Title: Affirming the United States commitment to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and condemning President Donald Trump's failure to confront Vladimir Putin for Russia's election interference and worldwide aggression, and for other purposes.
Policy area: International Affairs

Summary:
Affirms U.S. commitment to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.
Expresses agreement with the intelligence community's assessment concerning Russia's interference in the 2016 presidential election, and condemns President Trump for his efforts to undermine such assessment and for his failure to fulfill his duty to place U.S. interests first.


[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 1008 Introduced in House (IH)]

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115th CONGRESS
  2d Session
H. RES. 1008

  Affirming the United States commitment to the North Atlantic Treaty 
    Organization and condemning President Donald Trump's failure to 
    confront Vladimir Putin for Russia's election interference and 
             worldwide aggression, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             July 23, 2018

    Mr. Engel (for himself and Mr. Schiff) submitted the following 
resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs, and 
     in addition to the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence 
 (Permanent Select), for a period to be subsequently determined by the 
  Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall 
           within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
  Affirming the United States commitment to the North Atlantic Treaty 
    Organization and condemning President Donald Trump's failure to 
    confront Vladimir Putin for Russia's election interference and 
             worldwide aggression, and for other purposes.

Whereas Presidents of both the Republican and Democratic parties have embraced 
        the mantle of promoting democracy and human rights on the international 
        stage;
Whereas in the wake of World War II, the United States led the effort to rebuild 
        Europe through the Marshall Plan, the Berlin Airlift, and other efforts 
        that promoted a prosperous, peaceful, and democratic Europe;
Whereas the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) is an alliance built upon 
        shared democratic values and committed to the collective defense of its 
        members;
Whereas the United States was a founding member of the alliance and, beginning 
        with NATO's first Supreme Allied Commander Europe, General Dwight D. 
        Eisenhower, has proudly provided leadership to the alliance for nearly 
        seventy years;
Whereas NATO continues to provide a defensive shield for allies against a 
        revanchist Russia, train regional partners in Eastern Europe, and 
        contribute to peace and security more broadly;
Whereas President Trump has undermined the core principle of NATO, that of 
        mutual defense, by criticizing Article 5 of the NATO treaty and 
        questioning whether the United States would come to the defense of a 
        NATO member state if it is attacked;
Whereas, in a departure from decades of encouraging European integration and 
        closer ties to the United States, President Trump referred to the 
        European Union as America's leading geopolitical ``foe'';
Whereas President Trump has departed from the precedents of Presidents of both 
        parties in publicly castigating NATO allies and other democratic 
        countries, while praising autocratic rulers who undermine or destroy 
        democratic processes in their own countries and violate human rights 
        with impunity;
Whereas, on January 6, 2017, the Director of National Intelligence released an 
        Intelligence Community Assessment (ICA) on Russia's involvement in the 
        2016 United States election that stated, ``We assess Russian President 
        Vladimir Putin ordered an influence campaign in 2016 aimed at the US 
        presidential election. Russia's goals were to undermine public faith in 
        the US democratic process, denigrate Secretary Clinton, and harm her 
        electability and potential presidency. We further assess Putin and the 
        Russian Government developed a clear preference for President-elect 
        Trump.'';
Whereas President Trump has repeatedly dismissed the judgments of the 
        intelligence community (as such term is defined in section 3(4) of the 
        National Security Act of 1947 (50 U.S.C. 3003(4)) regarding Russia's 
        interference in the 2016 United States election;
Whereas, on July 3, 2018, the Select Committee on Intelligence of the Senate 
        released a report assessing the quality of the January 2017 ICA and 
        found ``the ICA is a sound intelligence product;''
Whereas despite being aware that Russia interfered in the 2016 United States 
        election, President Trump met with President Putin in Helsinki, Finland, 
        on July 16, 2018;
Whereas President Trump has refused to denounce President Putin or the Russian 
        Federation for interfering in the 2016 United States election;
Whereas President Trump stated that the United States policy toward Russia has 
        been ``foolish'' and the United States is ``responsible'' for the 
        present state of the relationship between the United States and Russia;
Whereas President Trump stated, ``President Putin was extremely strong and 
        powerful in his denial'' of Russian interference in the 2016 United 
        States election;
Whereas President Trump stated, ``[The Director of National Intelligence] came 
        to me and some others they said they think it's Russia. I have President 
        Putin. He just said it's not Russia. I will say this: I don't see any 
        reason why it would be [Russia].'';
Whereas in attempting to clarify these remarks in Helsinki, President Trump once 
        again cast doubt on the intelligence community's judgement saying, 
        ``Could be other people also. There's a lot of people out there.'';
Whereas President Putin stated in response to whether he wanted President Trump 
        to win the 2016 election, ``Yes, I did. Yes, I did.'';
Whereas President Trump stated that the United States Government investigation 
        into Russian interference in the 2016 United States election is a 
        ``disaster for our country'' and ``a total witch hunt'';
Whereas despite President Trump's assertions that Russia did not interfere in 
        the 2016 election, the Department of Justice has indicted and secured 
        guilty pleas from multiple individuals over the course of its 
        investigations into the Trump-Russia scandal;
Whereas, on July 13, 2018, the Department of Justice indicted 12 Russian 
        military intelligence officers for illegally hacking Democratic Party 
        computer systems and subsequently distributing the material in 
        furtherance of the Russian effort to interfere in the 2016 United States 
        election; and
Whereas in his belligerent behavior towards our closest allies and obsequious 
        treatment of Vladimir Putin, President Trump calls into question the 
        United States commitment to NATO, opposition to Russian aggression, and 
        obligation to counter attacks on our shared democratic values: Now, 
        therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
            (1) affirms the commitment of the United States to the 
        North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and to the duty to 
        promote democracy, freedom, human rights, market-based 
        economies, rule of law, and security around the world;
            (2) concurs with the January 2017 Intelligence Community 
        Assessment concerning Russia's interference in the 2016 United 
        States election to benefit Donald Trump and damage Hillary 
        Clinton;
            (3) demands that the United States seek and the Russian 
        Federation grant transfers to the United States of the 12 
        Russian military intelligence officers indicted for interfering 
        in the 2016 United States election; and
            (4) condemns President Trump for--
                    (A) his efforts to undermine the findings of the 
                United States intelligence community;
                    (B) his failure to hold the Russian Federation 
                accountable for its illegal attack on American 
                democracy;
                    (C) his actions to undermine United States global 
                leadership, attacking allies and partners, befriending 
                strongmen, and otherwise upending the international 
                system; and
                    (D) his failure to fulfill his duty to place the 
                interests of the United States before all others, 
                including those of the Russian Federation, thereby 
                violating the Presidential oath of office, which states 
                that the President shall ``faithfully execute the 
                Office of President of the United States, and will to 
                the best of [his] ability, preserve, protect and defend 
                the Constitution of the United States''.
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