[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 163 (2017), Part 2]
[House]
[Page 2754]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                       THE WIDENING FLYNN SCANDAL

  (Mr. PAYNE asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. PAYNE. Mr. Speaker, are we witnessing the first Manchurian 
presidency in the history of the United States?
  This resignation of President Trump's National Security Adviser, 
Michael Flynn, has done nothing to end the controversy surrounding the 
administration's relationship with Russia. I am calling for an 
independent investigation into Flynn's actions.
  The White House knew for weeks that Flynn misled about his secret 
communications with the Russian Ambassador, but apparently that was not 
a problem for the Trump administration as long as it was hidden from 
the public.
  Did the White House authorize Flynn's secret communications? Did the 
President? Why wasn't Flynn gone sooner?
  We don't know yet the answers to these and other questions. What we 
do know is that the Trump administration is not prepared to protect 
this Nation.
  For all their talk of national security, Republicans are giving 
President Trump a pass. An independent investigation into Flynn's 
actions is needed. The investigation must determine if improper 
relationships between the Trump administration and the Russian 
Government exist.
  Mr. Speaker, the American people are demanding to know, and they 
deserve to know just how tight Russia's grip is on the Trump 
administration.

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