* “This is not about competing Republican versus Democratic visions of American foreign policy. This is about whether our foreign policy should be made in the national interest or in the personal political interests of the president.”–Rep. Tom Malinowski, D-N.J.
* “Democrats KNOW they can’t beat @realDonaldTrump so they seek to remove him through an ILLEGAL COUP!”–Recent tweet of Kayleigh McEnany, national press secretary for the Trump re-election campaign.
* “Every member should support the American people hearing the facts for themselves. That is what this vote is about. It’s about the truth. And what is at stake in all of this is nothing less than our democracy.”–House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on the resolution for the impeachment procedure.
* “People say to me, ‘If you’re critical of the president, you’re hurting the party.’ No I’m not–I’m laying out a path for the party post the president.”–Sen. Mitt Romney.
* “Corrupt politicians, Pelosi and Schiff, are trying to take down the Republican Party. It will never happen. We will take back the House!”–Donald Trump.
* “We need to stand up and be counted. This is probably not the time for anonymity.”–“Primary Colors” author Joe Klein.
* “America’s national security is paramount. … Trump put his personal political interests above America’s national security interests, and he must be held accountable. No one is above the law. The American people deserve to know the full story.”–Florida Congresswoman Kathy Castor, D-Tampa, on her vote in support of the presidential impeachment inquiry.
* “(Impeachment) received a powerful push forward when the House voted Thursday for a new, public phase in the inquiry. This means among other things that the Democrats think they have the goods. They wouldn’t go live unless they did.”–Peggy Noonan, Wall Street Journal.
* “We’re going to see a lot of attempts to demean and cast doubt on the religious faith of presidential candidates, because of the Christian right’s primary conflict of interest: Donald Trump. The same president who spews racism from the most powerful position in the world and has bragged about being a sexual predator is also the adopted sweetheart of self-proclaimed Christian evangelicals.”–Connie Schultz, Creators Syndicate.
* “I believe people should be able to see for themselves what politicians they may or may not vote for are saying and judge their character for themselves.”–Mark Zuckerberg.
* “The law hasn’t been written yet–yet–that holds carriers of user-generated internet content responsible for the user-generated content they carry, just like movie studios, television networks and book, magazine and newspaper publishers.”–Aaron Sorkin, the screenwriter who won an Academy Award for “The Social Network.”
* “The bases are controlling both parties.”–U.S. Rep. Peter King, R-N.Y.
* “You just want to tell these Republicans that at some point you are going to have to face the facts. You can decide that it is not impeachable behavior, or it will draw the country through a process we shouldn’t go through. But to defend the president and to support him for re-election when you know what you know is just beyond the pale.”–Jeff Flake, former Republican senator from Arizona.
* “To be clear, the decision will be made by the market telling us where we should focus. We will continue to maintain print if consumers are asking for it, and the economics make sense. Our goal is to hold as steady as we can on print while focusing on transforming our digital business.”–Gannett CEO Paul Bascobert.
* “Democrats don’t have to go through Florida to win the presidency, but Republicans do. Republicans can’t lost Florida, so everything’s on the table. The governor is essential in raising the funds you need in a presidential election year.”–Al Cardenas, former chairman of the Republican Party of Florida, on Gov. Ron DeSantis stepping in to head up state party financing in support of Donald Trump.
* “The past 12 months have been Tampa Bay’s time to shine as a destination for visitors from across the country and around the world.”–Visit Tampa Bay President and CEO Santiago Corrada, on data showing that Hillsborough County’s tourism tax hit a record $35.4 million during the recent fiscal year–topping last year’s record by nearly $1.5 million.
* “Economic development is evolving, and economic development organizations have to evolve with it.”–Craig Richard, CEO of the Tampa Bay Economic Development Council, formerly known as the Tampa Hillsborough Economic Development Corp.
* “The single most important, overarching issue facing our community today.”–Mayor Jane Castor, in reference to transit priorities.
* “The most Democratic of Republicans.”–How Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister describes his politics.
* “With Jane Castor, you have a lot more dialogue happening than you had with Mayor Buckhorn.”–Tampa City Council Chairman LuisViera.
* “We are helping each other out. We’re figuring out this synergistic way that we help each other to grow.”–Florida Aquarium president and CEO Roger Germann, on the Aquarium’s collaboration with Sparkman Wharf at Water Street Tampa.
* “We’re much more aware of how we police.”–Tampa Police Chief Brian Dugan, on the steep decline in racially-skewed stops and citations for bicycle violations.