[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 173 (Thursday, October 26, 2017)]
[House]
[Pages H8260-H8262]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




          COUNTRY BEFORE PARTY AND PATRIOTISM BEFORE POLITICS

  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Gaetz). Under the Speaker's announced 
policy of January 3, 2017, the gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Gallego) is 
recognized for 60 minutes as the designee of the minority leader.

[[Page H8261]]

  

  Mr. GALLEGO. Mr. Speaker, this year marks the 60th anniversary of the 
publication of ``Profiles in Courage.'' John F. Kennedy's famous volume 
tells the stories of eight American leaders who put country before 
party and patriotism before politics, men for whom personal integrity 
was more important than personal popularity or power.
  Unfortunately, the kind of political and moral courage that is 
described in Kennedy's book is in tragically short supply within the 
modern Republican Party.
  Faced by a President intent on undermining the values and norms that 
sustain our democracy, frighteningly few Republicans have been willing 
to do more than wring their hands and roll their eyes. While Senator 
Corker and Senator Flake have been boldly denouncing Donald Trump, they 
are exceptions to a well-established rule.
  Indeed, when a new ``Profiles in Courage'' is written for the 21st 
century, we can be certain that no one from the current House 
Republican leadership is going to be featured in its pages.
  When questioned about Trump's attacks on women, minorities, the 
disabled, and Gold Star families, Speaker Ryan has been equivocal and 
evasive.
  When called upon to condemn Trump's outrageous embrace of the White 
nationalists, Speaker Ryan has deferred and deflected.
  When asked to defend Trump's reckless rhetoric on North Korea, 
Speaker Ryan has done so enthusiastically.
  Earlier this week, on the Senate floor, Senator Flake complained that 
``reckless, outrageous, and undignified behavior has become excused and 
countenanced.''
  Mr. Speaker, Paul Ryan and the GOP leadership are the very people who 
are doing that excusing. They are normalizing and condoning actions 
that should shock us as Americans and shame us as a body.
  But don't take my word for it, Mr. Speaker. With the help of my good 
friend, Congressman Lieu of California, we will now read for you, in 
chronological order, Speaker Ryan's responses to Donald Trump's most 
outrageous and abusive behavior.
  Congressman Lieu, let's get started.
  Mr. TED LIEU of California. Mr. Speaker, before we do, let me just 
first say that today is Thursday. That means we all need to ask: Why do 
Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner still have their security clearances?
  But I digress. We are now going to read into the Congressional Record 
outrageous and stupid things the President of the United States has 
done or said, and then Representative Gallego is going to give you 
Speaker Ryan's response. So I am going to start.
  On May 11, Donald Trump fired FBI Director James Comey, and this is 
what Donald Trump said:
  ``Regardless of recommendation, I was going to fire Comey, knowing 
there was no good time to do it. And, in fact, when I decided to just 
do it, I said to myself, `You know, this Russia thing with Trump and 
Russia is a made-up story.''
  Mr. GALLEGO. Speaker Ryan's response: Trump ``acted and that's what a 
President should do.'' Real profile in courage there.
  Mr. TED LIEU of California. On May 16, it was revealed that Donald 
Trump asked Director Comey to drop an investigation into General 
Flynn's collusion with the Russians before he was fired.

  Trump said to Comey: Flynn ``is a good guy. I hope you can let this 
go.''
  Mr. GALLEGO. The Speaker's response: Trump's ``new to government, and 
so he probably wasn't steeped in the long-running protocols that 
establish the relationships between DOJ, FBI, and the White Houses. 
He's just new to this.''
  Mr. TED LIEU of California. On May 22, Donald Trump confirmed he 
leaked classified information to Russian officials at a meeting in the 
Oval Office.
  Mr. GALLEGO. The response from Ryan's office is, ``The Speaker hopes 
for a full explanation of the facts from the administration,'' an 
explanation that the American people are still waiting for, by the way, 
5 months later. There has been no explanation, and I am pretty sure 
there was no follow-up.
  Mr. TED LIEU of California. On July 17, Donald Trump defended his 
son, Don, Jr., for holding a highly inappropriate and likely illegal 
meeting with agents of the Russian Government.
  Donald Trump said: ``Most politicians would have gone to a meeting 
like the one Don, Jr., attended in order to get info on an opponent. 
That's politics!''
  Mr. GALLEGO. Speaker Ryan was then asked whether he would have taken 
a meeting with a Russian official who offered opposition research on a 
political opponent. His evasive answer, of course, is: ``I am not going 
into hypotheticals.''
  Mr. TED LIEU of California. On July 26, Trump announced a ban on 
transgender Americans serving our Nation in uniform.
  Let me just digress for a moment. Representative Gallego is a combat 
veteran. I served on Active Duty. We know that to have our strong, all-
volunteer military, the best in the world, we need to recruit the best 
and the brightest. To discriminate against an entire class of people is 
not only wrong, it is harming our military readiness.
  This is what Donald Trump said: Our military ``cannot be burdened 
with the tremendous medical costs and disruption that transgender in 
the military would entail.''
  Mr. GALLEGO. And to respond, and I will riff a little, the cost is 
minimal in terms of the medical costs. It is just an excuse for the 
President to be homophobic.
  But Speaker Ryan's condemnation of this, or renouncement, did not 
exist. He responded by pleading for more time, and said: ``The DOD is 
reviewing this with the White House. I want to see what it is that they 
actually produce.''
  And, of course, that is another nonanswer.
  Mr. TED LIEU of California. And we are still waiting.
  On August 8, Donald Trump reacted to escalating tensions with North 
Korea by irresponsibly threatening military action.
  Trump said: ``North Korea best not make any more threats to the 
United States. They will be met with fire and fury like the world has 
never seen.''
  Mr. GALLEGO. Speaker Ryan's response, in regard to a potential 
nuclear war: ``I think the President, in my own view of it, he likes 
the unpredictability side of this.''
  That is right. Speaker Ryan thinks our Commander-in-Chief enjoys the 
unpredictability of bringing the world to the brink of a nuclear war.
  Mr. TED LIEU of California. On August 16, Donald Trump repeatedly 
refused to condemn a White supremacist rally in Virginia. Trump said: 
``I think there is blame on both sides. But you also had people that 
were very fine people, on both sides.''
  Mr. GALLEGO. Speaker Ryan's response: ``I do believe that he messed 
up in his comments on Tuesday . . . he has since then cleared that 
up.''
  But Trump never clears up anything. He certainly did not in this 
case.
  Mr. TED LIEU of California. On September 5, Trump announced his 
intention to terminate the DACA program, a move that will expose 
800,000 undocumented young people, Americans in every respect except on 
paper, to deportation from the United States.
  Mr. GALLEGO. Before that decision was made, Ryan had said: 
``Actually, I don't think he should do that.''
  However, after the announcement was said, Ryan pulled an embarrassing 
U-turn so fast it would cause whiplash, saying: ``President Obama was 
wrong to do it in the first place. . . . So President Trump was right 
in his decision. He made the right call.''
  Shameless.
  Mr. TED LIEU of California. On October 3, with millions in Puerto 
Rico without electricity or basic necessities, Donald Trump 
congratulated the people of the island on not losing hundreds of lives 
like in ``a real catastrophe'' like Hurricane Katrina.
  Despite massive flooding and overwhelming devastation, Trump called 
his administration's response ``unbelievable'' and ``incredible.''
  He attacked the mayor of San Juan and other local leaders who had 
pleaded with his administration for additional resources. Trump even 
criticized the brave people of Puerto Rico, claiming they are 
``throwing our budget out of whack.''
  And I would just also note that Trump was kind enough to dedicate a 
golf trophy cup to Puerto Rico.
  Mr. GALLEGO. Speaker Ryan's response: President Trump ``has 
tremendous compassion.''

[[Page H8262]]

  You can see the compassion.
  ``He is flying to these emergencies as soon as he can . . . it shows 
me that the people who are suffering from these tragedies are in his 
mind, front and center.''
  I am pretty sure the millions in Puerto Rico who still lack 
electricity and running water do not feel that way. They don't feel 
that way about Trump, and they don't feel that he has any compassion 
for them. And they definitely aren't ``front and center'' for this 
President or his incompetent administration.
  Mr. TED LIEU of California. Finally, beginning October 17, President 
Trump repeatedly attacked one of our colleagues, Congresswoman Wilson 
from Florida, and he essentially said that a Gold Star widow was lying.

  Mr. GALLEGO. So what was Speaker Ryan's response? Actually, we are 
still waiting to hear from him. He hasn't commented or issued a 
statement. When Trump repeatedly denigrates the personal integrity of a 
Member of this body, Speaker Ryan says nothing.
  When Trump demeans a grieving widow whose husband has made the 
ultimate sacrifice for our Nation, Speaker Ryan stays silent. Frankly, 
it is embarrassing.
  Congressman Lieu, what do you think these responses from Speaker Ryan 
say about the House Republican leadership and the state of the 
Republican Party?
  Mr. TED LIEU of California. Mr. Speaker, I thank Representative 
Gallego. There are really only two choices here. Either all of us in 
Congress can follow the leadership of Republican Senators John McCain, 
Bob Corker, and Jeff Flake and tell the truth, or we can be complicit.
  Senator Jeff Flake is unwilling to be complicit. We are unwilling to 
be complicit.
  And keep in mind, when Senator Bob Corker, who is not a flamethrower, 
he is the chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and he comes 
out and says that he is concerned that the President of the United 
States could lead us to world war III, Americans need to listen.
  So we call on Speaker Ryan to not be complicit and enable the 
reckless and dangerous behavior of our President, and that he have the 
courage to stand up and tell the truth and to really make sure that our 
President does not take our country off the rails.
  Mr. GALLEGO. Our Founding Fathers knew that there was danger in 
putting so much power in one person. They knew that giving too much 
power to one person, an irresponsible and immature leader, could use 
that to both effect democracy or enrich themselves.
  There is a reason why we have what we call the checks and balances. 
But one of those checks needs to be the U.S. House of Representatives. 
Under that, the person who is in charge of the U.S. House of 
Representatives is Speaker Ryan. He is not providing that check. He is 
only helping this administration carry on with their abuse and with the 
destruction of what we understand are the norms of this democracy.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Members are reminded to refrain from 
engaging in personalities toward the President.
  Members are also reminded to formally yield and reclaim time when 
under recognition.

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