[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 122 (Wednesday, July 19, 2017)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1021]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 RELATING TO A RESOLUTION RAISING A QUESTION OF THE PRIVILEGES OF THE 
                                 HOUSE

                                  _____
                                 

                        HON. DAVID N. CICILLINE

                            of rhode island

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, July 19, 2017

  Mr. CICILLINE. Mr. Speaker, my resolution raises the question of the 
privileges of the House pursuant to Rule IX, clause 1, as it affects 
``the rights of the House collectively, its dignity, and the integrity 
of its proceedings.''
  Insofar as it raises the House's failure to undertake its 
constitutional responsibility of oversight and the obligation of all 
elected officials to ensure decisions are made free of conflicts and 
with the public interest in mind.
  In particular, matters related to the House's constitutionally 
granted powers have been recognized as valid questions of the 
privileges of the House. The Origination Clause that requests revenue 
bills to originate in the House includes the issues related to revenues 
generated by our tax code. Clearly the issues raised by this resolution 
cover those matters contemplated by the Origination Clause.
  There is nothing more of a threat to the integrity of the House than 
ignoring our duty to provide a check and balance to the executive 
branch. To restore the dignity of the House, we must use our authority 
to request President Trump's tax returns and give the American people 
the transparency they deserve.
  The stunning conflicts of interest are piling up as the President, 
his family, and his friends profit in their personal business endeavors 
while serving in public office.
  President Trump has not divested himself from his businesses as was 
recommended by the Office of Government Ethics. He is the sole 
beneficiary of the trust his sons now manage and can still pull funds 
from it at any time.
  We need to see how the President would personally benefit from 
changes to our tax code. Tax code changes proposed by his 
administration could lower his own personal tax bill by tens of 
millions of dollars. The American people have a right to know.
  Mr. Trump fired the Director of the FBI, James Comey, and admitted he 
did so because he didn't like the investigation into the Trump 
campaign's possible collusion with Russian officials. The following 
day, he welcomed the Russian foreign minister and Russian ambassador to 
the Oval Office with open arms, and revealed highly sensitive, 
classified information to them.
  And now we know that several members of the Trump Campaign and 
President Trump's inner circle met with a Russian lawyer and 
intelligence agent during the campaign, hoping to get incriminating 
information against Hillary Clinton.
  Yet to this day, we have no way of knowing President Trump's or the 
various Trump organizations' ties to Russia. We don't know whether 
Trump or his firms have received Russian income or loans or entered 
into Russian-linked partnerships. A ``certified'' letter from paid 
attorneys does nothing to assuage these concerns.
  The Legislative Branch has the responsibility and the authority to 
check the Executive Branch and Section 6103 of the tax code allows for 
an examination of his tax returns--authority put in place specifically 
so Congress could examine conflicts of interest in the Executive 
following the Teapot Dome scandal.
  We cannot ignore our duty to fully examine the personal financial 
entanglements this President may have with Russian entities and 
individuals and whether he has abused the tax laws of this country.
  We have nothing but evidence to justify such an examination. If and 
when such conflicts are revealed, I do not want to say to our 
constituents that we had the power to review these conflicts, but we 
did nothing. I for one do not want my integrity or the integrity of my 
colleagues in this body to be demeaned by such a shameful failure.
  To restore the dignity of the House, we must use our authority to 
request President Trump's tax returns and give the American people the 
transparency they deserve.

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