Title: Raising a question of the privileges of the House.
Policy area: Congress

Summary:
This resolution directs the House Oversight and Reform Committee to submit to the Department of Justice an official copy of the transcript of the February 27, 2019, hearing during which Michael Cohen, former attorney of Donald Trump, testified under oath.

[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 304 Introduced in House (IH)]

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116th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. RES. 304

           Raising a question of the privileges of the House.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             April 10, 2019

Mr. Green of Tennessee (for himself, Mr. Jordan, Mr. Comer, Mr. Norman, 
  Mr. Higgins of Louisiana, Mr. Cloud, Mr. Grothman, Mr. Meadows, Mr. 
 Gosar, Mr. Steube, Mr. Gibbs, Mr. Hice of Georgia, Mr. Armstrong, and 
Mr. Roy) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the 
                           Committee on Rules

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
           Raising a question of the privileges of the House.

Whereas Michael Cohen testified under oath as a witness before the House 
        Committee on Oversight and Reform on February 27, 2019;
Whereas Michael Cohen falsely testified under oath, ``I have never asked for, 
        nor would I accept, a pardon from President Trump'';
Whereas in truth and fact, attorney for Michael Cohen, Lanny Davis, admitted on 
        March 6, 2019, that Cohen ``directed his attorney to explore 
        possibilities of a pardon at one point with Donald J. Trump lawyer Rudy 
        Giuliani as well as other lawyers advising President Trump'';
Whereas in truth and fact, attorney for Michael Cohen, Michael Monico, admitted 
        in a March 12, 2019, letter that Cohen's testimony was inaccurate;
Whereas in truth and fact, the ex post representation by Cohen's attorney does 
        not annul Cohen's intentionally false and misleading testimony;
Whereas in truth and fact, Cohen's testimony under oath was delivered in the 
        context of apologizing for all his criminal activities;
Whereas in truth and fact, Cohen's denial of ever seeking a pardon contained no 
        qualifiers about the context of his statement;
Whereas in truth and fact, Cohen's denial of ever seeking a pardon, as uttered 
        under oath in his testimony, was absolute and unequivocal;
Whereas in truth and fact, Cohen testified under oath that he and his lawyers 
        spent hours editing his written statement submitted to the Committee on 
        Oversight and Reform preceding his testimony, which included the written 
        assertion, ``I have never asked for, nor would I accept, a pardon from 
        President Trump'';
Whereas in truth and fact, Cohen's denial in his written statement of never 
        asking for a Presidential pardon was an unqualified assertion;
Whereas Michael Cohen falsely testified under oath that he ``did not want to go 
        to the White House'' and he ``did not want a role or title in the 
        administration'';
Whereas in truth and fact the United States Attorney's Office for the Southern 
        District of New York submitted to Federal court a sentencing memorandum 
        expressing Michael Cohen's desire to work in the White House, 
        explaining: ``during and after the campaign, Cohen privately told 
        friends and colleagues, including in seized text messages, that he 
        expected to be given a prominent role and title in the new 
        administration. When that did not materialize, Cohen found a way to 
        monetize his relationship with and access to the President'';
Whereas Michael Cohen falsely testified under oath on other factual matters of 
        material significance;
Whereas Michael Cohen's intentionally false testimony was aimed at obscuring the 
        truth and ameliorating the extent of his own personal embarrassment;
Whereas intentionally false testimony to a Committee of the House of 
        Representatives harms the integrity of the proceedings of the House;
Whereas it is a Federal crime to provide false information to Congress and the 
        failure to enforce this crime further undermines the integrity of the 
        House; and
Whereas it is the judgment of the House of Representatives that providing a copy 
        of the official transcript of the hearing of the Committee on Oversight 
        and Reform on February 27, 2019, to the Department of Justice would aid 
        the Attorney General's consideration of investigation and potential 
        prosecution of Michael Cohen's criminal conduct: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the House of Representatives directs the Chair of 
the Oversight and Reform Committee to submit to the Attorney General an 
official copy of the transcript of the hearing during which Michael 
Cohen testified under oath on February 27, 2019.
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