I 
116TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 3380 
To require the recording and reporting of communications between the De-
partment of Justice and the White House relating to civil and criminal 
investigations, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JUNE 20, 2019 
Mr. JEFFRIES (for himself and Mr. TED LIEU of California) introduced the 
following bill; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary 
A BILL 
To require the recording and reporting of communications 
between the Department of Justice and the White House 
relating to civil and criminal investigations, and for other 
purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Security from Political 
Interference in Justice Act of 2019’’. 
SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS. 
In this Act— 
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(1) the term ‘‘communications log’’ means the 
log required to be maintained under section 3(a); 
(2) the term ‘‘covered communication’’— 
(A) means any communication relating to 
an ongoing investigation conducted by the De-
partment of Justice in any civil or criminal 
matter (regardless of whether a civil action or 
criminal indictment or information has been 
filed); and 
(B) does not include a communication 
that— 
(i) relates solely to policy, appoint-
ments, legislation, rulemaking, budgets, 
public relations, programmatic matters, 
intergovernmental relations, administrative 
or personnel matters, appellate litigation, 
or requests for legal advice; and 
(ii) does not relate to an ongoing in-
vestigation described in subparagraph (A); 
and 
(3) the term ‘‘investigative office’’ means— 
(A) the Office of the Inspector General of 
the Department of Justice; and 
(B) the Office of Professional Responsi-
bility of the Department of Justice. 
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SEC. 3. COMMUNICATIONS LOGS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Counsel to the President and 
the Attorney General shall each maintain a log of any cov-
ered communication between— 
(1) an officer or employee of the Department of 
Justice; and 
(2) an officer or employee of the Executive Of-
fice of the President. 
(b) CONTENTS.—A communications log shall include, 
with respect to a covered communication— 
(1) the name and title of each officer or em-
ployee of the Department of Justice or the Executive 
Office of the President who participated in the cov-
ered communication; 
(2) the topic of the covered communication; and 
(3) a statement describing the purpose and ne-
cessity of the covered communication. 
(c) OVERSIGHT.— 
(1) PERIODIC DISCLOSURE OF LOGS.— 
(A) IN
GENERAL.—Subject to subpara-
graph (B), not later than January 30 and July 
30 of each year, the Attorney General shall sub-
mit to Congress and each investigative office a 
report containing the communications log for 
the 6-month period preceding that January or 
July. 
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(B) RECORDS
OF
CERTAIN
COMMUNICA-
TIONS.— 
(i) IN GENERAL.—The Attorney Gen-
eral shall exclude from the report sub-
mitted to Congress under subparagraph 
(A) any record of a covered communication 
in which any of the following officials par-
ticipated: 
(I) The President. 
(II) The Vice President. 
(III) The Counsel to the Presi-
dent. 
(IV) The Counselor to the Presi-
dent. 
(V) The Attorney General. 
(VI) The Deputy Attorney Gen-
eral. 
(VII) The Associate Attorney 
General. 
(ii) RULE
OF
CONSTRUCTION.—The 
exclusion of certain records under clause 
(i) from the report to Congress under sub-
paragraph (A) shall not be construed to— 
(I) exclude those records from 
the report to the investigative offices 
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under subparagraph (A) or the review 
and notice requirements under para-
graph (2); or 
(II) protect those records from 
congressional subpoena. 
(2) NOTICE OF INAPPROPRIATE OR IMPROPER 
COMMUNICATIONS.—The head of an investigative of-
fice shall— 
(A) review each communications log re-
ceived under paragraph (1)(A); and 
(B) notify Congress if the office head de-
termines that a covered communication de-
scribed in the communications log— 
(i) is inappropriate from a law en-
forcement perspective; or 
(ii) raises concerns about improper 
political interference. 
Æ 
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