WASHINGTON – United States Congresswoman Jahana Hayes (CT-05) released the following statement on December 12 regarding her support of an impeachment vote.

My commitment has always been to be honest and transparent with the people of Connecticut’s 5th District on my thinking and the decisions I make. Impeachment is not a course I wanted to pursue. I came to Congress to make a difference, not to impeach a President.

After extensive review of the articles of impeachment and the available evidence, I will vote in favor of impeaching the President of the United States. I do not take this action lightly and understand the gravity of the moment.

As the impeachment discussion progressed, I remained committed to not weighing in publicly, believing it was important that everyone had the chance to examine the case for themselves. As the investigation proceeded, I deliberately chose not to comment without having had a chance to review all the evidence and study the full articles as drafted.

I have now had the chance to thoroughly consider all the evidence and the articles of impeachment being considered on the floor of the House of Representatives. It is clear to me that the president attempted to use the Office of the President to demand a foreign leader investigate an American citizen for political gain.

As I listened to the testimony, I became more concerned about the actions of the president. While some may argue these actions do not merit impeachment, to do nothing and normalize this behavior would be a dereliction of my oath of office. This is a moment where I must lead, and I will vote yes when the articles of impeachment are brought to the floor of the House.