Today, Congressman Patrick McHenry (NC-10) released the following statement on the upcoming House vote on H. Res. 24, the Article of Impeachment against President Donald J. Trump:

"In the days since the events of January 6^th, I’ve been horrified and disgusted to see the pictures and videos that have emerged from that horrible day. With time, the magnitude of what occurred at the Capitol has become more clear. Those violent acts resulted in the deaths of multiple people, including a USCP officer who was fighting to defend not just the Capitol—but also the constitutional process we were undertaking that day. The people who forcefully invaded the Capitol must be arrested and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law, especially the murderer who took the life of Officer Sicknick.  

“While I wish that President Trump would have forcefully condemned the violent actions of that mob, there are a variety of reasons—both practical and otherwise—why impeachment is a bad idea and one that I will vote against. 

“Practically, doing this less than a week before President-elect Biden takes the oath is simply absurd. In a recent memo, Leader McConnell outlined how the Senate is incapable of acting on this until the President’s final day in office. Are we really going to spend the opening days of a Biden Presidency with the impeachment trial of his predecessor who is now a private citizen? That won’t make things better. 

“Furthermore, if the removal of President Trump is so urgent—as my Democrat colleagues claim—why did we wait a full week after the events to have this vote? Why did we spend two days working on a non-binding resolution that was little more than a congressional threat against Vice President Pence?

“While this transfer of power has not been peaceful, it is still moving forward. Let’s focus on ensuring that happens, as our Constitution and our laws demand."