IV 

116TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. RES. 396 

Authorizing and directing the Committee on the Judiciary to investigate 

whether sufficient grounds exist for the House of Representatives to 

exercise the power vested by article 1, section 2, clause 5 of the Constitution in respect to acts of misconduct by Donald John Trump, President 

of the United States. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

MAY 22, 2019 

Ms. JACKSON LEE (for herself, Mr. CASTRO of Texas, Mr. LEWIS, and Mr. 

COHEN) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the 

Committee on Rules 

RESOLUTION 

Authorizing and directing the Committee on the Judiciary 

to investigate whether sufficient grounds exist for the 

House of Representatives to exercise the power vested 

by article 1, section 2, clause 5 of the Constitution 

in respect to acts of misconduct by Donald John Trump, 

President of the United States. 

1 Resolved, That the Committee on the Judiciary, act2 ing as a whole or by any subcommittee thereof appointed 

3 by the chairman for the purposes hereof and in accordance 

4 with the rules of the committee, is authorized and directed 

5 to investigate fully and completely whether sufficient 


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1 grounds exist for the House of Representatives to exercise 

2 its constitutional power to impeach Donald John Trump, 

3 President of the United States of America, including but 

4 not limited to— 

5 (1) violation of the Foreign Emoluments Clause 

6 of the United States Constitution; 

7 (2) violation of the Domestic Emoluments 

8 Clause of the United States Constitution; 

9 (3) obstruction of justice; 

10 (4) abuse of power; 

11 (5) misfeasance in public office; 

12 (6) malfeasance in public office; 

13 (7) failure to protect the confidentiality of na14 tional secrets from enemies foreign and domestic; 

15 (8) failure to take care that the laws be faith16 fully executed; 

17 (9) failure to preserve records required by the 

18 Presidential Recordings and Materials Preservation 

19 Act (PRMPA) of 1974 (Public Law 93–526, 88 

20 Stat. 1695); 

21 (10) countenancing the payment of ransom with 

22 Federal funds to secure the release of an American 

23 hostage held in violation of international law by an 

24 outlaw nation; 


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1 (11) authorizing the issuance of security clear2 ances and disclosure of national secrets to persons 

3 known by the U.S. Intelligence Community to pose 

4 security risks; 

5 (12) refusal to acknowledge and failure to act 

6 to deter aggression and defend against attacks on 

7 the electoral systems and processes of the United 

8 States by foreign nations, actors, and entities; 

9 (13) engaging in a criminal scheme to violate 

10 Federal campaign finance laws to defraud the people 

11 of the United States; 

12 (14) mismanagement of the executive branch by 

13 failing to nominate persons for positions requiring 

14 confirmation by the United States Senate; 

15 (15) destabilizing the peace and security of the 

16 United States by condoning and normalizing White 

17 nationalism and giving legitimacy to those who ad18 here to the doctrine of White supremacy; 

19 (16) endeavoring to abuse the law enforcement 

20 powers of the United States to investigate and pun21 ish persons considered by Donald John Trump to be 

22 his political enemies; 

23 (17) undermining the essential institution of a 

24 free and independent press by attacking media orga25 nizations and individuals as ‘‘enemies of the people’’; 


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1 (18) denigrating immigrants and undermining 

2 the international standing of the United States by 

3 separating minor-age immigrant children from their 

4 parents with no means or intention of family reunifi5 cation; and for 

6 (19) irreparable breaches of the public trust. 

7 SEC. 2. The committee shall report to the House of 

8 Representatives such resolutions, articles of impeachment, 

9 or other recommendations as it deems proper. 

10 SEC. 3. (a) For the purpose of making such investiga11 tion, the committee, as it deems necessary to such inves12 tigation, is authorized to require— 

13 (1) by subpoena or otherwise— 

14 (A) the attendance and testimony of any 

15 person (including at a taking of a deposition by 

16 counsel for the committee); and 

17 (B) the production of such things; and 

18 (2) by interrogatory, the furnishing of such in19 formation; 

20 (b) Such authority of the committee may be exer21 cised— 

22 (1) by the chairman and the ranking minority 

23 member acting jointly, or, if the ranking member de24 clines to act, by the chairman acting alone, except 

25 that in the event either so declines, either shall have 


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1 shall have the right to refer to the committee for de2 cision the question whether such authority shall be 

3 so exercised and the committee shall be convened 

4 promptly to render that decision; or 

5 (2) by the committee acting as a whole or by 

6 subcommittee. 

7 Subpoenas and interrogatories so authorized may be 

8 issued over the signature of the chairman, and may be 

9 served by any person designated by the chairman, or any 

10 member designated by the chairman. The chairman, or 

11 any member designated by the chairman (or, with respect 

12 to any deposition, answer to interrogatory, or affidavit, 

13 any person authorized by law to administer oaths) may 

14 administer oaths to any witness. For the purposes of this 

15 section, ‘‘things’’ includes, without limitation, books, 

16 records, correspondence, logs, journals, memorandums, 

17 papers, documents, writings, drawings, graphs, charts, 

18 photographs, reproductions, recordings, tapes, transcripts, 

19 printouts, data compilations from which information can 

20 be obtained (translated if necessary, through detection de21 vices into reasonably usable form), tangible objects, and 

22 other things of any kind. 

23 SEC. 4. There shall be paid out of the applicable ac24 counts of the House such sums as may be necessary to 

25 assist the Committee on the Judiciary in conducting the 


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1 inquiry under this resolution, any of which may be used 

2 for the procurement of staff or consultant services. 

Æ 


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