IV 

115TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. CON. RES. 47 

Expressing the sense of Congress that until the conclusion of the FBI’s 

criminal and counterintelligence investigations into the nature of the 

Russian connection to the Trump campaign, the Trump Administration 

is acting under a ‘‘gray cloud’’ of the appearance of a conflict of interest, 

and, as such, should refrain from taking any actions or making any 

changes to United States policy that could be seen as benefitting President Putin or his inner circle. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

APRIL 5, 2017 

Mr. SWALWELL of California (for himself and Mr. ENGEL) submitted the following concurrent resolution; which was referred to the Committee on 

Foreign Affairs, and in addition to the Committees on the Judiciary, and 

Intelligence (Permanent Select), for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions 

as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 

CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 

Expressing the sense of Congress that until the conclusion 

of the FBI’s criminal and counterintelligence investigations into the nature of the Russian connection to the 

Trump campaign, the Trump Administration is acting 

under a ‘‘gray cloud’’ of the appearance of a conflict 

of interest, and, as such, should refrain from taking 

any actions or making any changes to United States 

policy that could be seen as benefitting President Putin 

or his inner circle. 


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•HCON 47 IH 

Whereas the Russian Federation has been a longstanding adversary of the United States; 

Whereas the Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation 

(FBI), James Comey, and the Director of the National 

Security Agency, Michael Rogers, testified at a March 

20, 2017, hearing of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence (in this resolution referred to as 

the ‘‘HPSCI Hearing’’) that the Russian Federation is a 

foreign adversary of the United States and should be 

treated as such in all interactions with United States officials; 

Whereas the Russian Federation has an institutionalized opposition to human rights, democracy, and the sovereignty 

of its neighbors, exhibited most recently in its 2014 invasion of Crimea, its support for troops that shot down a 

Malaysian Airlines passenger jet, its state-sponsored suppression of an independent media, and its support for 

Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad; 

Whereas 17 United States intelligence agencies jointly concluded in a January 2017 public report (‘‘IC report’’) 

that Russian President Vladimir Putin personally ordered 

a campaign to interfere in the 2016 United States elections in order to harm former Secretary of State Hillary 

Clinton’s chances of winning with a preference toward 

candidate Donald Trump; 

Whereas the Russian Federation’s attack on the 2016 United 

States elections was multi-faceted, and included the hacking and dissemination of the contents of electronic systems of the Democratic National Committee and the 

Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee and its 

emails, the hacking and dissemination of the e-mails of 

Secretary Clinton’s campaign chairman, the probing of 


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voter databases in Florida, Illinois, and, Arizona, the dissemination of fake news through paid social media trolls, 

and using its state broadcasting station—directly tied to 

Russia’s intelligence services—RT, to attack Secretary 

Clinton and support Donald Trump; 

Whereas the IC report concluded that the Russian Federation 

will undoubtedly attempt to meddle in and influence future United States elections and elections of United 

States allies; 

Whereas despite the Russian Federation’s status as an adversary and its attack on our democracy, Trump campaign 

officials and members of the Trump Administration have 

established or maintained well known and publicly documented ties with people close to President Putin; 

Whereas such ties include— 

(1) Attorney General Jeff Sessions, who provided 

misleading testimony for his Senate confirmation hearings with respect to at least twice meeting with Russia’s 

Ambassador to the United States, Sergey Kislyak, in 

2016; 

(2) former Assistant to the President for National 

Security, Michael Flynn, who was compelled to resign 

just weeks into his tenure because he misled Vice President Mike Pence about his conversations with Ambassador Kislyak, and who also failed to disclose a $33,750 

payment from RT, for a speech in Moscow in 2015, and 

a $11,250 payment from Kaspersky Lab, a company suspected of having ties with the Russian intelligence services and later caught up in a Russian espionage investigation, for a speech in 2015; 

(3) Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort, who 

received over $12,000,000 from former pro-Russian 


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Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych in his work as a 

political consultant in Kiev, and who reportedly signed a 

$10,000,000 annual contract with Russian business magnate and Putin ally, Oleg Depripaska, saying he would 

influence American politics, business, and news, in a proRussia manner; 

(4) Trump campaign national security advisor J.D. 

Gordon, who directly advocated for a change in the 2016 

Republican Party platform to include more pro-Russia 

and less pro-Ukraine policies, and who met with Ambassador Kislyak, telling him he would like to improve 

United States-Russia relations; 

(5) Trump campaign senior foreign policy advisor 

Carter Page, who has ties to Gazprom, the Russian Federation’s state-owned gas company, made a speech in 

Moscow critical of United States foreign policy while a 

Trump campaign advisor, and met with Ambassador 

Kislyak at the 2016 Republican National Convention 

while serving as campaign advisor; 

(6) Trump campaign advisor Roger Stone, who had 

back-channel discussions with Julian Assange, the 

WikiLeaks founder, and had exchanges with hacker 

Guccifer 2.0, a known front for Russian intelligence, both 

of whom released documents damaging to Secretary Clinton and her presidential campaign; and 

(7) Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, who has met 

a number of times with President Putin and was awarded 

Russia’s Order of Friendship in 2013, the highest state 

honor for a foreigner; 

Whereas, despite being presented with clear and convincing 

evidence of atrocities committed by the Government of 

the Russian Federation and its President, President 

Trump has not only refused to criticize them, but has 


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gone so far as to praise President Putin and his government, and furthermore, President Trump has been exceedingly willing to criticize or offend some of our closest 

allies, including the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, 

Germany, and Mexico; 

Whereas President Trump, his campaign officials, and some 

of his cabinet members have openly criticized the North 

Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), its usefulness, 

and its future, and this open criticism of NATO only 

helps Russia by seeming to call into question NATO’s 

power, influence, and ability to counter the Russian Federation strategically and militarily; 

Whereas NATO is one of our oldest and strongest military 

alliances that was created to counter the former Soviet 

Union’s aggression, and, more recently, provides a needed 

deterrent capability against an increasingly belligerent 

Russia; 

Whereas the Russian Federation has increased militarization 

in the region in the last few years, and the prime target 

of this aggression is our European allies, and NATO is 

a critical defense against this type of military aggression; 

Whereas the Russian Federation has increasingly used 

cyberwarfare as a weapon against democracies and democratic institutions, including in Estonia in 2007, Lithuania in 2008, Ukraine in 2014, Germany in 2015, and 

the United States in 2016; 

Whereas in response to the Russian Federation’s invasion of 

Ukraine, the United States, in close coordination with its 

European partners, imposed a series of escalating rounds 

of sanctions on business transactions in the United 


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States with respect to both Russian individuals and Russian companies, and in addition through travel bans; 

Whereas in response to the Russian Federation’s interference 

in the 2016 United States elections, the United States 

issued sanctions against Russian intelligence agents and 

entities, expelled 35 Russian personnel registered with 

the Russian diplomatic mission in the United States and 

listed them as ‘‘persona non grata’’, and shut down two 

Russian compounds in Maryland and New York alleged 

to have been used for intelligence activities; 

Whereas the FBI generally does not publicize ongoing investigations, except in extraordinary circumstances in which 

it believes it is in the public interest, and FBI Director 

Comey testified at the HPSCI Hearing, ‘‘This is one of 

those circumstances’’; 

Whereas Director Comey further testified that the FBI ‘‘is 

investigating the Russian government’s efforts to interfere in the 2016 presidential election’’; 

Whereas Director Comey further testified that the FBI’s 

criminal and counterintelligence investigations include 

‘‘investigating the nature of any links between individuals 

associated with the Trump campaign and the Russian 

government, and whether there was any coordination between the campaign and Russia’s efforts’’; 

Whereas coordination between a foreign adversary and members of a United States presidential campaign during the 

adversary’s attack on our democracy would be an unprecedented assault on the government and democratic process of the United States; and 

Whereas the extensive ties between President Trump’s campaign and Administration with President Putin’s governVerDate Sep 11 2014 00:05 Apr 06, 2017 Jkt 069200 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HC47.IH HC47

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ment and associated individuals, President Trump’s 

statements and those of his Administration toward President Putin and his government about defense policy as 

it relates to the Russian Federation, and the ongoing 

criminal and counterintelligence investigations by the 

FBI, raise enough serious questions about the intent and 

influence behind any policy decisions the President or his 

Administration may make with respect to President 

Putin and the Government of the Russian Federation or 

otherwise affecting them: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate 

2 concurring), That it is the sense of Congress that— 

3 (1) President Trump, his family, his business 

4 associates, his campaign associates, and members of 

5 his Administration should cooperate fully with all in6 vestigations undertaken which examine the Russian 

7 Federation’s attack on our democracy during the 

8 2016 United States elections, ties between officials 

9 with President Trump’s campaign and the Russian 

10 Federation, and possible coordination between these 

11 officials and the Russian Federation as part of its 

12 attack; 

13 (2) until the conclusion of the FBI’s criminal 

14 and counterintelligence investigations into the nature 

15 of the Russian connection to the Trump campaign, 

16 the Trump Administration is acting under a ‘‘gray 

17 cloud’’ of the appearance of a conflict of interest, 

18 and, as such, should refrain from taking any actions 


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1 or making any changes to United States policy that 

2 could be seen as benefitting President Putin or his 

3 inner circle; and 

4 (3) the appearance of any conflict of interest 

5 concerning a well-resourced, committed, and dan6 gerous foreign adversary and the institutions of 

7 United States Government primarily responsible for 

8 national defense and the conduct of foreign policy 

9 weakens our national security and erodes confidence 

10 between the United States and our allies. 

Æ 


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