[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 70 (Tuesday, April 30, 2019)]
[House]
[Pages H3318-H3319]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   NOTICE OF INTENTION TO OFFER RESOLUTION RAISING A QUESTION OF THE 
                        PRIVILEGES OF THE HOUSE

  Mr. GREEN of Tennessee. Madam Speaker, pursuant to clause 2(a)(1) of 
rule IX, I rise to give notice of my intention to raise a question of 
the privileges of the House.
  The form of the resolution is as follows:
  House Resolution 304. Raising a question of the privileges of the 
House.
  Whereas Michael Cohen testified under oath as a witness before the 
House Committee on Oversight and Reform on February 27, 2019;
  Whereas Michael Cohen falsely testified under oath, ``I have never 
asked for, nor would I accept, a pardon from President Trump'';
  Whereas in truth and fact, attorney for Michael Cohen, Lanny Davis, 
admitted on March 6, 2019, that Cohen ``directed his attorney to 
explore possibilities of a pardon at one point with Donald J. Trump 
lawyer Rudy Giuliani as well as other lawyers advising President 
Trump'';

[[Page H3319]]

  Whereas in truth and fact, attorney for Michael Cohen, Michael 
Monico, admitted in a March 12, 2019, letter that Cohen's testimony was 
inaccurate;
  Whereas in truth and fact, the ex post representation by Cohen's 
attorney does not annul Cohen's intentionally false and misleading 
testimony;
  Whereas in truth and fact, Cohen's testimony under oath was delivered 
in the context of apologizing for all his criminal activities;
  Whereas in truth and fact, Cohen's denial of ever seeking a pardon 
contained no qualifiers about the context of his statement;
  Whereas in truth and fact, Cohen's denial of ever seeking a pardon, 
as uttered under oath in his testimony, was absolute and unequivocal;
  Whereas in truth and fact, Cohen testified under oath that he and his 
lawyers spent hours editing his written statement submitted to the 
Committee on Oversight and Reform preceding his testimony, which 
included the written assertion, ``I have never asked for, nor would I 
accept, a pardon from President Trump'';
  Whereas in truth and fact, Cohen's denial in his written statement of 
never asking for a Presidential pardon was an unqualified assertion;
  Whereas Michael Cohen falsely testified under oath that he ``did not 
want to go to the White House'' and he ``did not want a role or title 
in the administration'';
  Whereas in truth and fact the United States Attorney's Office for the 
Southern District of New York submitted to Federal court a sentencing 
memorandum expressing Michael Cohen's desire to work in the White 
House, explaining: ``during and after the campaign, Cohen privately 
told friends and colleagues, including in seized text messages, that he 
expected to be given a prominent role and title in the new 
administration. When that did not materialize, Cohen found a way to 
monetize his relationship with and access to the President'';
  Whereas Michael Cohen falsely testified under oath on other factual 
matters of material significance;
  Whereas Michael Cohen's intentionally false testimony was aimed at 
obscuring the truth and ameliorating the extent of his own personal 
embarrassment;
  Whereas intentionally false testimony to a committee of the House of 
Representatives harms the integrity of the proceedings of the House;
  Whereas it is a Federal crime to provide false information to 
Congress and the failure to enforce this crime further undermines the 
integrity of the House; and
  Whereas it is the judgment of the House of Representatives that 
providing a copy of the official transcript of the hearing of the 
Committee on Oversight and Reform on February 27, 2019, to the 
Department of Justice would aid the Attorney General's consideration of 
investigation and potential prosecution of Michael Cohen's criminal 
conduct: Now, therefore, be it
  Resolved, that the House of Representatives directs the chair of the 
Oversight and Reform Committee to submit to the Attorney General an 
official copy of the transcript of the hearing during which Michael 
Cohen testified under oath on February 27, 2019.

                              {time}  1315

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under rule IX, a resolution offered from the 
floor by a Member other than the majority leader or the minority leader 
as a question of the privileges of the House has immediate precedence 
only at a time designated by the Chair within 2 legislative days after 
the resolution is properly noticed.
  Pending that designation, the form of the resolution noticed by the 
gentleman from Tennessee will appear in the Record at this point.
  The Chair will not, at this point, determine whether the resolution 
constitutes a question of privilege. That determination will be made at 
the time designated for consideration of the resolution.

                          ____________________