Carper Statement on House Impeachment Vote

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, U.S. Senator Tom Carper (D-Del.) released the following statement after the U.S. House of Representatives voted to impeach President Donald J. Trump:

“I first swore an oath to protect and defend the Constitution of the United States at the age of 17 when I became a Navy ROTC midshipman at Ohio State. Since then, I have taken that same oath many times over – when I was commissioned as an ensign in the Navy during the Vietnam War, when I was elected and re-elected to Congress, and, most recently, when Vice President Pence administered the oath this past January to the newly elected and re-elected senators on the floor of the United States Senate. 

“It is an oath that I take seriously. It is a solemn promise to every Delawarean and every American that I will do everything I can to make sure the longest running experiment in democracy continues to serve as an example for the rest of the world and that the rights enshrined in our Constitution continue to be protected for each and every one of us. 

“Last night, the House has voted to approve serious charges brought against President Trump. Now, those charges will be sent to the Senate for a trial. As part of an impeachment trial, my Senate colleagues and I will be asked to take an additional oath – one that asks us, as jurors in that impeachment trial, to swear to ‘do impartial justice according to the Constitution and laws.’ I intend to uphold that oath. I intend to listen to all of the evidence presented, and I intend to render a fair verdict based upon all available facts and evidence. I hope that all my Senate colleagues will do the same. 

“The oath we all take is not to a political party. It is not to a President. It is to the Constitution of the United States. The Senate, and those who serve in this body, must meet this moment with the seriousness it deserves.” 

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