Date: 2009-06-19
Speaker: DANIEL E. LUNGREN (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Cali

fornia. I thank the gentleman for yielding. Mr. Speaker. article I. section 1 of the Constitution. in describing lifetime tenure of Federal judges. uses these words: "The judges shall hold their offices during good behavior." That is the starting point of our inquiry here in this impeachment. When you look at article II. section 4. talking about impeachment. it says. "The President. Vice President and all civil officers of the United States. shall be removed from office on impeachment for. and conviction of. treason. bribery. or other high crimes and misdemeanors." Some people mistikenly believe that you need a criminal conkiction as a condition preqedent~to_ us adting. That is nat true and has never been true. In this particular case we do have a criminal conviction. But the Articles of Impeachment go -beyond that to some of the underlying facts. specifically with respect to the sexual assault performed by this judge. Judge Kent. The question before us is whether or not he is fit for office. The answer seems to be obvious. One who would use their office in this way to commit sexual assault is unfit for any office. but particularly that of a Federal judge. Why do I say that? Because they are given lifetime tenure. and in this circumstance he was the sole judicial officer in this courthouse. Interestingly. now he says to us we should have some sympathy for him and extend him some mercy because he had no peers to speak with. anybody he could talk with about the serious problems in his life. The very fact that he was the only judicial officer in that courthouse gave him enormous power. which he repeated to his victims on more than one occasion. haying he was the law. he was the judge. In other words. he had what I refer to as a reign of judicial terror or tyranny over these individuals. utilizing his power as a Federal judge to misuse that power in such a way to put these women in a situation where they thought they had nowhere to turn. Just based on that. he ought to be removed from office. I should say to our colleagues who are watching in their offices right now. a simple review of the report presented by this committee will show sufficient evidence to justify every single article. We will vote on every single article in this House. as we have always done. and it is important for us to do that so that when we go to the Senate. they have the opportunity to review each single article of impeachment. This is extremely important. not just for Judge Kent. not just for his employees. who have suffered unnecessarily. but for the entire judicial system. For us to tarry a single day is to do injustice. This judge is now receiving. as has been said. his salary as a sitting judge while he sits incarcerated in a Federal institution of confinement. What arrogance. And if we do not act. we are letting the word go out that we. the only branch of government that is enabled by the Constitution to act in these circumstances. do not take our constitutional obligation seriously. We cannot resist acting here and we cannot resist asking the Senate to act as expeditiously as possible. This Federal judge has demeaned his office. has demeaned this country. has demeaned his oath of office and the Constitution itself. and we need now to act. We. have sufficient evidence presented on this record for all Members to vote in favor of each and every article of impeachMent. H70O62