Title: Expressing that it is the sense of the House of Representatives that the Russian Federation interfered in the 2016 United States Presidential election and deliberately spread false information to implicate the Republic of Ukraine.
Policy area: International Affairs

Summary:
This resolution condemns Russia for its interference in the 2016 U.S. presidential election and ongoing disinformation campaigns. The resolution reaffirms U.S. support for Ukraine in its efforts to combat Russian interference and military aggression.

[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 759 Introduced in House (IH)]

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116th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. RES. 759

 Expressing that it is the sense of the House of Representatives that 
      the Russian Federation interfered in the 2016 United States 
  Presidential election and deliberately spread false information to 
                   implicate the Republic of Ukraine.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           December 10, 2019

 Mr. Keating submitted the following resolution; which was referred to 
  the Committee on Foreign Affairs, and in addition to the Permanent 
   Select Committee on Intelligence, 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


 
 Expressing that it is the sense of the House of Representatives that 
      the Russian Federation interfered in the 2016 United States 
  Presidential election and deliberately spread false information to 
                   implicate the Republic of Ukraine.

Whereas, on October 7, 2016, the Department of Homeland Security and the Office 
        of the Director of National Intelligence issued a joint statement, which 
        concluded that the intelligence community of the United States was 
        ``confident that the Russian Government directed the recent compromises 
        of e-mails from U.S. persons and institutions, including from U.S. 
        political organizations'' and that ``these thefts and disclosures are 
        intended to interfere with the U.S. election process'';
Whereas, on January 6, 2017, the Office of the Director of National 
        Intelligence, on behalf of all 17 intelligence agencies, released an 
        unclassified report entitled ``Assessing Russian Activities and 
        Intentions in Recent U.S. Elections'', which included analysis by the 
        Central Intelligence Agency, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and 
        the National Security Agency that asserted ``Russian President Vladimir 
        Putin ordered an influence campaign in 2016 aimed at the U.S. 
        Presidential election. Russia's goals were to undermine public faith in 
        the U.S. democratic process, denigrate Secretary Clinton, and harm her 
        electability and potential presidency'';
Whereas the unclassified report from the intelligence community found that 
        ``Putin and the Russian Government developed a clear preference for 
        President-elect Trump'' as well as ``aspired to help President-elect 
        Trump's election chances when possible by discrediting Secretary Clinton 
        and publicly contrasting her unfavorably to him''. On November 11, 2017, 
        the Central Intelligence Agency, led by then-Director Mike Pompeo, 
        issued a statement saying ``The director stands by and has always stood 
        by the January 2017 intelligence community assessment'' and that ``the 
        intelligence assessment with regard to Russian election meddling has not 
        changed'';
Whereas, on May 16, 2018, Richard M. Burr, the Chairman of the Senate 
        Intelligence Committee, stated ``There is no doubt that Russia undertook 
        an unprecedented effort to interfere with our 2016 elections'';
Whereas, on March 22, 2018, the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence of 
        the House of Representatives issued the ``Report on Russian Active 
        Measures'' which states, ``In 2015, Russia began engaging in a covert 
        influence campaign aimed at the U.S. Presidential election.''. The 
        report goes on to state, ``Russia conducted cyberattacks on U.S. 
        political institutions in 2015-2016'' and ``Russian-state actors and 
        third-party intermediaries were responsible for the dissemination of 
        documents and communications stolen from U.S. political organizations''. 
        The report also found that ``Russian intelligence leveraged social media 
        in an attempt to sow social discord and to undermine the U.S. electoral 
        process'';
Whereas, on June 8, 2018, then-Director of National Intelligence, Dan Coats, 
        publicly stated that ``Russia conducted an unprecedented influence 
        campaign to interfere in the U.S. electoral and political process'';
Whereas, on July 16, 2018, then-Speaker of the House, Paul D. Ryan, said that 
        ``there is no question that Russia interfered in our election and 
        continues attempts to undermine democracy'';
Whereas, on July 18, 2018, Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, 
        Christopher A. Wray, asserted, ``as I have said consistently, Russia 
        attempted to interfere with the last election and continues to engage in 
        malign influence operations to this day'';
Whereas, on July 25, 2019, the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence also 
        issued a report on ``Russian Active Measures Campaigns and Interference 
        in the 2016 U.S. Election'', which stated that ``The Russian Government 
        directed extensive activity, beginning in at least 2014 and carrying 
        into at least 2017, against U.S. election infrastructure at the state 
        and local level''. The report also stated that ``the Committee found 
        that the IRA (Internet Research Agency) sought to influence the 2016 
        U.S. Presidential election by harming Hillary Clinton's chances of 
        success and supporting Donald Trump at the direction of the Kremlin . . 
        . the Committee found that IRA social media activity was overtly and 
        almost invariably supportive of then-candidate Trump, and to the 
        detriment of Secretary Clinton's campaign'';
Whereas, on February 2, 2017, Russian President Vladimir Putin said in a press 
        conference with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban that ``as we all 
        know, during the Presidential campaign in the United States, the 
        Ukrainian Government adopted a unilateral position in favor of one 
        candidate. More than that, certain oligarchs, certainly with the 
        approval of the political leadership, funded this candidate, or female 
        candidate, to be more precise.'';
Whereas, on November 13, 2019, when asked whether there was any factual basis to 
        support the allegation that Ukraine interfered in the 2016 election, 
        Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs, 
        George Kent, testified before the Permanent Select Committee on 
        Intelligence of the House of Representatives, ``To my knowledge, there 
        is no factual basis, no . . . I think it's amply clear that Russian 
        interference was at the heart of the interference in the 2016 election 
        cycle.'';
Whereas, on November 15, 2019, when asked about allegations that Ukraine 
        interfered in the 2016 United States elections, former United States 
        Ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch testified before the Permanent 
        Select Committee on Intelligence of the House of Representatives, ``the 
        U.S. intelligence community has concluded that it was Russia.'';
Whereas, on November 19, 2019, when asked about allegations Ukraine interfered 
        in the 2016 United States elections, National Security Council Director 
        for European Affairs Lieutenant Colonel Alexander Vindman, testified 
        before the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence of the House of 
        Representatives, ``It is the consensus of the entire intelligence 
        community that the Russians interfered in the U.S. elections in 2016.'';
Whereas, on November 21, 2019, former National Security Council Senior Director 
        for Europe and Russia, Fiona Hill testified before the Permanent Select 
        Committee on Intelligence of the House of Representatives, ``Based on 
        questions and statements I have heard, some of you on this Committee 
        appear to believe that Russia and its security services did not conduct 
        a campaign against our country--and that perhaps, somehow, for some 
        reason, Ukraine did. This is a fictional narrative that has been 
        perpetrated and propagated by the Russian security services 
        themselves.''; and
Whereas, on December 9, 2019, Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, 
        Christopher A. Wray stated, ``We have no information that indicates that 
        Ukraine interfered with the 2016 Presidential election.'': Now, 
        therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
            (1) supports the conclusions of United States intelligence 
        agencies that the government of Russian President Vladimir 
        Putin, and not the Government of Ukraine interfered in the 2016 
        United States Presidential elections;
            (2) recognizes that disinformation campaigns run by Russian 
        intelligence operatives have aimed to shift blame for 
        interference in the 2016 elections from Russia to Ukraine;
            (3) condemns ongoing Russian disinformation campaigns and 
        efforts to undermine freedom, democracy, the rule of law, and 
        free and fair elections;
            (4) recognizes that Ukraine is at the front lines of 
        combating Russian military aggression and malign political 
        influence; and
            (5) reaffirms its support for the government and people of 
        Ukraine in their fight against Russian aggression and 
        interference.
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