[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 59 (Thursday, April 12, 2018)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E446-E447]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 INTRODUCTION OF H.R. 5476 SPECIAL COUNSEL INDEPENDENCE AND INTEGRITY 
                                  ACT

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. SHEILA JACKSON LEE

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, April 12, 2018

  Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, as a senior Member of the Judiciary 
Committee, and an original co-sponsor, I rise today to urge all Members 
to support and cosponsor H.R. 5476, ``Special Counsel Independence and 
Integrity Act.''
  When we were here in March, before the Easter Recess, I indicated 
that firing Special Counsel Robert Mueller would not be crossing a Red 
Line.
  It would not be crossing a Blue Line.
  It would be crossing a Red, White, and Blue line.
  I have been concerned about this issue for a very long time--to me it 
was clear in August, and every day that passes is another where my 
first instincts about the President's desire to fire Special Counsel 
Mueller, are confirmed.
  The importance of Special Counsel Mueller's investigation into the 
2016 election, and the nature and extent of Russia's interference, 
cannot be overstated.
  The allegation that a foreign government--hostile or otherwise--
played any part in the internal democratic processes of our country 
should shock every single American citizen.
  It strikes at the heart of our democratic system of government.
  We must come to terms with the fact that our very last national 
election is a crime scene.
  The 2018 election could be one, too.
  It was critical then, it is critical now, and it will be critical 
tomorrow that the Special Counsel be permitted to do his work 
unimpeded.
  That is why last August I introduced H.R. 3654, ``Special Counsel 
Independence Protection Act,'' which precludes the firing of the 
Special Counsel absent of substantial evidence, that there exists good 
cause to do so, and that determination accepted by a three-judge 
federal court.
  H.R. 3654 has the support of 152 cosponsors and is also the subject 
of a discharge petition, and 144 members of the House of 
Representatives have signed the discharge petition.
  I thank my colleagues who have supported H.R. 3654, to protect the 
Special Counsel's investigation recognizing that nothing less than our 
sovereignty, our democratic ideals, and our national dignity are at 
stake.
  Today, I announce my support for new legislation protecting the 
Special Counsel, H.R. 5476, ``Special Counsel Independence and 
Integrity Act,'' introduced by Ranking Member Nadler, myself, and Mr. 
Cohen.
  I am pleased that this legislation incorporates the core of my 
legislation to protect the Special Counsel.
  The Nadler-Jackson Lee-Cohen bill constrains the Attorney General 
from damaging the Special Counsel's investigation, absent judicial 
ratification of any action to terminate the Special Counsel.
  Under H.R. 5476, the judicial branch--yet another check on an 
unwieldy executive--would determine if the termination was appropriate.
  The necessity of enacting this legislation is clear.
  Seven times this year, the President has decried the investigation as 
a ``witch hunt,'' including yesterday.
  The New York Times has reported that the President has tried at least 
twice in 2017 to fire Special Counsel Mueller--once in June 2017, and 
once again in December 2017.
  Now, this morning he is claiming, again over Twitter, that reports 
that he wanted to fire Special Counsel Mueller were more ``fake news.''
  On Monday, after news that his lawyer's residence and offices were 
raided, the President openly mused, at a gathering of his war cabinet, 
about firing Special Counsel Mueller.
  On Tuesday, the President asserted that he had the power to fire 
Special Counsel Mueller.
  Yesterday on Twitter, the President called Special Counsel Mueller 
``the most conflicted of all.''
  He is wrong.
  Last night, he advertised a program on his favorite cable network, 
and when that show aired, it consisted of a derogatory piece against 
the president's chief investigators: former FBI Director Comey and 
Special Counsel Mueller.

[[Page E447]]

  Last month, the President twice said he opposed the investigation, 
told an untruth about the political composition of the prosecutors in 
the Special Counsel's office, and has reiterated that it should never 
have been started.
  Given the actions of the current President, it is appropriate to ask 
whether stronger legislation is needed.
  But H.R. 5476 is an important compromise with our colleagues on the 
other side of the aisle.
  We must step back and take off our partisan hats and approach this as 
Americans.
  We, as Members of Congress, are Constitutional Officers.
  This is an `Article I' moment.
  The People's House must exercise its constitutional prerogative and 
conduct oversight.
  The framers of the Constitution prioritized the legislature branch 
over the executive branch.
  Recent public opinion polls reflect that 70 percent of the American 
people want the Special Counsel to continue his investigation.
  The Framers of our Constitution wisely divided power through a system 
of checks and balances.
  They anticipated a moment like this and vested power in the Congress 
to address, deter, and remedy a crisis caused by a Chief Executive who 
held himself to be above the law.
  When future generations look back on this moment, and they consider 
that our democratic ideals and institutions were under enormous 
pressure from unsuspecting places, they will ask what we did when it 
mattered.
  We must act.
  Now, while we as Americans have our differing views, they are ours to 
solve, amongst ourselves.
  Unfortunately, for all of us, the scope of the Special Counsel's 
investigation also includes the question of the extent to which the 
Trump campaign was helped in any way by the Russians.
  Congress must not abdicate its Article I responsibility.
  We must get to the bottom of what happened in the 2016 election.
  We must permit Special Counsel Robert Mueller to continue his 
investigation.
  We must seize the moment and pass H.R. 5476, ``Special Counsel 
Independence and Integrity Act.''

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