[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 50 (Thursday, March 22, 2018)]
[House]
[Page H2030]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         RUSSIAN INVESTIGATION

  (Mr. HUFFMAN asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. HUFFMAN. Mr. Speaker, despite the Kremlin's lies, all facts lead 
to the conclusion that Vladimir Putin tried to murder Sergei Skripal, a 
former Russian double agent, in broad daylight on British soil.
  Great Britain strongly condemned Russia, and because Britain is our 
closest ally, our Secretary of State, Rex Tillerson, did what we would 
expect from him: he forcefully condemned the crime and vowed the U.S. 
would hold Russia accountable. But within hours, Tillerson was fired.
  Now, we know about the strains between President Trump and Tillerson: 
Trump has mocked him for favoring diplomacy with North Korea; they have 
disagreed over the Iran nuclear deal; and it didn't help when Tillerson 
reportedly called Trump a moron. But none of that cost Tillerson his 
job. It was only when he aggressively condemned Putin that he crossed 
the reddest of redlines for Donald Trump.
  Why is Trump so afraid of Putin that he would fire his own Secretary 
of State for talking tough on Russia? Why does he constantly fawn over 
Putin, even calling to congratulate him for winning a fake election 
this week?

  You would think the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence 
would be asking these questions, but, instead, they have shut down 
their Russia investigation.
  This stinks, Mr. Speaker. What are they trying to hide from the 
American people?
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Members are reminded to refrain from 
engaging in personalities toward the President.

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