort to undermine the results of the 2020 election and his role in the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol. He's also been indicted in New York over a hush- money scandal ahead of the 2016 election, and by the Justice Department in Florida over his handling of classified material after leaving the White House. A civil trial in New York, where Trump has already been found liable for using fraudulent financial statements for his business, is expected to wrap up this week. Trump is also the clear frontrunner for the Republican 2024 nomination, and a showdown with Biden in the general election now seems inevitable. Republicans have tied themselves to Trump's erratic trajectory, and an impeachment inquiry in an election year is just the kind of circus they need to compete with the vortex of trials, depositions, and court appearances swirling around their all-but-official nominee. The circus will continue with the vote on Wednesday to formalize their impeachment inquiry, the push to hold Hunter Biden in contempt of Congress over his defiance of their subpoena, and a new round of Fox News appearances to try to legitimize the party's never-ending fishing expedition. Oversight Committee Chair James Comer (R-La.) won't be going on one of the network's most popular anytime soon. He said on Tuesday that he's boycotting Fox & Friends because one of its hosts keeps asking him questions he can't answer about what actual evidence the GOP has on Biden. House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) also avoided giving specifics in an op-ed announcing the vote to formalize the inquiry on Tuesday, writing--sincerely, absurdly--that ``impeachment is among the most solemn constitutional authorities the U.S. Congress holds, particularly when it comes to a president.'' If that's the public line Johnson wants House Republicans to use, he'd better get them some additional media training. At the very least, he should make sure they don't offer up the real reason for the inquiry as easily as Nehls did on Tuesday.

Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time to close. Mr. Speaker, this inquiry has nothing to do with Joe Biden. It is about the Republican Party and how radicalized and extreme they have become. They are allergic to truth and transparency. Republicans say this is not about a preordained outcome. It is. They are going to try to impeach President Biden despite the fact that there is no evidence against him at all. Trump sent a violent MAGA mob here to the Capitol to reverse the election results and certify that he won, even though he lost. What they couldn't do on January 6 they want to do with this extreme political stunt. They have contempt for our democracy. They want to finish the job. Republicans say this is all about process, about how the House will proceed. It is not. The truth is this process has already proceeded for 10 months. They have been investigating all year, obtaining tens of thousands of documents and hours and hours of witness testimony. All of it says there is no wrongdoing by President Biden. Republicans say the White House is stonewalling their inquiry. Again, that is not true. The White House has provided over 35,000 pages of financial records, dozens of hours of testimony and interviews. Hunter Biden is here to testify today, and Republicans won't let him because they want to do it in secret so they can cherry-pick and distort his testimony. This whole inquiry has nothing to do with the integrity of President Biden and everything to do with the lack of integrity in the Republican Party. No amount of evidence could convince Republicans that Joe Biden did nothing wrong because they aren't looking for the truth. They are looking for revenge. Mr. Speaker, I would just say directly to the American people, that the Republican Party works for Donald Trump; not for you, for Trump. That is why they are pursuing this extreme political stunt. That is why they are doing everything in secret. They want to hide the truth from you because they know their whole impeachment inquiry is a sham, and it will evaporate into thin air when people realize what a pathetic joke it is. This shameful process has no credibility. It has no legitimacy and no integrity. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to vote ``no,'' and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. McGOVERN

Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, this is a profoundly stupid resolution. Under Republican control, this Chamber has become a place where trivial issues get debated passionately and important ones not at all. Republicans have focused more on censuring people in this Congress than passing bills that help people we represent or improving this country in any way. What a waste of time and money. They have turned this place into a joke. They came into the majority talking a big game, but have delivered nothing, not a single, damn thing. They talk about passing this and passing that. All their hyperpartisan bills are going nowhere. What we are now doing is distracting from the fact that the Republican agenda has been a total and complete failure, the least productive Congress in history, the most rules failed in a single year. They dragged America to the brink of default twice, almost shut down the government, wasted weeks fighting about who should be Speaker, and hitting each other in the hallways. We should be talking about important issues in this Chamber, Mr. Speaker. We should be addressing healthcare costs, helping Americans build economic security, competing with our adversaries abroad, and investing in our people at home. We just had a shooting in Las Vegas. We should be talking about preventing gun violence in this country, and you have us here talking about how someone tried to go out the wrong door of the Cannon House Office Building. Honestly, what the hell is wrong with you? Congressman Bowman apologized. I want to read his statement so we can be clear about what we are talking about here today. ``Today, as I was rushing to make a vote, I came to a door that is usually open for votes but today would not open. I am embarrassed to admit that I activated the fire alarm, mistakenly thinking it would open the door. I regret this and sincerely apologize for any confusion this caused.'' He messed up. Like many of us do every day, he was rushing to get to votes. Guess what? No one was hurt. No one's life was put in danger. Votes went on like nothing happened. Anyone who works here knows that a fire alarm going off across the street wouldn't impact votes here in the Capitol. I find it terribly ironic that we are talking about censuring Mr. Bowman, yet we never censured any of our colleagues who tried to overturn the election on January 6 or who failed to respond to a subpoena or who put our national security in danger by storming the SCIF with their phones. In fact, to the contrary, Mike Johnson, the new Speaker of the House, held a press conference yesterday about the January 6 video footage. Something he said stuck with me: We have to blur some of the people's faces who participated in the events of that day because we don't want them to be retaliated against and charged by the DOJ. Just to be clear, Republicans want to protect the insurrectionists, shield them from accountability, the people who beat officers, kicked in doors, smashed windows, desecrated this building, and tried to take down our democracy. Not our doors; America's doors, America's officers, America's windows. This is America's building that Trump's mob defiled. Speaker Johnson wants to protect the mob but has us here debating this absurd censure. What a pathetic exercise in retaliation and revenge. What a petty thing it is to bring this garbage to the floor. Sadly, it is just a typical week for this disgraceful Republican majority. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, I yield an additional 1 minute to the gentleman from New York.

Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from Massachusetts (Ms. Clark), the Democratic whip.

Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, I will say it again, this resolution is profoundly stupid. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Bowman).