IV 
115TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. RES. 191 
Opposing fake news and alternative facts. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
MARCH 10, 2017 
Mr. ESPAILLAT (for himself, Mr. TED LIEU of California, and Mr. LEWIS of 
Georgia) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the 
Committee on the Judiciary 
RESOLUTION 
Opposing fake news and alternative facts. 
Whereas the First Amendment to the United States Constitu-
tion states, that ‘‘Congress shall make no law respecting 
an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exer-
cise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the 
press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, 
and to petition the Government for a redress of griev-
ances’’; 
Whereas the Free Press Clause of the First Amendment pro-
tects publication of information and opinions, and applies 
to a wide variety of media; 
Whereas the United States has historically and proudly en-
joyed freedom of the press; 
Whereas the United States is a democracy, not an autocracy; 
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•HRES 191 IH 
Whereas on February 24, 2017, the White House blocked a 
number of news outlets from attending a question-and- 
answer session; 
Whereas the news organizations blocked have reported on 
President Trump’s collaboration with Russia; 
Whereas the most recent ‘‘fake news’’ the American people 
are receiving have come from the President himself and 
his spokespersons; 
Whereas on January 21, 2017, White House press secretary 
Sean Spicer stated, ‘‘This was the largest audience to 
ever witness an inauguration—period—both in person 
and around the globe.’’; 
Whereas on January 21, 2017, White House press secretary 
Sean Spicer stated, ‘‘We know that 420,000 people used 
the D.C. Metro public transit yesterday, which actually 
compares to 317,000 that used it for President Obama’s 
last inaugural.’’; 
Whereas on January 21, 2017, White House press secretary 
Sean Spicer stated, ‘‘This was the first time in our na-
tion’s history that floor coverings have been used to pro-
tect the grass on the Mall. That had the effect of high-
lighting any areas where people were not standing, while 
in years past the grass eliminated this visual.’’; 
Whereas on January 21, 2017, President Donald Trump 
stated, ‘‘I looked out, the field was—it looked like a mil-
lion, million and a half people.’’; 
Whereas on January 23, 2017, President Donald Trump 
stated, ‘‘that between 3 million and 5 million illegal votes 
caused him to lose the popular vote.’’; 
Whereas on January 24, 2017, White House Counselor to the 
President Kellyanne Conway stated, ‘‘Here’s the fact: 
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•HRES 191 IH 
The No. 1 source of income into Mexico are Mexicans 
working here and sending the money back.’’; 
Whereas on January 25, 2017, President Donald Trump 
stated, ‘‘We should’ve taken the oil. And if we took the 
oil you wouldn’t have ISIS. And we would have had 
wealth.’’; 
Whereas on February 2, 2017, White House Counselor to the 
President Kellyanne Conway stated, ‘‘I bet it’s brand new 
information to people that President Obama had a 6- 
month ban on the Iraqi refugee program after two Iraqis 
came here to this country, were radicalized and they were 
the masterminds behind the Bowling Green massacre. 
Most people don’t know that because it didn’t get cov-
ered.’’; 
Whereas on February 19, 2017, President Donald Trump 
stated, ‘‘We’ve allowed thousands and thousands of peo-
ple into our country. And there was no way to vet those 
people. There was no documentation. There was no noth-
ing.’’; and 
Whereas on February 19, 2017, President Donald Trump 
stated ‘‘When WikiLeaks, which I had nothing to do 
with, comes out and happens to give, they’re not giving 
classified information.’’: Now, therefore, be it 
Resolved, That it is the sense of the House of Rep-
resentatives that— 
(1) it is Congress’ duty to uphold the Constitu-
tion of the United States and all of the fundamental 
rights, including the freedom of the press; 
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•HRES 191 IH 
(2) the President must immediately acknowl-
edge his support of the First Amendment and ex-
press his support for United States democracy; 
(3) the United States should continue being a 
democracy, not an autocracy; 
(4) White House spokespersons should not 
issue fake news; and 
(5) White House spokespersons who offer alter-
native or inaccurate facts should retract their state-
ments immediately. 
Æ 
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