Washington, D.C. – Congressman Michael C. Burgess, M.D. (R-TX), a member of the House Rules Committee, released the following statement after voting against impeaching President Trump.
“The rioters who stormed the Capitol were wrong and should be held accountable, but it is time for America to heal. In less than a week, President Trump will be leaving office and President-elect Biden will be sworn into office. Continuing to pursue impeachment will just further increase the partisan divide,” said Burgess.
“Over the last year, we have watched as the Majority party has turned the Constitutional authority to impeach into a political chess piece. This is a dangerous precedent. Our Founding Fathers did not intend for impeachment to be used in this manner.
“This weekend, I was reminded in an op-ed published by the Denton Record Chronicle of the words of President Lincoln: ‘We are not enemies, but friends. We must not be enemies. Though passion may have strained, it must not break our bonds of affection. The mystic chords of memory will swell when again touched, as surely they will be, by the better angels of our nature.’’’
“It is time for Congress to come together and put the interests of the American people first. America is coming to the other side of this Coronavirus pandemic, but there is still work that needs to be done to ensure that the vaccine is being quickly, safely, and efficiently distributed.
“For too long Congress has diverted from focusing on policy and has turned the opposite political party into the enemy. We must heed the words of Lincoln. Our discussion must put America first and focus on policy, not winning partisan points.
“This country is worth too much to let partisan fights divide us. Just as Lincoln said, ‘A house divided against itself cannot stand,’ we must remember that we are all first and foremost Americans.”
