Title: Expressing disapproval of any action by the President to remove the Special Counsel investigating Russian interference 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 activities to bring about the election of Donald J. Trump as President of the United States.
Policy area: Crime and Law Enforcement

Summary:
Disapproves and condemns any action by the President to remove the Special Counsel investigating Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election.
Opposes 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 Trump as President. Deems any such pardon to constitute an abuse of the pardon power, warranting a proportionate congressional response.
Calls upon Congress to enact the Trusted, Reliable, Unquestioned Method of Procedure for Special Counsel Appointment, Limitations, and Powers Act of 2017.

[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 474 Introduced in House (IH)]

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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 election 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. Gutierrez, 
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) submitted 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 interference 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 
activities 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 government's separated powers in which the 
        legislative, executive, and judicial branches serve as checks and 
        counterbalances 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 attribute to the Russian government;
Whereas, on January 27, 2017, one week after his inauguration as President of 
        the United States, Donald J. Trump had a private dinner at the White 
        House with FBI Director 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 administration 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;
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 letting 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 Committee, Attorney General Jeff 
        Sessions in fact had undisclosed contacts with the Russian ambassador to 
        the United States during the 2016 Presidential campaign;
Whereas, on March 2, 2017, Attorney General Sessions announced 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 investigation 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 Director Comey, an action 
        White House spokespersons explained 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 Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak, President 
        Trump is reported 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 because 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 Rosenstein appointed former 
        FBI Director Robert Mueller as Special Counsel to oversee the Russia 
        investigation;
Whereas the order appointing Special Counsel Mueller confers upon him broad 
        authority ``to conduct the investigation 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 government 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, Special Counsel Mueller's 
        investigation of possible ties between 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 include Russian 
        purchases of apartments in Trump buildings, Trump's involvement in a 
        SoHo development in New York with Russian associates, the 2013 Miss 
        Universe 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 Russia investigation and discussing President Trump's 
        authority 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 Annual 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 action by the 
        President to remove the Special Counsel investigating Russian 
        interference in the 2016 Presidential election;
            (2) strongly opposes 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 and deems any such pardon 
        granted to constitute an abuse of the Pardon Power conferred in 
        Article II, Section 2 warranting a proportionate congressional 
        response; and
            (3) calls upon the Congress to enact H.R. 2444, the 
        ``Trusted, Reliable, Unquestioned Method of Procedure for 
        Special Counsel Appointment, Limitations, and Powers Act of 
        2017''.
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