WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Jim Risch (R-Idaho) today spoke on the floor about the Senate's vote scheduled to take place this afternoon to acquit President Trump.

“I come at this with a little bit of a different view than others. I've tried more cases than probably anyone on the floor, both as a prosecutor and in private practice. And so I watched carefully as the case was presented to us and how the case had been put together by the managers from the House," said Risch. "I learned in many years of trial experience that the only way to try a case is to act it in good faith and do it honestly. I had real trouble in the beginning when I saw the lead manager read a transcript of the President's phone call that was at issue here, and it was falsified knowingly, willfully, and intentionally. So, as a result of that, when they walked in to present their case, there was a strike there already, and I put it in that perspective."

He closed his remarks by explaining why he will vote to acquit.

"This movement has been entirely partisan. No Republican voted to impeach in the House of Representatives," said Risch. "This afternoon at 4 o'clock we're going to have a vote and it's going to be along party lines, and again, it's going to be political. At the end of the day, this is a political exercise, and that political exercise is going to fail. And once again, God has blessed America, and the Republic that Benjamin Franklin said we have — if we can keep it — is going to be sustained." 

Remarks have been lightly edited for clarity.

To listen to the rest of Senator Risch's remarks, click the video below.

To watch on YouTube, click here.

To download the video file, click here.

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