IV 

108TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. RES. 307

Creating a select committee to investigate the effectiveness of the United 

States’ intelligence structure to meet global threats. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

JUNE 26, 2003

Mrs. TAUSCHER (for herself, Mr. TAYLOR of Mississippi, Mr. WAXMAN, Mr. 

SPRATT, Mr. ALLEN, Mr. COOPER, Mr. SKELTON, Mr. FROST, Mr. 

SCHIFF, and Mr. DOOLEY of California) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Rules 

RESOLUTION

Creating a select committee to investigate the effectiveness 

of the United States’ intelligence structure to meet global 

threats.

1 Resolved, That (a) there is hereby created a Select 

2 Committee on Iraq Intelligence (hereinafter referred to as 

3 the ‘‘select committee’’), to be composed of 15 Members 

4 of the House to be appointed by the Speaker (of whom 

5 7 shall be appointed upon the recommendation of the mi6 nority leader), one of whom he shall designate as chairman 

7 and one of whom he shall designate as vice chairman. Any 

8 vacancy occurring in the membership of the select com9 mittee shall be filled in the same manner in which the 
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1 original appointment was made. The select committee may 

2 conduct a full and complete investigation and study of 

3 United States intelligence relating to Operation in Iraqi 

4 Freedom, and make such findings and recommendations 

5 to the House as the select committee deems appropriate 

6 regarding the following matters: 

7 (1)(A) The intelligence the United States had 

8 before Operation Iraqi Freedom regarding weapons 

9 of mass destruction in Iraq and Iraq’s capacity to 

10 produce them. 

11 (B) A comparison of expectations based on the 

12 intelligence before Operation Iraqi Freedom and 

13 what was subsequently found in Iraq. 

14 (C) The credibility of the United States intel15 ligence regarding Iraqi threats to the security of the 

16 United States, Europe, and the Middle East. 

17 (D) Whether this intelligence supported the 

18 claim of an ‘‘imminent’’ threat to the United States 

19 and its allies. 

20 (E) An identification of the intelligence used to 

21 substantiate the claim that Iraq was working with 

22 Al-Qaeda terrorists. 

23 (F) An identification of the intelligence used to 

24 support the claim of Secretary of State Powell in his 

25 February presentation to the United Nations that 
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1 the aluminum tubes Iraq bought were intended to 

2 make nuclear bombs. 

3 (G) The manner in which the decision was 

4 made to strike a building in Baghdad on the first 

5 day of Operation Iraqi Freedom where Saddam Hus6 sein was suspected to be hiding. 

7 (H) The accuracy of the pre-war assessment of 

8 the capabilities and threat posed by Saddam Hus9 sein’s Republican Guard. 

10 (I) The credibility of the intelligence regarding 

11 the threat of use of chemical and biological weapons 

12 against Coalition forces. 

13 (J) The effectiveness of the collection, analysis 

14 and dissemination to senior administration policy15 makers of significant intelligence regarding threats 

16 to the United States and to its allies. 

17 (2) The performance of the Office of the Om18 budsman in the Central Intelligence Agency in ad19 dressing potential concerns relating to the matter set 

20 forth in paragraph (1). 

21 (3) The role and the credibility of intelligence 

22 gathered by Iraqi opposition groups working with 

23 the United States before Operation Iraqi Freedom. 

24 (4) The degree to which intelligence about Iraqi 

25 weapons of mass destruction was shared with United 
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1 Nations weapons inspectors before Operation Iraqi 

2 Freedom. 

3 (5) The role of the Office of Special Plans in 

4 the Department of Defense and whether it com5 plimented, competed with, or detracted from the role 

6 of other United States intelligence agencies respect7 ing the collection and use of intelligence relating to 

8 Iraqi weapons of mass destruction. 

9 (b) One-third of the members of the select committee 

10 shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business 

11 other than the reporting of a matter, which shall require 

12 a majority of the select committee to be actually present, 

13 except that the select committee may designate a lesser 

14 number, but not less than two, as a quorum for the pur15 pose of holding hearings to take testimony. The rules of 

16 the House shall govern the select committee where not in17 consistent with this resolution. The select committee shall 

18 adopt additional written rules, which shall be public, to 

19 govern its procedures, which shall not be inconsistent with 

20 this resolution or the rules of the House. Such rules may 

21 govern the conduct of the depositions, interviews, and 

22 hearings of the select committee, including the persons 

23 present. 

24 (c) For the purpose of carrying out this resolution, 

25 the select committee may sit and act during the present 
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1 Congress at any time and place within the United States 

2 or elsewhere, whether the House is in session, has re3 cessed, or has adjourned and hold such hearings as it con4 siders necessary and to require, by subpoena or otherwise, 

5 the attendance and testimony of such witnesses, the fur6 nishing of information by interrogatory, and the produc7 tion of such books, records, correspondence, memoranda, 

8 papers, documents, calendars, recordings, data compila9 tions from which information can be obtained, tangible ob10 jects, and other things and information of any kind as it 

11 deems necessary, including all intelligence materials how12 ever classified, White House materials, and materials per13 taining to unvouchered expenditures or concerning com14 munications interceptions or surveillance; and to obtain 

15 evidence in other appropriate countries with the coopera16 tion of their governments. Unless otherwise determined by 

17 the select committee the chairman, upon consultation with 

18 the ranking minority member, or the select committee, 

19 shall authorize and issue subpoenas. Subpoenas shall be 

20 issued under the seal of the House and attested by the 

21 Clerk, and may be served by any persons designated by 

22 the chairman or any member. Provisions may be included 

23 in the rules and process of the select committee to prevent 

24 the disclosure of committee demands for information. The 

25 select committee may request investigations, reports, and 
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1 other assistance from any agency of the executive, legisla2 tive, and judicial branches of the Government. 

3 (d) The chairman, or in his absence the vice chair4 man, or in their absence a member designated by the 

5 chairman, shall preside at all meetings and hearings of 

6 the select committee. All meetings and hearings of the 

7 committee shall be conducted in open session, unless a ma8 jority of members of the select committee voting, there 

9 being in attendance the requisite number required for the 

10 purpose of hearings to take testimony, vote to close a 

11 meeting or hearing. 

12 (e) The chairman (upon consultation with the rank13 ing minority member) may (1) appoint and fix the com14 pensation of any staff that the chairman considers nec15 essary and fix the compensation of such staff at per 

16 annum gross rates that do not exceed the highest rate of 

17 basic pay, as in effect from time to time, of Level IV of 

18 the Executive Schedule in section 5316 of title V, United 

19 States Code, and (2) terminate the employment of any 

20 such staff as the chairman considers appropriate. The se21 lect committee may reimburse the members of its staff for 

22 travel, subsistence, and other necessary expenses incurred 

23 by them in the performance of the their functions for the 

24 select committee, other than expenses in connection with 

25 any meeting of the select committee held in the District 
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1 of Columbia. Staff of the House, at the direction of their 

2 Members, committee chairmen, or the Speaker, as appro3 priate, and upon request of the select committee, may 

4 serve as associate staff to the select committee for des5 ignated purposes. Associate staff shall be deemed staff of 

6 the select committee to the extent necessary for those des7 ignated purposes. 

8 (f) Unless otherwise determined by the select com9 mittee, the chairman (upon consultation with the ranking 

10 minority member) or the select committee may authorize 

11 the taking of affidavits and of depositions pursuant to no12 tice or subpoena by a Member or by designated staff, 

13 under oath administered by a Member or a person other14 wise authorized by law to administer oaths. Deposition 

15 and affidavit testimony shall be deemed to have been 

16 taken in Washington, DC, before the select committee 

17 once filed there with the clerk of the select committee for 

18 its use. Unless otherwise directed by the select committee, 

19 all depositions, affidavits, and other materials received in 

20 the investigation shall be considered nonpublic until re21 ceived by the select committee, except that all such mate22 rial shall, unless otherwise directed by the select com23 mittee, be available for use by the Members of the select 

24 committee in open session. 
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1 (g) The select committee shall be authorized to re2 spond to any judicial or other process, or to make any 

3 applications to court, consistent with rule VIII of the 

4 Rules of the House. 

5 (h) The select committee may submit to standing 

6 committees, including the Permanent Select Committee on 

7 Intelligence, specific matters within their jurisdiction, and 

8 may request that such committees pursue such matters 

9 further. Committees pursuing such requested inquiries 

10 may, in turn, receive the continuing assistance, consistent 

11 with the select committee’s own jurisdiction, of the select 

12 committee’s legal process, personnel, and records. Com13 mittees which pursue or have pursued inquiries, during 

14 the previous or current Congress, within the subjects of 

15 the select committee investigation shall furnish the select 

16 committee with copies of all testimony and documents. 

17 (i) The select committee shall provide other commit18 tees and Members of the House with access to information 

19 and proceedings, consistent with clause 11(g)(3) of rule 

20 X of the Rules of the House, except that the select com21 mittee may direct that particular matters or classes of 

22 matter shall not be made available to any person by its 

23 members, staff, or others, or may impose any other re24 striction. The select committee may require its staff to 

25 enter nondisclosure agreements, and its chairman, in con-
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1 sultation with the ranking minority member, may require 

2 others, such as counsel for witnesses, to do so. The Com3 mittee on Standards of Official Conduct may investigate 

4 any unauthorized disclosure of such classified information 

5 by a Member, officer, or employee of the House or other 

6 covered person upon request of the select committee. If, 

7 at the conclusion of its investigation, the Committee on 

8 Standards of Official Conduct determines that there has 

9 been a significant unauthorized disclosure, it shall report 

10 its findings to the House and recommend appropriate 

11 sanctions for the Member, officer, employee, or other cov12 ered person consistent with clause 11(g)(5) of rule X of 

13 the Rules of the House and any committee restriction, in14 cluding nondisclosure agreements. 

15 (j) There shall be paid out of the applicable accounts 

16 of the House such sums as may be necessary for the ex17 penses of the select committee. Such payments shall be 

18 made on vouchers signed by the chairman of the select 

19 committee and approved in the manner directed by the 

20 Committee on House Administration. Amounts made 

21 available under this subsection shall be expended in ac22 cordance with regulations prescribed by the Committee on 

23 House Administration. 

24 (k)(1) The select committee shall submit to the 

25 House reports setting forth the final results of its inves-
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1 tigation and study, together with such recommendations 

2 for legislation or other matters as it deems advisable, as 

3 soon as practicable during the present Congress, and in 

4 no event later than October 30, 2004, unless the House 

5 directs otherwise. 

6 (2) The select committee shall cease to exist one 

7 month after the filing of its final report. 

8 (3) Any report made by the select committee shall 

9 be referred to the committee or committees that have ju10 risdiction over the subject matter of the report. 

11 (4) Upon dissolution of the select committee, the 

12 records, files, and materials of the select committee shall 

13 be transferred to the Clerk of the House, who may, as 

14 directed by the select committee, store records in secure 

15 facilities of the intelligence community pursuant to agree16 ment retaining control of access by the House. 

17 (5) If any equipment is purchased by the select com18 mittee, then upon its dissolution, the Chief Administrative 

19 Officer shall make such equipment available to Members, 

20 Committees, or other entities of the House, under the di21 rection of the Committee on House Administration.

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