IV 
115TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. RES. 474 
Expressing disapproval of any action by the President to remove the Special 
Counsel investigating Russian interference in the 2016 Presidential elec-
tion and opposition to the granting of pardons to any person for offenses 
against the United States arising out of Russia’s activities to bring 
about the election of Donald J. Trump as President of the United 
States. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JULY 25, 2017 
Ms. JACKSON LEE (for herself, Mr. COHEN, Ms. HANABUSA, Mr. GUTIE´RREZ, 
Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York, Mr. CASTRO of Texas, Mr. 
TED LIEU of California, Mr. CLEAVER, Mr. BUTTERFIELD, Mr. LEWIS 
of Georgia, Mr. CONNOLLY, Mr. MEEKS, Mr. RASKIN, Mrs. LAWRENCE, 
Ms. BASS, Mr. KRISHNAMOORTHI, Mr. KILDEE, and Mr. BEYER) sub-
mitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on 
the Judiciary 
RESOLUTION 
Expressing disapproval of any action by the President to 
remove the Special Counsel investigating Russian inter-
ference in the 2016 Presidential election and opposition 
to the granting of pardons to any person for offenses 
against the United States arising out of Russia’s activi-
ties to bring about the election of Donald J. Trump 
as President of the United States. 
Whereas the strength of the American constitutional system 
designed in 1787 in Philadelphia is the national govern-
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ment’s separated powers in which the legislative, execu-
tive, and judicial branches serve as checks and counter-
balances on each other, and fidelity to the rule of law is 
the highest value and responsibility; 
Whereas in late July 2016, the FBI opened an investigation 
into the hacking of the Democratic National Committee’s 
emails, which the U.S. Intelligence Community would at-
tribute to the Russian government; 
Whereas, on January 27, 2017, one week after his inaugura-
tion as President of the United States, Donald J. Trump 
had a private dinner at the White House with FBI Direc-
tor James Comey, at which he is alleged to have asked 
Comey for his ‘‘loyalty’’; 
Whereas, on February 13, 2017, President Donald J. Trump 
fired his National Security Advisor Michael Flynn after 
public disclosure that contrary to his previous denials, 
Flynn had held a series of communications with Russian 
Ambassador Sergey Kislyak in December 2016 regarding 
sanctions imposed on Russia by the Obama administra-
tion in response to Russian interference in the 2016 
Presidential election; 
Whereas, on February 14, 2017, the day after Flynn’s firing, 
FBI Director Comey attended an Oval Office briefing of 
the President with a large group of advisers, at the end 
of which, the President cleared the room so he could 
speak with FBI Director Comey alone; 
Whereas according to FBI Director Comey’s account, given 
under oath, the President said, ‘‘I want to talk about 
Mike Flynn,’’ stating his belief that Flynn had not done 
anything wrong in talking to the Russians; 
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Whereas during that same meeting, the President said to 
FBI Director Comey: ‘‘He is a good guy and has been 
through a lot. I hope you can see your way clear to let-
ting this go, to letting Flynn go. He is a good guy. I hope 
you can let this go.’’; 
Whereas, on March 1, 2017, news broke that, contrary to his 
prior sworn testimony before the Senate Judiciary Com-
mittee, Attorney General Jeff Sessions in fact had undis-
closed contacts with the Russian ambassador to the 
United States during the 2016 Presidential campaign; 
Whereas, on March 2, 2017, Attorney General Sessions an-
nounced that he would recuse himself ‘‘from any existing 
or future investigations of any matters related in any way 
to the campaigns’’ for President in 2016; 
Whereas, on March 20, 2017, FBI Director Comey testified 
before the House Intelligence Committee and publicly 
confirmed the FBI is investigating whether Trump’s 
campaign or associates coordinated with Russia; 
Whereas, on March 30, 2017, President Trump telephoned 
the FBI Director to complain that the Russia investiga-
tion was ‘‘ ‘a cloud’ that was impairing his ability to act 
on behalf of the country’’ and asked him ‘‘what we could 
do to ‘lift the cloud’ ’’; 
Whereas, on May 9, 2017, President Trump fired FBI Direc-
tor Comey, an action White House spokespersons ex-
plained was based on the recommendation of Attorney 
General Sessions and Deputy Attorney General Rod 
Rosenstein; 
Whereas, on May 10, 2017, during an Oval Office meeting 
with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Rus-
sian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak, President Trump is re-
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ported to have discussed his firing of FBI Director 
Comey, saying ‘‘I just fired the head of the FBI. He was 
crazy, a real nut job,’’ adding ‘‘I faced great pressure be-
cause of Russia. That’s taken off.’’; 
Whereas, on May 11, 2017, President Trump admitted to 
NBC Nightly News anchor Lester Holt that the ‘‘made- 
up’’ Russia investigation was on his mind when he fired 
Comey and that regardless of Deputy Attorney General 
Rosenstein’s recommendation, ‘‘I was going to fire 
Comey.’’; 
Whereas, on May 17, 2017, Deputy Attorney General Rosen-
stein appointed former FBI Director Robert Mueller as 
Special Counsel to oversee the Russia investigation; 
Whereas the order appointing Special Counsel Mueller con-
fers upon him broad authority ‘‘to conduct the investiga-
tion confirmed by then-FBI Director James B. Comey in 
testimony before the House Permanent Select Committee 
on Intelligence on March 20, 2017, including: (i) any 
links and/or coordination between the Russian govern-
ment and individuals associated with the campaign of 
President Donald Trump; and (ii) any matters that arose 
or may arise directly from the investigation.’’; 
Whereas, on July 20, 2017, according to media reports, Spe-
cial Counsel Mueller’s investigation of possible ties be-
tween the Donald Trump Presidential campaign and 
Russia in the 2016 Presidential election is expanding to 
include a broad range of transactions involving Trump’s 
businesses as well as those of his associates; 
Whereas these questionable transactions are reported to in-
clude Russian purchases of apartments in Trump build-
ings, Trump’s involvement in a SoHo development in 
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New York with Russian associates, the 2013 Miss Uni-
verse pageant in Moscow, and Trump’s sale of a Florida 
mansion to a Russian oligarch in 2008; 
Whereas in an interview with the New York Times published 
July 19, 2017, President Trump acknowledged that 
digging into his finances would constitute a red line that 
the Special Counsel should not cross while carrying out 
the Russia investigation; 
Whereas, on July 21, 2017, the Washington Post reported 
that some of President Trump’s lawyers are exploring 
ways to limit or undercut Special Counsel Mueller’s Rus-
sia investigation and discussing President Trump’s au-
thority to grant pardons; 
Whereas according to the Washington Post article, ‘‘Trump 
has asked his advisers about his power to pardon aides, 
family members and even himself in connection with the 
probe.’’; and 
Whereas in the United States, it is an article of faith that, 
as President Theodore Roosevelt stated in his Third An-
nual Message to Congress on December 7, 1903, ‘‘No 
man is above the law and no man is below it: nor do we 
ask any man’s permission when we ask him to obey it.’’: 
Now, therefore, be it 
Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 
(1) strongly disapproves and condemns any ac-
tion by the President to remove the Special Counsel 
investigating Russian interference in the 2016 Presi-
dential election; 
(2) strongly opposes the granting of pardons to 
any person for offenses against the United States 
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arising out of Russia’s activities to bring about the 
election of Donald J. Trump as President of the 
United States and deems any such pardon granted 
to constitute an abuse of the Pardon Power con-
ferred in Article II, Section 2 warranting a propor-
tionate congressional response; and 
(3) calls upon the Congress to enact H.R. 2444, 
the ‘‘Trusted, Reliable, Unquestioned Method of 
Procedure for Special Counsel Appointment, Limita-
tions, and Powers Act of 2017’’. 
Æ 
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