[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 48 (Monday, March 20, 2017)]
[House]
[Pages H2222-H2223]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
NOTICE OF INTENTION TO OFFER RESOLUTION RAISING A QUESTION OF
PRIVILEGES OF THE HOUSE
Mr. POLIS. Mr. Speaker, pursuant to clause 2(a)(1) of rule IX, I rise
to give notice of my intention to raise a question of the privileges of
the House.
The form of the resolution is as follows:
Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that the
President shall immediately disclose his tax return information to
Congress and the American people.
Whereas, in the United States' system of checks and balances,
Congress has a responsibility to hold the executive branch of
government to the highest standard of transparency to ensure the public
interest is placed first;
Whereas, according to the Tax History Project, every President since
Gerald Ford has disclosed their tax return information to the public;
Whereas, tax returns provide an important baseline disclosure because
they contain highly instructive information including whether the
candidate can be influenced by foreign entities and reveal any
conflicts of interest;
Whereas, Article I, section 9 of the Constitution states that no
person holding any office of profit or trust under them, shall, without
the consent of Congress, accept any present, emolument, Office or
Title, of any kind whatever from any King, Prince, or foreign State;
=========================== NOTE ===========================
March 20, 2017, on page H2222, the following appeared: from any
King, Prince, or foreign State;dive Whereas, disclosure of the
President's tax returns is important towards
The online version has been corrected to read: from any King,
Prince, or foreign State; Whereas, disclosure of the President's
tax returns is important towards
========================= END NOTE =========================
Whereas, disclosure of the President's tax returns is important
towards investigating Russian influence in the 2016 election,
understanding the President's financial ties to the Russian Federation
and Russian citizens, including debts owed and whether he shares any
partnership interests, equity interests, joint ventures, or licensing
agreements with Russia or Russian nationals, formally or informally
associated with Vladmir Putin;
Whereas, The New York Times has reported that President Trump's close
senior advisers, including Carter Page, Paul Manafort, Roger Stone, and
General Michael Flynn, have been under investigation by the Federal
Bureau of Investigation for their ties to the Russian Federation;
Whereas, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov told
Interfax, a Russian media outlet, on November 10, 2016, that ``there
were contacts''
[[Page H2223]]
with Donald Trump's 2016 campaign, and it has been reported that
members of President Trump's inner circle were in contact with senior
Russian officials throughout the 2016 campaign;
Whereas, General Michael Flynn, former national security adviser of
President Trump, received almost $68,000 in fees and expenses from
Russian entities in 2015, including by an entity recognized by U.S.
intelligence agencies as an arm of the Russian Government;
Whereas, FBI Director Comey stated in the Select Intelligence
Committee hearing on the Russian interference with the November 2016
election that ``there is no information to support those tweets,''
relating to President's Trump allegations that President Obama
illegally wiretapped the Trump campaign;
Whereas, distracting investigators with dead-end leads and outrageous
statements is a common tactic from those with a guilty conscience or in
a deliberate effort to throw off investigators;
Whereas, according to his 2016 candidate filing with the Federal
Election Commission, the President has 564 financial positions in
companies located in the United States and around the world;
Whereas, according to The Washington Post, the Trump International
Hotel in Washington, D.C., has hired a ``director of diplomatic sales''
to generate high-priced business among foreign leaders and diplomatic
delegations;
Whereas, the chairman on the Ways and Means Committee, Joint
Committee on Taxation, and Senate Finance Committee have the authority
to request the President's tax returns under section 6103 of the tax
code;
=========================== NOTE ===========================
March 20, 2017, on page H2223, the following appeared: Whereas,
The chairman on the Ways
The online version has been corrected to read: Whereas, the
chairman on the Ways
========================= END NOTE =========================
Whereas, the Ways and Means Committee used IRC 6103 authority in 2014
to make public the confidential tax information of 51 taxpayers;
Whereas, the American people have the right to know whether or not
their President is operating under conflicts of interest related to
international affairs, tax reform, government contracts, or otherwise:
Now, therefore, be it resolved, that the House of Representatives
shall:
One, immediately request the tax return information of Donald J.
Trump for tax years 2006 through 2015 for review in closed executive
session by the Committee on Ways and Means, as provided under section
6103 of the Internal Revenue Code, and vote to report the information
therein to the full House of Representatives;
Two, support transparency in government and the longstanding
tradition of Presidents and Presidential candidates disclosing their
tax returns.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under rule IX, a resolution offered from the
floor by a Member other than the majority leader or the minority leader
as a question of the privileges of the House has immediate precedence
only at a time designated by the Chair within 2 legislative days after
the resolution is properly noticed.
Pending that designation, the form of the resolution noticed by the
gentleman from Colorado will appear in the Record at this point.
The Chair will not at this point determine whether the resolution
constitutes a question of privilege. That determination will be made at
the time designated for consideration of the resolution.
Parliamentary Inquiries
Mr. POLIS. Parliamentary inquiry, Mr. Speaker.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentleman from Colorado will state his
parliamentary inquiry.
Mr. POLIS. Mr. Speaker, previous motions by Ms. Eshoo, Mr. Pascrell,
and Mr. Crowley were ruled upon immediately. What is different about
today's resolution?
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair will inform the gentleman of the
scheduling, as stated earlier, within the limits of rule IX.
Mr. POLIS. Further parliamentary inquiry, Mr. Speaker.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentleman will state his parliamentary
inquiry.
Mr. POLIS. Mr. Speaker, does today's hearing of the Select Committee
on Intelligence provide additional relevant information to the Speaker
in order to make this decision?
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The leadership will give the gentleman
timely notice of the scheduling of his resolution.
Mr. POLIS. Mr. Speaker, one additional parliamentary inquiry.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentleman will state his parliamentary
inquiry.
Mr. POLIS. Mr. Speaker, does delaying consideration of this
resolution mean that we won't even vote on whether we can find out if
the President has financial ties to a foreign entity for 2 more days?
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Recognition for a parliamentary inquiry is
within the discretion of the Chair. The gentleman is no longer
recognized.
The Chair is prepared to resume proceedings on votes postponed
earlier today.
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