[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 621 Introduced in House (IH)]
<DOC>
115th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. RES. 621
Impeaching Donald J. Trump, President of the United States, of high
crimes and misdemeanors.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
November 15, 2017
Mr. Cohen (for himself, Mr. Gutierrez, Mr. Yarmuth, Mr. Al Green of
Texas, Ms. Fudge, and Mr. Espaillat) submitted the following
resolution; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary
_______________________________________________________________________
RESOLUTION
Impeaching Donald J. Trump, President of the United States, of high
crimes and misdemeanors.
Resolved, That Donald J. Trump, President of the United States, is
impeached for high crimes and misdemeanors, and that the following
Articles of Impeachment be exhibited to the Senate:
Articles of Impeachment exhibited by the House of Representatives
of the United States of America in the name of itself and all of the
people of the United States of America, against Donald J. Trump,
President of the United States, in maintenance and support of its
impeachment against him for high crimes and misdemeanors.
article i
obstruction of justice
In his conduct while President of the United States, Donald J.
Trump, in violation of his constitutional oath to faithfully execute
the office of President of the United States and, to the best of his
ability, preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United
States, as well as his constitutional obligation to take care that the
laws be faithfully executed, has prevented, obstructed, and impeded the
administration of justice, and has to that end engaged personally, and
through his subordinates and agents, in a course of conduct or scheme
designed to delay, impede an investigation, and to conceal information
sought by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in the course of
its investigation into Russian interference with the 2016 United States
Presidential election, including any possible collusion between Russia
and Donald J. Trump's campaign.
The means used to implement this course of conduct or scheme
included one or more of the following acts:
On November 17, 2016, President-elect Trump designated Retired
General Michael Flynn to serve as National Security Advisor.
On December 25, 2016, Retired General Michael Flynn communicated
with Russian Ambassador to the United States Sergey Kislyak.
On December 29, 2016, the same day that President Barack Obama
announced sanctions against Russian entities and the expulsion of
suspected Russian intelligence operatives from the United States,
Retired General Flynn spoke again with Russian Ambassador Kislyak.
On January 15, 2017, in response to questions about Retired General
Flynn's communications with Russian officials during the Presidential
transition, Vice President-elect Mike Pence said that Retired General
Flynn and Ambassador Kislyak, ``. . . did not discuss anything having
to do with the United States' decision to expel diplomats or impose
censure against Russia.''.
On January 23, 2017, White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer
reiterated that National Security Advisor Flynn and Ambassador Kislyak
had only discussed holiday greetings, a December plane crash, a
conference in Syria on ISIS and setting up a call between President
Putin and Donald J. Trump.
On January 26, 2017, Acting Attorney General Sally Yates warned
White House Counsel Don McGahn that National Security Advisor Flynn had
misled Vice President Pence about his communications with Ambassador
Kislyak, and that, as a result, Flynn was at risk for being blackmailed
by the Russians.
Flynn was asked to resign from the Trump administration on February
13, 2017.
On January 27, 2017, Donald J. Trump invited FBI Director James
Comey to a one-on-one dinner at the White House, during which he
demanded Director Comey's loyalty.
On February 14, 2017, at the conclusion of an Oval Office meeting
on counterterrorism attended by the Vice President, the Deputy Director
of the CIA, the Director of the National Counter-Terrorism Center, the
Secretary of Homeland Security, the Attorney General and the Director
of the FBI, Donald J. Trump requested that everyone leave the room so
he could speak with FBI Director Comey alone. Once alone, Donald J.
Trump told Director Comey, ``I hope you can see your way clear to
letting this go, to letting Flynn go,'' and, ``he is a good guy. I hope
you can let this go.''.
On March 20, 2017, Director James Comey testified before Congress
that the FBI was investigating Russian interference with the 2016 U.S.
Presidential election, including the possibility of its collusion with
the Trump campaign.
On March 30, 2017, Donald J. Trump called FBI Director James Comey
and said the Russia investigation was, ``a cloud,'' that was impairing
his ability to act on behalf of the country.
On May 9, 2017, while the FBI was investigating whether there was
any collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia, Donald J. Trump
fired FBI Director James Comey. In his letter informing Director Comey
that he was being terminated, Donald J. Trump said, ``While I greatly
appreciate you informing me, on three separate occasions, that I am not
under investigation, I nevertheless concur with the judgment of the
Department of Justice that you are not able to effectively lead the
Bureau.''.
According to the New York Times, on May 10, 2017, Donald J. Trump
told Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Russian Ambassador to
the United States Sergey Kislyak, ``I just fired the head of the F.B.I.
He was crazy, a real nut job . . . I faced great pressure because of
Russia. That's taken off.''.
On May 17, 2017, the U.S. Department of Justice appointed former
FBI Director Robert Mueller to serve as a special counsel to
investigate links between the Russian government and Donald J. Trump's
Presidential campaign.
According to the New York Times, shortly after learning that a
special counsel had been appointed, Donald J. Trump berated Attorney
General Jeff Sessions in an Oval Office meeting, said Sessions should
resign, and accused Sessions of ``disloyalty''. According to the New
York Times, Sessions told Donald J. Trump he would quit and sent a
resignation letter to the White House. According to the New York Times,
Donald J. Trump rejected Sessions' resignation letter after senior
members of his administration argued that dismissing the attorney
general would only create more problems.
On May 12, 2017, while speaking in a nationally televised interview
about his decision to fire Director Comey, Donald J. Trump said, ``And
in fact when I decided to just do it, I said to myself, I said you
know, this Russia thing with Trump and Russia is a made up story, it's
an excuse by the Democrats for having lost an election that they should
have won.''.
According to the Washington Post, on July 8, 2017, Donald J. Trump
personally dictated a statement for his son and former Trump campaign
operative, Donald Trump, Jr., to use to explain Donald Trump, Jr.'s,
meeting during the 2016 Presidential campaign with Russian lawyer
Natalia Veselnitskaya. In the statement, Donald Trump, Jr., said he and
Veselnitskaya had, ``primarily discussed a program about the adoption
of Russian children,'' and that the subject of the meeting was, ``not a
campaign issue at the time''.
Donald Trump, Jr., later released emails showing that he had
accepted the meeting with Veselnitskaya in response to an email
offering to provide damaging information about Hillary Clinton as a
part of a Russian government effort to help his father's campaign.
Specifically, a June 3, 2017, email to Trump, Jr., stated, ``The Crown
prosecutor of Russia met with his father Aras this morning and in their
meeting offered to provide the Trump campaign with some official
documents and information that would incriminate Hillary and her
dealings with Russia and would be very useful to your father. This is
obviously very high level and sensitive information but is part of
Russia and its government's support for Mr. Trump . . .''.
In all of this, Donald J. Trump has obstructed the administration
of justice. In so doing he has undermined the integrity of his office,
brought disrepute on the Presidency, and betrayed his trust as
President in a manner subversive of constitutional government, to the
great prejudice of the cause of law and justice and to the manifest
injury of the people of the United States.
Wherefore Donald J. Trump, by such conduct, warrants impeachment
and trial, and removal from office.
article ii
violation of the foreign emoluments clause--article i, section 9 of the
united states constitution
In his conduct while President of the United States, Donald J.
Trump, in violation of his constitutional oath to faithfully execute
the office of President of the United States and, to the best of his
ability, preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United
States, as well as his constitutional obligation to take care that the
laws be faithfully executed, accepted, without the consent of Congress
emoluments from foreign states in the following manner:
Donald J. Trump refused to divest, place into a blind trust, or
otherwise give up his ownership interest in his worldwide business
holdings since becoming President.
Donald J. Trump refused to release his tax returns, with the intent
to conceal the exact nature of his holdings from Congress and the
American people.
Donald J. Trump acknowledged, through his personal attorney, that
his businesses receive funds and make a profit from payments by foreign
governments, and would continue to do so while serving as President.
foreign payments derived from real estate holdings
Donald J. Trump owns approximately 77 percent of Trump
International Hotel in Washington, DC, which holds a lease from the
General Services Administration.
The Trump International Hotel in Washington, DC, has actively
courted foreign diplomats for their business, and according to public
reports, since the November 2016 Presidential election, diplomats have
made plans to stay at the hotel to curry favor with Donald J. Trump and
some diplomats have said spending money at Trump's hotel is an easy,
friendly gesture to the new President.
The Embassy of Kuwait canceled a ``save the date'' reservation for
an event at the Four Seasons Hotel in Washington, DC, and held its
National Day Celebration, instead, at Trump International Hotel in
Washington, DC, on February 22, 2017. According to Reuters, similar
events for a crowd of several hundred at the Trump International Hotel
can run from $40,000 to $60,000.
On or about April 6, 2017, the Ambassador & Permanent
Representative of Georgia to the United Nations tweeted, ``Trump
International Hotel Washington DC @TrumpDC - great #hotel and so far
the best service I've seen in the United States! Keep it up! #travel''.
According to the Washington Post, in May 2017, business groups
promoting Turkish American relations held an annual convention at the
Trump International Hotel in Washington, DC. The Turkish ambassador and
a high-ranking official from the U.S. Department of State attended. The
convention included a $95 per person dinner for 190 guests. On May 23,
2017, breakfast, dinner and drinks ran more than $30,000, including a
``Banquet Event Service Charge'' of 24 percent.
According to the Washington Post, from May 11, 2017, to May 13,
2017, an Italian medical foundation hosted doctors from the University
of Texas and the University Medical Center in Hamburg at the Trump
International Hotel in Washington, DC.
According to the Washington Post, in September 2017, Malaysian
Prime Minister Najib Razak's visit to the White House was accompanied
by at least 24 hours of activity and sales to the Trump International
Hotel in Washington, DC. On September 11, 2017, more than a dozen
members of Najib's entourage were seen in a lounge area for hotel
guests. On September 12, 2017, dozens of delegation members met in
meeting rooms with name cards bearing the Malaysian coat of arms and
some attended a breakfast in the hotel's Lincoln Library meeting room.
According to the Washington Post, events of this scale probably
generated hundreds of thousands of dollars in revenue for the Trump
Organization, based on confirmed spending totals of other groups.
According to the Washington Post, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia paid
the Trump International Hotel in Washington, DC, $270,000 in hotel
charges, including about $190,000 for rooms, $78,000 for catering and
$1,600 for parking as part of an effort to bring veterans groups to
Washington, DC, to lobby Congress against a law allowing victims of the
September 11, 2001, attacks to sue Saudi Arabia.
Donald J. Trump did not first seek or obtain the consent of
Congress before accepting any of the benefits from foreign states
derived from their patronage of the Trump International Hotel in
Washington, DC.
Donald J. Trump owns Trump Tower, a mixed-use skyscraper in New
York City. At least two tenants of Trump Tower are entities owned by
foreign states: (1) the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China, which
is owned by China, and (2) Abu Dhabi Tourism & Culture Authority, which
is owned by the United Arab Emirates.
Donald J. Trump did not first seek or obtain the consent of
Congress before accepting any of the benefits from foreign states
derived from their patronage of the Trump Tower in New York City.
Donald J. Trump also owns Trump World Tower in New York City.
In 2001, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia purchased a floor of Trump
World Tower, and the floor currently belongs to the Saudi Mission to
the United Nations. At the time of the sale, the floor had yearly
common charges of $85,585 for building amenities.
Donald J. Trump has likely accepted common charges from the Kingdom
of Saudi Arabia for its use of Trump World Tower.
Donald J. Trump did not first seek or obtain the consent of
Congress before accepting benefits from Saudi Arabia due to its use of
Trump World Tower in New York City.
foreign regulatory benefits
In November 2016, when Argentine President Mauricio Macri called
Donald J. Trump to congratulate him on his victory, the President
reportedly asked him to deal with the permitting issues that were
delaying an office building project in Buenos Aires, Argentina, that
Donald J. Trump and Argentine partners had been working on for a number
of years. Three days after Trump spoke with Argentina's President, the
long-delayed project moved ahead.
Shortly after Donald J. Trump's Presidential election victory, a
news agency in the country of Georgia reported that a long-stalled plan
for a Trump-branded tower in a seaside Georgian resort town was back on
track to move ahead.
Donald J. Trump did not first seek or obtain the consent of
Congress before accepting regulatory benefits from Argentina or the
country of Georgia.
donations to u.s. treasury
On January 11, 2017, Donald J. Trump held a press conference at
which his attorney Sheri Dillon announced that Donald J. Trump would
donate hotel profits generated by foreign government payments to the
Treasury of the United States.
On April 21, 2017, House Committee on Oversight and Government
Reform Chairman Jason Chaffetz and Ranking Member Elijah Cummings
requested documents and information from Ms. Dillon regarding how and
when funds would be remunerated to the Treasury of the United States.
The letter specifically requested details as to how payments from
foreign governments or foreign-owned entities are being identified by
the Trump Organization and whether the Trump Organization, Donald J.
Trump, or his trust planned to claim donations to the Treasury of the
United States as a gift for tax deduction purposes.
In response to the committee's request, the Trump Organization
produced a pamphlet stating, ``To fully and completely identify all
patronage at our Properties by customer type is impractical in the
service industry and putting forth a policy that requires all guests to
identify themselves would impede upon the personal privacy and diminish
the guest experience of our brand. It is not the intention nor design
of this policy for our Properties to attempt to identify individual
travelers who have not specifically identified themselves as being a
representative of a foreign government entity on foreign government
business.''.
With regard to whether the Trump Organization, Donald J. Trump, or
his trust plans to claim donations to the Treasury of the United States
as a gift for tax deduction purposes, the Trump Organization responded,
``. . . we believe it is premature to respond at this time insofar as
final determinations regarding these matters are dependent on many
factors that will not be known to TTO [The Trump Organization] until
after the close of this year.''.
By accepting emoluments from foreign governments without first
seeking and obtaining the consent of Congress, Donald J. Trump left
himself open to foreign influence and deprived the American people of
the assurance that their highest elected official was working on their
behalf with undivided loyalty, and violated article I, section 9 of the
U.S. Constitution.
In all of this, Donald J. Trump has undermined the integrity of his
office, brought disrepute on the Presidency, and betrayed his trust as
President in a manner subversive of constitutional government, against
the cause of law and justice and to the manifest injury of the people
of the United States.
Wherefore Donald J. Trump, by such conduct, warrants impeachment
and trial, and removal from office.
article iii
violation of the domestic emoluments clause--article ii, section 1 of
the united states constitution
In his conduct while President of the United States, Donald J.
Trump, in violation of his constitutional oath to faithfully execute
the office of President of the United States and, to the best of his
ability, preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United
States, as well as his constitutional obligation to take care that the
laws be faithfully executed, accepted, emoluments from the United
States in the following manner:
Donald J. Trump refused to divest, place into a blind trust, or
otherwise give up his ownership interest in his worldwide business
holdings since becoming President.
Donald J. Trump refused to release his tax returns, with the intent
to conceal the exact nature of his holdings from Congress and the
American people.
Donald J. Trump has an ownership interest in the Mar-a-Lago Club in
Palm Beach, Florida.
Donald J. Trump has an ownership interest in the Trump National
Golf Club in Bedminster, New Jersey.
Since becoming President, Donald J. Trump has visited Mar-a-Lago in
Palm Beach, Florida, at least seven times, and has visited the Trump
National Golf Club in Bedminster, New Jersey, at least five times.
Since becoming President, Donald J. Trump has visited other Trump-
branded properties including the Trump National Golf Club in Jupiter,
Florida, the Trump National Golf Club in Sterling, Virginia.
According to the New York Times, as of September 25, 2017, Donald
J. Trump had visited at least one Trump-branded property on 85 days of
his Presidency, as compared to 164 days in which he did not visit a
Trump-branded property.
Donald J. Trump caused the United States Government to spend
Federal funds at Trump-branded properties in which he has an ownership
interest, including a reported $73,000 by the Secret Service on golf
cart rentals, as well as $1,092 by the National Security Council for
two nights of lodging at Mar-a-Lago.
By accepting emoluments from the United States in the form of
payments for goods and/or services at businesses in which Donald J.
Trump has an ownership interest, Donald J. Trump violated article II,
section 1 of the U.S. Constitution.
In all of this, Donald J. Trump has undermined the integrity of his
office, brought disrepute on the Presidency, and betrayed his trust as
President in a manner subversive of constitutional government, against
the cause of law and justice and to the manifest injury of the people
of the United States.
Wherefore Donald J. Trump, by such conduct, warrants impeachment
and trial, and removal from office.
article iv
abuse of power--undermining the independence of the federal judiciary
and the rule of law
In his conduct while President of the United States, Donald J.
Trump, in violation of his constitutional oath to faithfully execute
the office of the President of the United States and, to the best of
his ability, preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the
United States, as well as his constitutional obligation to take care
that the laws be faithfully executed, has engaged in activities that
undermine the independence of the Federal judiciary.
On January 27, 2017, Donald J. Trump signed an Executive order
banning entry for 90 days by citizens from Iraq, Syria, Iran, Libya,
Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen, prohibiting entry indefinitely refugees from
war-torn Syria, and stopping admission of all refugees to the United
States for four months. The order stated that upon resumption of
admission of refugees to the United States, prioritization would be
given to refugee claims made by individuals on the basis of religious-
based persecution, provided that the religion of the individual is a
minority religion in the individual's country of nationality.
On February 3, 2017, U.S. District Court Judge James Robart issued
a nationwide restraining order temporarily blocking the Executive order
issued by Donald J. Trump on January 27, 2017.
On February 4, 2017, Donald J. Trump tweeted, ``The opinion of this
so-called judge, which essentially takes law-enforcement away from our
country, is ridiculous and will be overturned!''.
U.S. District Court Judge James Robart was nominated by President
George W. Bush in 2003, and confirmed by the U.S. Senate in June 2004
by a vote of 99-0.
Donald J. Trump's tweet about Judge Robart was consistent with a
lack of respect for the Federal judiciary Donald J. Trump displayed as
a candidate for President. On February 27, 2016, Donald J. Trump
accused U.S. District Court Judge Gonzalo P. Curiel of being biased
against him in overseeing a class action lawsuit against Trump
University, saying, ``We have a very hostile judge because, to be
honest with you, the judge should've thrown the case out on summary
judgment. But because it was me and because there's a hostility toward
me by the judge, tremendous hostility, beyond belief. I believe he
happens to be Spanish, which is fine. He is Hispanic, which is fine.
And we haven't asked for recusal, which we may do. But we have a judge
who is very hostile.''.
On February 28, 2016, Donald J. Trump said, ``I think the judge has
been extremely hostile to me. I think it has to do with perhaps the
fact that I'm very, very strong on the border. Very, very strong on the
border. And he has been extremely hostile to me. This is a case that in
our opinion should have been won a long time ago. It's a case that we
should have won on summary judgment . . . we have a very hostile judge.
Now, he is Hispanic, I believe. He is a very hostile judge to me. I
said it loud and clear.''.
On May 27, 2016, Donald J. Trump said, ``Everybody says it, but I
have a judge who is a hater of Donald Trump, a hater. He's a hater. His
name is Gonzalo Curiel and he is not doing the right thing . . . So
what happens is the judge, who happens to be, we believe, Mexican,
which is great. I think that's fine. You know what? I think the
Mexicans are going to end up loving Donald Trump when I give all these
jobs, OK? I think they're going to end up . . . I think they're going
to love me . . . So I'll be seeing you in November either as
president--and I will say this . . . I think Judge Curiel should be
ashamed of himself. I think it's a disgrace that he's doing this . . .
I will tell you, this court system--the judges in this court system,
federal court. They ought to look into that Judge Curiel because what
Judge Curiel is doing is a total disgrace. OK? But we'll come back in
November. Wouldn't that be wild if I'm president and I come back to do
a civil case?''.
On June 3, 2016, Donald J. Trump said, ``Look, he's proud of his
heritage, OK? I'm building a wall. Now, I think I'm going to do very
well with Hispanics . . . because I'm going to bring back jobs. And
they are going to get jobs. I think I'm going to do very well with
Hispanics. But we are building a wall. He's a Mexican. We're building a
wall between here and Mexico. The answer is, he is giving us very
unfair rulings, rulings that people can't even believe. This case
should have ended years ago on summary judgment. The best lawyers--I
have spoken to so many lawyers--they said, `This is not a case. This is
a case that should have ended.'. This judge is giving us unfair
rulings. Now, I say. `Why?' Well, I'm building a wall, OK? And it's a
wall between Mexico. Not another country.''.
U.S. District Court Judge Gonzalo P. Curiel was born in Indiana and
was appointed to the California Superior Court by Governor Arnold
Schwarzenegger in 2006. Judge Curiel was nominated to the Federal bench
by President Barack Obama in 2011 and confirmed by the U.S. Senate in
2012 by voice vote.
In 2011, as a part of a lawsuit alleging that the Maricopa County,
Arizona, Sheriff's Office was racially profiling Latinos, detaining
them based solely on the suspicion that they were in the country
illegally, and turning them over to immigration authorities, U.S.
District Court Judge Murray Snow ordered Maricopa County Sheriff Joe
Arpaio to stop detentions based solely on an individual's immigration
status, when there was no evidence that a State law had been broken.
On July 31, 2017, U.S. District Court Judge Susan Bolton ruled that
Joe Arpaio had willfully violated the 2011 court order, and held Joe
Arpaio in criminal contempt of court.
On August 25, 2017, before Joe Arpaio had been sentenced, or his
conviction had been appealed, and without consulting the Justice
Department, Donald J. Trump pardoned Joe Arpaio for his commission of
criminal contempt of court.
In all of this, Donald J. Trump has sought to undermine the
independence of the Federal judiciary and the rule of law, repeatedly
attempted to upset the careful constitutional balance of power between
the judicial and executive branches. By pardoning Joe Arpaio's willful
violation of a Federal court order, Donald J. Trump has offered
encouragement to others to disobey Federal court orders with which
Donald J. Trump may disagree. He has brought disrepute on the
Presidency, and has acted in a manner subversive of constitutional
government, to the great prejudice of the cause of law and justice and
to the manifest injury of the people of the United States.
Wherefore Donald J. Trump, by such conduct, warrants impeachment
and trial, and removal from office.
article v
undermining freedom of the press
In his conduct while President of the United States, Donald J.
Trump, in violation of his constitutional oath to faithfully execute
the office of the President of the United States and, to the best of
his ability, preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the
United States, as well as his constitutional obligation to take care
that the laws be faithfully executed, has engaged in activities that
undermine the freedom of the press guaranteed by the First Amendment to
the Constitution.
Donald J. Trump repeatedly called press organizations ``fake news''
including, on February 15, 2017, when he tweeted, ``The fake news media
is going crazy with their conspiracy theories and blind hatred. @MSNBC
& @CNN are unwatchable. @foxandfriends is great!''.
On February 17, 2017, Donald J. Trump tweeted, ``The FAKE NEWS
media (failing @nytimes, @NBCNews, @ABC, @CBS, @CNN) is not my enemy,
it is the enemy of the American People!''.
Donald J. Trump has repeatedly attacked members of the press,
including as a candidate on August 7, 2015, when he commented about Fox
News Channel anchor and Presidential debate moderator Megyn Kelly
saying, ``you could see there was blood coming out of her eyes, blood
coming out of her whatever''.
On June 29, 2017, Donald J. Trump tweeted, ``I heard poorly rated
Morning Joe speaks badly of me (don't watch anymore). Then how come low
I.Q. Crazy Mika, along with Psycho Joe, came to Mar-a-Lago 3 nights in
a row around New Year's Eve, and insisted on joining me. She was badly
bleeding from a face-lift. I said no!''.
On July 2, 2017, Donald J. Trump tweeted ``#FraudNewsCNN#FNN'' and
circulated a video of him violently wrestling a man covered by a CNN
logo, which, according to the Reporters Committee on Freedom of the
Press, was a ``threat of physical violence against journalists . . .
[and] beneath the office of the presidency''.
On May 10, 2017, Donald J. Trump's White House barred American
reporters from witnessing his meeting with Russian Foreign Minister
Sergey Lavrov and Russian Ambassador to the United States Sergey
Kislyak in the Oval Office, but allowed a Russian photographer to
document the meeting.
In January 2017, Donald J. Trump's transition team considered a
plan to relocate the press corps from the White House press room to the
White House Conference Center near Lafayette Square or to space in the
Old Executive Office Building.
In June 2017, Donald J. Trump's administration prohibited video
recordings of White House press briefings.
On October 11, 2017, Donald J. Trump tweeted, ``Fake @NBC News made
up story that I wanted a `tenfold' increase in our U.S. nuclear
arsenal. Pure fiction, made up to demean. NBC=CNN!'' and ``With all of
the Fake News coming out of NBC and the Networks at what point is it
appropriate to challenge their License? Bad for country!''.
On October 11, 2017, Donald J. Trump also tweeted, ``Network news
has become so partisan, distorted and fake that licenses must be
challenged and, if appropriate, revoked. Not fair to public!''.
On October 11, 2017, Donald J. Trump told reporters in the Oval
Office, ``It is frankly disgusting the way the press is able to write
whatever they want to write, and people should look into it.''.
In all of this, Donald J. Trump has sought to undermine the freedom
of the press guaranteed by the First Amendment to the Constitution,
brought disrepute on the Presidency, and has acted in a manner
subversive of constitutional government, to the great prejudice of the
cause of law and justice and to the manifest injury of the people of
the United States.
Wherefore Donald J. Trump, by such conduct, warrants impeachment
and trial, and removal from office.
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