H672 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — HOUSE January 29, 2018 with the Clinton campaign, maybe because Director Mueller put in place a investigation, along with U.S. Attor- they are crazy enough to think Donald policy that ran them off. ney Rod Rosenstein, and could not Trump would do something like this. It I still wonder about the victims at properly investigate his joined-at-the- is going to end up making them look the Boston Marathon bombing. Had we hip friend, Mr. Comey. bad in the end, and that would cer- had an FBI Director that was as inter- He could not properly investigate tainly affect the election if the cam- ested in seeking out radical Islamist what will be in the inspector general’s paign were crazy enough to utilize such killers as he was in having community report, but it certainly should require a totally fabricated dossier, I guess outreach with the mosque that was further investigation. He can’t do that. that would affect the election. started by a man who is now doing 23 It needs to be totally independent. I am I still have trouble getting over the years in Federal prison for supporting not talking about the godfather of one decision to tell American heroes to terrorism, if he had not been so inter- of Mr. Comey’s kids, Patrick Fitz- stand down, don’t go try to save the ested in playing patty-cake out with gerald, who conveniently got appointed lives of our Ambassador and the others his community partnership and instead after he talked John Ashcroft into there with the Ambassador. Tyrone gone to the mosque and been asking recusing himself. I am talking about Woods, Ty, was not going to have any specific questions about the older somebody totally independent. That is of it. He and the other heroes headed Tsarnaev brother after we got two no- what we need. out there to help as they could, includ- tices that he had been radicalized— Where does the DOJ go to get its rep- ing willingness to lay down their lives they never asked a question, not one, utation back? to protect other Americans, something about Tsarnaev; about what he has It is going to be a long process and it the CIA station chief, in collaboration been concentrating on, what he is read- is going to take truly independent peo- with other ‘‘U.S. intelligence commu- ing, what he is memorizing, what he is ple cleaning up the mess that has been created so that can happen. We need a nity,’’ apparently decided was not talking about, what books he has got. reputable Department of Justice and worthwhile. They didn’t know what questions to FBI, and it is high time we got one This article goes on to say: ‘‘Mr. ask because Director Mueller had seen back. McCabe’s abrupt departure is the latest to the purging of the FBI training ma- Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance terials so the FBI agents didn’t know event in a highly unusual back-and- of my time. forth between the Trump administra- what questions to ask. They didn’t tion and a Federal law enforcement es- know what they were looking for in a f tablishment that is both investigating radicalized Islamist. RUSSIAN INVESTIGATION him as it works for him and cherishes The same scenario has played out The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under its independence.’’ time and again. Tsarnaev should have the Speaker’s announced policy of Jan- We know that is not true. They don’t never been able to carry out that uary 3, 2017, the Chair recognizes the cherish their independence. Oh, yeah, bombing, because he came into the gentleman from Colorado (Mr. PERL- the FBI, in other levels, absolutely crosshairs of the FBI investigation. Ba- MUTTER) for 22 minutes. does. But then, at the same time, they sically, from all we can find out from Mr. PERLMUTTER. Mr. Speaker, I also cherish their good working rela- the hearings, they asked him if he was am joined today by JARED HUFFMAN tionship with other local and State law a terrorist. He said he wasn’t. They from California. And eventually, I enforcement. asked his mom if he was a terrorist. think, BRENDAN BOYLE from Philadel- This article further down said: ‘‘Mr. She said: He is a good boy. phia, the home of the new NFC cham- McCabe’s resignation also comes as the That is an encapsulation of it. But pions, is also going to join us. FBI faces fallout from thousands of they didn’t know what to ask because What we are going to talk about is: text messages between an FBI agent of Mueller. What are the Republicans afraid of? and lawyer who were involved in the Michele Bachmann and I reviewed What is it they are hiding? What is it Russia investigation, including some material that was purged. The FBI they think is going on with respect to texts harshly critical of Mr. Trump.’’ classified it so we couldn’t reveal, Mr. this investigation of the President and How about that? The lawyer working Speaker, to others publicly what was his ties to Russia? for Mr. McCabe. purged. Some of it was silly and needed It starts from the very beginning. Apparently, Mr. McCabe is racing the to be purged. This time last year, we asked the clock to retire with full benefits as the Say, for example, there were a purg- President: Are you going to turn over President himself tweeted out. I can’t ing of verses from the Koran. Why your tax returns so that people can see help but still go back to the former Di- should anything ever be purged from what is in your tax returns; whether rector of the FBI, Mr. Mueller, who set the Koran if it is part of the training you have relations with the Russians, up a personnel program that would en- materials? or who knows who? sure that the thousands and thousands You have to ask Mr. Mueller that. Every President for the last 40 or 50 of years of incredible law enforcement The FBI and the DOJ deserve better. years has turned over their tax returns. experience that was obtained by honor- We are looking forward to finding out But, of course, the President did not able, honest FBI supervisors—that what the IG report has to say, but it is turn over his tax returns and has re- they would be run off by Mr. Mueller. time for games to stop. It is time for fused to turn over his tax returns. He didn’t want those people hanging law enforcement to do their jobs at the The first thing you ask is: What is in around. Department of Justice and the FBI. there? What are you hiding? Jeff Sessions has got his hands full. It Now, what we see is a concerted ef- b 2130 was obvious that he felt like he could fort by the Republicans in the Congress He put a personal policy in place that trust those who were called career DOJ and in the White House to smear and ran off thousands of years of incredible employees. Hopefully he has learned disparage hardworking law enforce- law enforcement experience from the some of those career employees didn’t ment officers in the FBI, in the intel- FBI. have the law enforcement long in the ligence community, and the Depart- I can’t help but think that if Mr. tooth to give them the benefit of their ment of Justice, who have been tasked Mueller had not had such a policy to experience because Mueller ran them with trying to figure out whether or get rid of people that had great experi- off. They got off into an area of not Russia involved itself criminally in ence in law enforcement from the FBI, politicization of the DOJ and the FBI. our elections last year and whether or there would have been people who He can’t trust the people he would have not there is any implication of the could have gently nudged people like been able to otherwise, had the FBI not Trump campaign with respect to those Andrew McCabe or Mr. Strzok or Lisa gotten so far off track. particular efforts by the Russians. Page and would have warned them We need a second special counsel, as We need to make sure that Russia when they were getting close to the I advised the President back in June, does not hack into our elections, does edge before they got into such total and we need it now. Investigations can- not participate in a way that favors politicization of our important FBI and not be conducted by Mueller into what one party over another or one can- DOJ. But those people weren’t there Mueller did during the prior Russian didate over another.

VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:57 Jan 30, 2018 Jkt 079060 PO 00000 Frm 00042 Fmt 4634 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\K29JA7.072 H29JAPT1 dlhill on DSK3GLQ082PROD with HOUSE January 29, 2018 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — HOUSE H673 These investigations started and the many of our colleagues in this body there to the President’s campaign first thing the President did was fire have taken up those same tactics and chair, who is under indictment; to Jim Comey from the FBI. Through a that same cause. That is dangerous. members of his family, who have been process, the Justice Department then One of the great things about this hauled before the special prosecutor to appoints a special prosecutor, a special country, I believe, is that it is about answer to secret meetings and other counsel, to continue this investigation. the rule of law. Our Founders actively dealings that they have had with Rus- Since that has occurred, there have debated this question about whether sia; and to others in this administra- been a couple of indictments and a cou- we would be a country of laws and in- tion who had repeated contacts with ple of plea agreements. Michael Flynn, stitutions or a country of men. Russia. who was the intelligence head for the Would we have some people above the And, of course, no one can forget the President, has faced part of this inves- law or would we all be subject to the intelligence chairman’s trip to the tigation. There was Paul Manafort and law? White House last year, where he staged Richard Gates, who were involved in They answered it loud and clear. We an impromptu news conference, claim- the campaign, and then George were going to be a country of law and ing that he had briefed the White Papadopoulos. institutions. At every critical test in House about a source who could ex- But that is just the tip of the iceberg. our history, we have reaffirmed that plain how Trump campaign officials All these people, both on the Trump essential great aspect of what it is to were caught up in foreign intelligence campaign side and all of these Rus- be the United States of America. That intercepts. His unnamed sources that sians, have played some kind of a role, is what Watergate was all about, as we he rushed to brief the White House and this investigation must be pursued. are beginning to remember. about, well, it turned out they were My friends on the Republican side of Yet, today, it seems that that propo- White House officials. the aisle can complain, can stomp their sition is being retested all over again. This was a completely choreographed feet, can throw mud at the individuals To my dismay, some of our colleagues stunt. They had planted the misleading who are asked to do these investiga- are hoping for a different answer as we information with the chairman in the tions, but these investigations must retest that proposition this time. That first place, obviously desperate to give continue so that the people understand is very troubling. some cover to the President who had exactly what happened and to make I am not in the habit of quoting FOX tweeted out about wiretapping, con- sure that the Russians are not allowed News very often, and certainly not spiracies, and on it goes. their news hosts, but one of their hosts, to participate and infiltrate and affect Mr. Speaker, my colleague, ED PERL- Shepard Smith, said something that our elections once again. MUTTER, is asking all of the right ques- There are just a couple of questions: really struck a cord in the last few tions. This investigation is beginning What are you afraid of? What are you days. Here is what he said about the so- to answer those questions in very, very hiding? Is there a coverup of some kind called Nunes memo: ‘‘A memo can be a important ways. We need to make sure here? weapon of partisan mass distraction.’’ that it runs its course. It is important That is exactly what this is: a des- The bottom line is: just let our law to finding out the truth. The American perate attempt to protect President enforcement individuals do their detec- people deserve to know the truth. tive work, do what they were asked to Trump from investigation and account- It is also important to reaffirming do, and leave them alone and let it be ability. that incredibly important aspect of I think we need to recap a few facts done. If it exculpates and proved that what makes this country great, and that brought us to this point. nothing happened, then great. But if Back in November 2016, when the that is that we are a nation of laws and there is some wrongdoing here, Amer- chairman of the House Intelligence institutions. We have to reaffirm that, ica needs to know about it. Committee was appointed to President- unfortunately, over and over again Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman elect Trump’s transition team, he, like from time to time. from northern California (Mr. Mr. PERLMUTTER. Mr. Speaker, I our President, started sowing doubts HUFFMAN). thank my friend from California for his about whether Russia had interfered Mr. HUFFMAN. Mr. Speaker, I thank comments. He was talking about a with the 2016 election, incorrectly the gentleman from Colorado for orga- memo. claiming that there was some kind of nizing this Special Order hour con- One of the former chairmen of the disagreement between our intelligence versation. House Intelligence Committee, a guy agencies on the subject. You asked the right question: What IKE OGERS In fact, there was no disagreement. named M R , was also a pan- are they hiding and what are they All of the American intelligence com- elist, I think, on a CNN program. Ap- afraid of? munity agreed that, as they had looked parently, this memo is going to be re- It is a bit of a rhetorical question, be- into this, they determined that Rus- leased today against all sorts of norms cause when you think about that chart sian operatives had worked to under- with respect to the Intelligence Com- you have displayed there, when you mine the integrity of our election. mittee and classified information. His think about the indictments and the That conclusion has been reinforced words were, releasing a memo like this plea deals and all of the other informa- and reaffirmed by everything we have is farcical. tion that we are beginning to glean, it It is a mistake. It starts to under- learned since then. is pretty obvious what they are afraid The chairman told Politico shortly mine so many things with respect to of and what they are hiding. before President Trump’s inauguration our intelligence community, the trust This investigation is getting pretty that the House should not investigate that we have with our allies, and all of darn close to the personal and political contacts between Russia and the it to kind of put up this smoke screen. and financial ties between this Presi- Trump camp, even though his Senate They go after the law enforcement dency and those around him and Rus- intelligence counterparts had already agents, who are the detectives on the sia, and it is a lot of information that committed to following the facts wher- beat. Now they are releasing informa- they don’t want the world to know ever they may lead. So he had already tion that is incomplete and, in MIKE about. That is why we are seeing all of made up his mind. ROGERS’s words, ‘‘farcical,’’ to try to these distractions, all of these elabo- distract, divert, avoid the real con- rate and increasingly desperate at- b 2145 versation, which is: What did the Rus- tempts to change the subject and cre- The chairman described the Trump- sians do? How did they play in the elec- ate diversions. Russia connections as a dead trail. He tions? Was there any kind of coopera- Frankly, today, I am very worried said there is nothing there. And, of tion, collusion, whatever it might be, that—not so much that this is coming course, we know President Trump has with the Trump campaign? from our President, because we have said he has nothing to do with Russia, We know that Bob Mueller was ap- seen him throughout his career engage totally contradicted by everything we pointed. He has been a lifelong Repub- in character assassination, burning have learned since. lican. Everybody embraced his position down the house tactics, and all manner All of this, of course, is going to as special counsel when it first came of ruthlessness, but I am disturbed that come as a surprise if there is nothing about, but quickly the President was

VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:57 Jan 30, 2018 Jkt 079060 PO 00000 Frm 00043 Fmt 4634 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\K29JA7.074 H29JAPT1 dlhill on DSK3GLQ082PROD with HOUSE H674 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — HOUSE January 29, 2018 thinking about firing him. Now people Americans first—and do what is in the to undermine public trust in our gov- want to smear all of this: It is a mis- best interest of justice and of this ernment. You did not have a complicit take. country and say that the special coun- United States Congress that, instead of The real question is: What are you sel must be allowed to continue his doing oversight, seems to be spending hiding? work until its natural conclusion. more of its effort running cover for the Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman If the President moves to fire the administration, trying to hide the from Pennsylvania (Mr. BRENDAN F. special counsel, that, by its very defini- facts, trying to block investigations, BOYLE), my friend from Philadelphia, tion, is obstructing justice. This body playing tribal politics at its worst, in- who is a pretty happy camper because and the other body on the other side of stead of fulfilling our institutional role his Eagles are going to be playing in this building cannot allow that to hap- in a critical constitutional test like the Super Bowl on Sunday. pen. this. Mr. BRENDAN F. BOYLE of Pennsyl- Here is the good news. In Watergate, I think it is a very, very serious mo- vania. Mr. Speaker, I thank my col- ultimately, the American people didn’t ment in our history, and I am glad that league and friend for his belief early on let it happen. There was such an outcry the gentleman is convening discussions in the season in the Eagles, despite the on a bipartisan basis that, within 48 like this on the floor. We have to make fact he is a die-hard Broncos fan. The hours, President Nixon had relented sure that, in this investigation, the Super Bowl will be a nice diversion and appointed another special counsel, professional law enforcement personnel from the seriousness of the subject Leon Jaworski, who ended up being who do this for a living are allowed to that we are discussing and debating to- just as dogged, pursued the President do their job so that we can all learn the night. all the way to the Supreme Court. Let me take us back a bit to a couple truth, whatever that may be. Then the Supreme Court ruled, unani- of events that, yes, may have happened The question is: What are they afraid mously, that President Nixon had to a little bit before I was born, but I of? What are they hiding? hand over the tapes even though three know well as a student of American This investigation is going to answer of the eight Justices were Nixon ap- history. I fear that we are on the verge those questions, and we will all accept pointees. of repeating them, possibly only days those answers, whatever they may be, President Nixon, actually, to his away on the verge of repeating them. but we have got to let the system In October 1973, the Watergate inves- credit, complied with that Supreme work. Court order and released the tapes, in- tigation was being conducted by the Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman cluding a few tapes that clearly proved special counsel, Archibald Cox. It had for his leadership tonight. been going on, at that point, for most he was guilty—the so-called smoking gun—and, within about a week or two, Mr. PERLMUTTER. Mr. Speaker, I of 1973. On a Saturday night, President yield back the balance of my time. Nixon decided to fire the special coun- resigned in August of 1974. We can prevent that history from re- The SPEAKER pro tempore. Mem- sel, in part, because the special counsel bers are reminded to refrain from en- was doing his job and was getting too peating itself if we act here in Congress to ensure there is a proper procedure in gaging in personalities toward the close to uncovering the conspiracy. President. President Nixon ordered his Attorney place to protect the integrity of this General to fire the special counsel. The investigation. If that does not take f Attorney General proved to be a profile place, there will be, I predict, an out- in courage and refused. It then went to cry of the American people you have the Deputy Attorney General. The Dep- not seen or heard since October 1973. LEAVE OF ABSENCE This country and its institutions are a uty Attorney General refused. Finally, By unanimous consent, leave of ab- heck of lot more important than any the number three man, the Solicitor sence was granted to: political party, and it is about time all General, named Robert Bork, decided Mr. MCCLINTOCK (at the request of of us in this body act in such a way that he would follow what President Mr. MCCARTHY) for today and January that shows we believe in those words. Nixon wanted and fired Archibald Cox. 30 on account of an illness. That became known as the Saturday Mr. PERLMUTTER. Mr. Speaker, I Ms. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON of Texas Night Massacre. thank my friend from Pennsylvania for (at the request of Ms. PELOSI) for today When John Chancellor, then the an- the history lesson he just reminded us chor for NBC News, came on the air— about. His words are ones that I don’t and January 30 on account of death in and I was recently rewatching this—he think I can add anything to. family. said: Tonight, I utter words I never Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman thought I would say, but we are in the from California (Mr. HUFFMAN), my f midst of the greatest constitutional friend, if he has anything else to add. crisis in the history of the Republic. But I just want the Speaker to know SENATE BILL REFERRED and I want this Chamber to know that I fear that history may very well re- A bill of the Senate of the following we are not going to go away. We are peat itself. We now know, since we title was taken from the Speaker’s not going to allow things to be hidden. were last in session—and it has been table and, under the rule, referred as We are not going to allow things to be reported and confirmed by many media follows: outlets, including FOX News—that covered up. This has got to run its full President Trump has ordered his own course, just as my friend said. S. 1873. An act to require the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to carry out a program to White House attorney to fire the spe- Mr. HUFFMAN. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding. establish peer specialists in patient aligned cial counsel. care teams at medical centers of the Depart- Why? If the President really has We are being taken back to the les- ment of Veterans Affairs, and for other pur- nothing to hide, then why would he fire sons of Watergate tonight. The system poses; to the Committee on Veterans’ Af- the special counsel and want to bring worked in the 1970s. The checks and fairs. this process to an end? It gets back to balances that our Founders put in the very first question that my col- place took effect. The public stepped f league from Colorado has asked: What up. The media stepped up. People of conscience in important positions does he have to hide? ADJOURNMENT I sincerely hope that the special within the government stood their counsel will find and will prove that ground and did the right thing. Mr. PERLMUTTER. Mr. Speaker, I nothing happened. That would be the But I think it would be foolish for us move that the House do now adjourn. best outcome and best course for all of not to take the threats of this moment The motion was agreed to; accord- us as Americans. But, boy, if the Presi- in our history very, very seriously be- ingly (at 9 o’clock and 56 minutes dent is innocent, he sure isn’t acting cause there are some things at play p.m.), under its previous order, the like it. this time around that weren’t there in House adjourned until tomorrow, Tues- We must come together—as Demo- the 1970s. You did not have rightwing day, January 30, 2018, at 10 a.m. for crats and Republicans second, but as media organs out there actively trying morning-hour debate.

VerDate Sep 11 2014 05:19 Jan 30, 2018 Jkt 079060 PO 00000 Frm 00044 Fmt 4634 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\K29JA7.075 H29JAPT1 dlhill on DSK3GLQ082PROD with HOUSE