The President withheld congressionally apportioned national security funds to use as leverage to pressure Ukraine into damaging a political opponent’s reputation to aid in the President’s reelection. 

This action by the President made the United States less safe. It made our strategic ally, Ukraine, less safe. It strengthened Russia’s position of aggression toward Ukraine and the US. 

The President intervened against the direction of Congress, a coequal branch of government. This action weakened the government’s ability to act effectively.

Left unchecked, the President will continue to abuse the power of his office to undermine our democratic process by soliciting election interference from foreign nations, like he has publicly with Russia, Ukraine, and China. “Let the American people decide at the next election” is no longer an option, since the President has made it clear that elections are not to be decided solely by the American people, but by foreign governments and global interest groups as well.

Left unchecked, the President will act with impunity in his own interest above the interests of the American people, without regard for the Constitution or the nation of the United States of America. 

The framers of the Constitution were concerned with this type of abuse of power by the President, and they designed impeachment as the remedy. Impeachment is, in fact, the only redress available to us for this situation.

The House must vote to impeach, and the Senate must vote to remove the President from office.