THE Special Investigating Committee on Impeachment on Tuesday unanimously voted to send to the full House for action House Resolution 22-14 which calls for the impeachment of Gov. Ralph DLG Torres for the commission of felonies, corruption and neglect of duty — allegations he has denied.
It was Rep. Leila Staffler who made the motion to prepare the committee report and send the impeachment resolution “for action by the full body of the House.”
Voting yes to the motion were Staffler, House Minority Leader Angel Demapan, Reps. Tina Sablan, Donald Manglona, Corina Magofna, Joseph Flores, Patrick San Nicolas and Joseph Leepan Guerrero.
The special committee chair, Vice Speaker Blas Jonathan Attao, stated for the record that the committee rules they adopted provide that he would vote only when there is a tie. Since all of the eight other members voted in the affirmative, he therefore didn’t have to vote. But if he had to vote, “My vote would have been yes,” he said.
Present in the gallery on Tuesday were the House Judiciary and Governmental Operations Committee chair, Rep. Celina Babauta, and its members, Reps. Edwin Propst and Vicente Camacho. Also in the gallery were Reps. John Paul Sablan and Joel Camacho.
Attao allowed members of the public to address the committee.
First to comment was Fabian Indalecio, one of the governor’s vocal critics.
He asked the committee members to be mindful of the decision they will make as impeachment is in the best interest of the people. “Don’t turn your back against the people you serve,” he added. “Let’s restore trust and loyalty to the people of the Northern Mariana Islands.”
Nathan Eliot, a resident of Saipan for 12 years, said he wanted to “make sure that you impeach this governor.”
He said Saipan is “the only island I know. I live here, I work here, I vote here.”
He added, “I should not be paying his electric bill.”
He noted that there are still people in the CNMI who have not received their Pandemic Unemployment Assistance. “He needs to be impeached, he needs to resign, he needs to quit,” Eliot said.
He said the governor “is throwing the politics of retirees in our face,” referring to the bonuses for the retirees.
Eliot said the frontliners should also get something, adding that the waste of funds is “ridiculous…for this small island.”
Before the roll-call vote, Rep. Tina Sablan made the following statement:
“I’d like to provide some context for the action we will be taking today. It is apparent that the members of this special committee, Democrats and Republicans and independents alike, have reached consensus and agree to forego any further hearings or taking of evidence and to send H.R. 22-14 impeaching Governor Ralph DLG Torres to the House floor for action by the full body….
“Our agreement today acknowledges that the record is already voluminous. Extensive evidence has already been laid out and carefully reviewed and witnesses have been questioned.
“The governor has asked for fairness. He may disagree but from our perspective, especially for those of us who have been part of this investigative process from the very beginning, he has been afforded a great deal of fairness. He has had multiple opportunities to address the allegations against him, allegations of violations of law and the public trust. And he has refused to answer questions and testify under oath, resorting to attacks in the media and the lawsuit against the JGO committee.
“So here we are today, with these articles of impeachment charging Gov. Ralph Torres with commissions of felony, corruption and neglect of duty. This impeachment resolution is the culmination of two years of diligent and painstaking legislative investigation. It didn’t just arise out of nowhere. It is sponsored by five of the nine members of this committee and 13 of the 20 members of the House. Perhaps the writing is indeed already on the wall. No one among us takes this action lightly. No one can say this process was rushed. But we do have a duty and the public mandate to see it through to completion. We owe our people closure. And for the JGO committee, this is close to the end. But for the impeachment process our steps today are just the beginning.
“Given this context, in light of all the investigative work that preceded today’s meeting, it makes sense for this committee to report back to the speaker as soon as possible and thereafter to place this resolution on the floor for vote by the full house.”
At least 15 of the 20 House members are expected to vote for the adoption of the impeachment resolution.
Once the governor is impeached, the Senate will hold a trial. He will be removed from office if six of the nine senators vote for his conviction.
Ralph DLG Torres
