Title: Authorizing and directing the Committee on the Judiciary to investigate whether sufficient grounds exist for the House of Representatives to exercise the power vested by article 1, section 2, clause 5 of the Constitution in respect to acts of misconduct by Donald John Trump, President of the United States.
Policy area: Government Operations and Politics

Summary:
This resolution directs the Committee on the Judiciary to investigate whether sufficient grounds exist for the House of Representatives to impeach the President.

[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 396 Introduced in House (IH)]

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116th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. RES. 396

Authorizing and directing the Committee on the Judiciary to investigate 
 whether sufficient grounds exist for the House of Representatives to 
  exercise the power vested by article 1, section 2, clause 5 of the 
  Constitution in respect to acts of misconduct by Donald John Trump, 
                    President of the United States.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              May 22, 2019

 Ms. Jackson Lee (for herself, Mr. Castro of Texas, Mr. Lewis, and Mr. 
 Cohen) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the 
                           Committee on Rules

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
Authorizing and directing the Committee on the Judiciary to investigate 
 whether sufficient grounds exist for the House of Representatives to 
  exercise the power vested by article 1, section 2, clause 5 of the 
  Constitution in respect to acts of misconduct by Donald John Trump, 
                    President of the United States.

    Resolved, That the Committee on the Judiciary, acting as a whole or 
by any subcommittee thereof appointed by the chairman for the purposes 
hereof and in accordance with the rules of the committee, is authorized 
and directed to investigate fully and completely whether sufficient 
grounds exist for the House of Representatives to exercise its 
constitutional power to impeach Donald John Trump, President of the 
United States of America, including but not limited to--
            (1) violation of the Foreign Emoluments Clause of the 
        United States Constitution;
            (2) violation of the Domestic Emoluments Clause of the 
        United States Constitution;
            (3) obstruction of justice;
            (4) abuse of power;
            (5) misfeasance in public office;
            (6) malfeasance in public office;
            (7) failure to protect the confidentiality of national 
        secrets from enemies foreign and domestic;
            (8) failure to take care that the laws be faithfully 
        executed;
            (9) failure to preserve records required by the 
        Presidential Recordings and Materials Preservation Act (PRMPA) 
        of 1974 (Public Law 93-526, 88 Stat. 1695);
            (10) countenancing the payment of ransom with Federal funds 
        to secure the release of an American hostage held in violation 
        of international law by an outlaw nation;
            (11) authorizing the issuance of security clearances and 
        disclosure of national secrets to persons known by the U.S. 
        Intelligence Community to pose security risks;
            (12) refusal to acknowledge and failure to act to deter 
        aggression and defend against attacks on the electoral systems 
        and processes of the United States by foreign nations, actors, 
        and entities;
            (13) engaging in a criminal scheme to violate Federal 
        campaign finance laws to defraud the people of the United 
        States;
            (14) mismanagement of the executive branch by failing to 
        nominate persons for positions requiring confirmation by the 
        United States Senate;
            (15) destabilizing the peace and security of the United 
        States by condoning and normalizing White nationalism and 
        giving legitimacy to those who adhere to the doctrine of White 
        supremacy;
            (16) endeavoring to abuse the law enforcement powers of the 
        United States to investigate and punish persons considered by 
        Donald John Trump to be his political enemies;
            (17) undermining the essential institution of a free and 
        independent press by attacking media organizations and 
        individuals as ``enemies of the people'';
            (18) denigrating immigrants and undermining the 
        international standing of the United States by separating 
        minor-age immigrant children from their parents with no means 
        or intention of family reunification; and for
            (19) irreparable breaches of the public trust.
    Sec. 2.  The committee shall report to the House of Representatives 
such resolutions, articles of impeachment, or other recommendations as 
it deems proper.
    Sec. 3. (a) For the purpose of making such investigation, the 
committee, as it deems necessary to such investigation, is authorized 
to require--
            (1) by subpoena or otherwise--
                    (A) the attendance and testimony of any person 
                (including at a taking of a deposition by counsel for 
                the committee); and
                    (B) the production of such things; and
            (2) by interrogatory, the furnishing of such information;
    (b) Such authority of the committee may be exercised--
            (1) by the chairman and the ranking minority member acting 
        jointly, or, if the ranking member declines to act, by the 
        chairman acting alone, except that in the event either so 
        declines, either shall have the right to refer to the committee 
        for decision the question whether such authority shall be so 
        exercised and the committee shall be convened promptly to 
        render that decision; or
            (2) by the committee acting as a whole or by subcommittee.
Subpoenas and interrogatories so authorized may be issued over the 
signature of the chairman, and may be served by any person designated 
by the chairman, or any member designated by the chairman. The 
chairman, or any member designated by the chairman (or, with respect to 
any deposition, answer to interrogatory, or affidavit, any person 
authorized by law to administer oaths) may administer oaths to any 
witness. For the purposes of this section, ``things'' includes, without 
limitation, books, records, correspondence, logs, journals, 
memorandums, papers, documents, writings, drawings, graphs, charts, 
photographs, reproductions, recordings, tapes, transcripts, printouts, 
data compilations from which information can be obtained (translated if 
necessary, through detection devices into reasonably usable form), 
tangible objects, and other things of any kind.
    Sec. 4.  There shall be paid out of the applicable accounts of the 
House such sums as may be necessary to assist the Committee on the 
Judiciary in conducting the inquiry under this resolution, any of which 
may be used for the procurement of staff or consultant services.
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