[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 124 (Tuesday, July 24, 2018)]
[Senate]
[Page S5269]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         SUBMITTED RESOLUTIONS

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SENATE RESOLUTION 588--EXPRESSING THE SENSE OF THE SENATE REGARDING THE 
 NEED FOR TRANSPARENCY REGARDING MEETINGS BETWEEN PRESIDENT DONALD J. 
               TRUMP AND RUSSIAN PRESIDENT VLADIMIR PUTIN

  Mr. MERKLEY submitted the following resolution; which was referred to 
the Committee on Foreign Relations:

                              S. Res. 588

       Whereas it is the unanimous conclusion of the United States 
     intelligence community that the Government of the Russian 
     Federation interfered in the 2016 Presidential election, at 
     the direction of Russian President Vladimir Putin, to advance 
     the candidacy of then-candidate Donald J. Trump;
       Whereas President Trump has repeatedly cast doubt on 
     intelligence community conclusions regarding Russia's attacks 
     during the 2016 election and suggested at his Helsinki press 
     conference, as he has in previous statements, that he 
     believes President Putin's denials despite evidence to the 
     contrary;
       Whereas President Trump and individuals associated with his 
     2016 presidential campaign remain subjects of an ongoing 
     investigation led by Special Counsel Robert S. Mueller III 
     relating to Russia's efforts to interfere in the 2016 United 
     States presidential election, an investigation which has 
     yielded 32 indictments and 5 guilty pleas to date;
       Whereas President Trump reportedly personally requested 
     that his meeting at the July 16, 2018, Helsinki Summit with 
     President Putin be one-on-one and excluded other United 
     States officials; and
       Whereas, since the Helsinki Summit, President Trump and 
     President Putin alluded to oral agreements they made, the 
     specifics of which have not been made known publicly: Now, 
     therefore, be it
       Resolved, That it is the sense of the Senate that--
       (1) President Trump should not meet with President Putin or 
     any official of the Russian Federation without another senior 
     United States official present; and
       (2) the President, or a designee of the President, should 
     within 7 days report to Congress, in the appropriate setting, 
     on the substance of President Trump's meeting with President 
     Putin, including any agreements or commitments made on behalf 
     of the United States.

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