Requiring that all impeachment inquiry related hearings, witness interviews and communications, document productions and examinations, proceedings, and other related work shall be done in an open setting and in public view.

Bill: 116-hres-633
Sponsor: full_name: Rep. Brooks, Mo [R-AL-5]
Introduced: 2019-10-16
Policy area: Congress
Subjects: Congressional leadership

Evidence and witnesses

Government ethics and transparency, public corruption

House of Representatives

Legislative rules and procedure

Presidents and presidential powers, Vice Presidents
Latest action: action_date: 2019-10-16
text: Referred to the Committee on Rules, and in addition to the Committee on Ethics, 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.

Summaries:
action_date: 2019-10-16
action_desc: Introduced in House
text: <p>This resolution (1) disapproves of the actions led by the Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi, to conduct work related to matters of impeachment in a closed and classified setting; (2) requires all impeachment related matters to be done in an open setting and in public view; and (3) demands the Speaker and the chair of each committee engaged in an impeachment inquiry of any kind to give each Member of the House a minimum of 48-hours notice before conducting such matters.</p>

tv_txt: IV 116th CONGRESS 1st Session H. RES. 633 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES October 16, 2019 Mr. Brooks of Alabama (for himself, Mr. Gaetz , Mr. Perry , Mr. Meadows , Mr. Babin , Mr. Schweikert , Mr. Biggs , Mr. Mooney of West Virginia , Mr. Davidson of Ohio , Mr. Gohmert , Mr. Griffith , Mr. Yoho , Mr. Roy , Mr. Posey , Mr. Harris , Mr. Hice of Georgia , Mr. Gosar , Mr. Cloud , Mr. Byrne , Mr. McClintock , Mr. Norman , Mr. Wright , Mr. Hunter , Mr. Duncan , Mr. DesJarlais , Mr. Gibbs , Mr. Tipton , Mr. Crawford , and Mrs. Lesko ) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Rules , and in addition to the Committee on Ethics , 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 Requiring that all impeachment inquiry related hearings, witness interviews and communications, document productions and examinations, proceedings, and other related work shall be done in an open setting and in public view.

Whereas under article 1, section 2 of the Constitution, the House of Representatives shall . . . have the sole Power of Impeachment ; Whereas at a press conference on September 24, 2019, the Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi, stated, I’m announcing the House of Representatives is moving forward with an official impeachment inquiry ; Whereas Speaker Pelosi declared that she was directing our six committees to proceed with their investigation under that umbrella of impeachment inquiry ; Whereas there has been no formal vote on the House Floor, or in any of the six committees directed by Speaker Pelosi, to authorize any impeachment inquiry; Whereas, on October 3, 2019, the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence of the House, the Committee on Oversight and Reform of the House, and the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House held a classified joint interview in which they received testimony from Ambassador Kurt Volker, the former Department of State Special Representative for Ukraine Negotiations, under the guise of the impeachment inquiry ; Whereas it is wholly inappropriate to conduct any impeachment inquiry in a classified setting, and the American public deserves complete transparency from the House of Representatives when conducting impeachment inquiries, including full and complete public access any hearings, witness interviews and statements, documents productions and examinations, and any and all proceedings related to an impeachment inquiry; Whereas sunlight is the best disinfectant, and transparency is the best remedy against partisan politics and injustice; and Whereas an impeachment inquiry behind the veil of secrecy and through closed classified committee hearings undermines the open and transparent process afforded to each Member and the constituents they represent and impedes their review of all evidence related to impeachment as that they can make their own judgment on the impeachment merits: Now, therefore, be it

That— (1) the House of Representatives disapproves of the actions led by the Speaker, Nancy Pelosi of California, to conduct work related to matters of impeachment in a closed and classified setting; (2) any and all impeachment inquiry related hearings, witness interviews and communications, document productions and examinations, proceedings, and other work related shall be done in an open setting and in public view; and (3) the Speaker and the chair of each committee engaged in an impeachment inquiry of any kind shall give each Member of the House a minimum of 48-hours notice before conducting any impeachment related matter.