[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 121 (Wednesday, July 18, 2018)]
[House]
[Pages H6470-H6471]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 PRESIDENT TRUMP'S COMMENTS IN HELSINKI

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from 
Texas (Ms. Jackson Lee) for 5 minutes.
  Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, viewing Monday's display in Helsinki as 
a devastating manner is not exaggeration. It is not hyperbole. It is 
not exaggerating.
  Frankly, I think it is important for the Congress to adhere to its 
responsibilities in Article I, which indicates that all legislative 
powers herein are vested in this Congress.
  We must do our job on behalf of the American people.
  So let me read: ``President Trump, you first. Just now, President 
Putin denied having anything to do with the election interference in 
2016. Every U.S. intelligence agency has concluded that Russia did. My 
first question for you, sir, is: Who do you believe?''
  This is a reporter from the AP.
  ``My second question is: Would you now, with the whole world 
watching, tell President Putin--would you denounce what happened in 
2016, and would you warn him to never do it again?''
  The answer of the President of the United States: ``So let me just 
say that we have two thoughts. You have groups that are wondering why 
the FBI never took the server. Why haven't they taken the server? Why 
was the FBI told to leave the office of the Democratic National 
Committee? I've been wondering that. I've been asking that for months 
and months, and I've been tweeting it out and calling it out on social 
media. Where is the server? I want to know, where is the server, and 
what is the server saying? With that being said, all I can do is ask 
the question.
  ``My people came to me. Dan Coats came to me, and some others, and 
they said they think it's Russia. I have President Putin; he just said 
it's not Russia. I will say this: I don't see any reason why it would 
be.
  ``But I really do want to see the server. But I have confidence in 
both parties. I really believe that this will probably go on for a 
while, but I don't think it can go on without finding out what happened 
to the server.''

                              {time}  1030

  He goes on to say:

       So I have great confidence in my intelligence people, but I 
     will tell you that President Putin was extremely strong and 
     powerful in his denial today.
       And what he did is an incredible offer.
       He offered to have his people working with our people. 
     Thank you.

  In response, Senator John McCain, a POW, said these words: ``Today's 
press conferences in Helsinki was one of the most disgraceful 
performances by an American President in memory. The damage inflicted 
by President Trump's naivete, egotism, false equivalence, and sympathy 
for autocrats is difficult to calculate. But it is clear that the 
summit in Helsinki was a tragic mistake.''
  ``President Trump proved not only unable, but unwilling to stand up 
to Putin. He and Putin seem to be speaking from the same script, as the 
President made a conscious choice to defend a tyrant against the fair 
questions of a free press and to grant Putin an uncontested platform to 
spew propaganda and lies to the world.''
  Let me remind you that the question of the reporter was: My first 
question to you, sir, is, who do you believe, Mr. President? My second 
question is: Would you now, with the world watching, tell President 
Putin would you denounce what happened in 2016?
  It is clear that the Russians invaded and altered the election of 
2016. It has been stated by our intelligence community, Director Coats, 
that at least they invaded and impacted and that they are doing it now.
  It is time for the Congress to ask or subpoena the translator's 
notes. It is time for us to have a detailed relaying to the Congress, 
in a classified manner, what were the contents, what were the 
discussions, what were the agenda items, what was said in the meeting 
singularly by our President and President Putin. Then we must pass 
legislation for extreme sanctions on anyone

[[Page H6471]]

that even thinks of interfering with the elections of 2018 and those 
who interfered with 2016.
  Finally, I believe it is important for a full-throated apology of the 
White House to the intelligence community and the American people. I 
remind you that I do not stand here singularly by myself. I stand here 
standing on a constitutional democracy which is the United States of 
America.
  Article I powers of this Congress is that we must act. We cannot 
correct it with a typographical correction--wouldn't over would. The 
reporter directly asked: Who do you believe? It was never answered that 
it was the American people in the intelligence community, Mr. Speaker. 
It was indicated that Mr. Putin gave a strong response of denial, and 
it was implied in that, that I believe Mr. Putin, and I am not going to 
answer the question to say that I believe my intelligence community. 
Therefore, I would indicate it is time for the Congress to act.

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