Meet the woman presiding over President Trump’s impeachment debate

Colorado’s Diana DeGette getting lots of TV time

U.S. Rep. Diana DeGette is a Democrat from Colorado.

The woman who is presiding over President Donald Trump’s impeachment debate in the House has been representing Colorado’s first congressional district since 1996.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi chose Diana DeGette to serve as presiding officer during Wednesday's historic debate, in which Trump is all but certain to become the third American president to be impeached.

A Denver native, DeGette served two terms in the Colorado House of Representatives, where she served as assistant minority leader from 1993 to 1995.

U.S. Rep. Diana DeGette is presiding over President Donald Trump's impeachment debate in the House.

Credit: Mark Wilson

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Credit: Mark Wilson

In 1996, after her second term in the Colorado House, DeGette was elected to the U.S. House.

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“I am honored that the speaker has asked me to serve as speaker pro tempore of the House and to preside over most of the impeachment debate,” DeGette said. “None of us came to Congress to impeach a president, but every one of us — when we assumed office — took an oath to uphold the Constitution.

“This is a sad and somber moment in our nation’s history, and the responsibility to preside over this important debate is something I will not take lightly.”