U.S. Senator Todd Young (R-Ind.) today issued the following statement regarding the impeachment trial and his intent to vote to acquit:
“As a United States Senator, I swore an oath to uphold the Constitution and serve as an impartial juror. After hearing all counsel arguments and reviewing all evidence in the record, including 17 witnesses, 192 witness video clips, and 28,578 pages of evidence, procedural rules, and Constitutional concerns, I will vote to acquit the President.
“I have worked to remain impartial and open-minded throughout this trial, but it must be acknowledged that a political fever permeated this process from the beginning – dating back not just to the start of the House of Representatives’ impeachment efforts, but all the way back to November 2016.
“The House’s rushed impeachment process denied the President due process, and House Managers failed to meet their heavy burden of proof to remove a president from office and from future ballots.
“During President Nixon’s impeachment, then Democratic Chairman Peter Rodino of the House Judiciary Committee urged that for the American people to accept an impeachment, it must be powerfully bipartisan. This has been dubbed the Rodino rule, and I embrace the standard.
“This week, Americans begin the presidential election process. It’s time for the Senate to resume its legislative work on behalf of the American people, and to allow the voters to register their opinions about this administration in the coming election. The Founding Fathers, who warned of the political nature of impeachment, also provided us a means to address dissatisfaction with our Presidents: frequent elections.”
