CONYERS & House Judiciary Dems Urge Goodlatte To Take Up Trump's Pardon Of Sheriff Joe Arpaio

Committee Dems Send 5^th Request to Chairman for Oversight of Trump Administration

Washington, D.C. – Today, all House Judiciary Committee Democrats, led by Ranking Member John Conyers, Jr. (D-MI) and Immigration Subcommittee Ranking Member Zoe Lofgren (D-CA), wrote to House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte (D-VA) to ask that he investigate Trump’s pardon of controversial sheriff Joe Arpaio and related events.

The letter is below.

In July, Joe Arpaio was convicted of criminal contempt after years of racially profiling and arresting individuals based on their perceived immigration status. In today’s letter to Goodlatte, the members wrote, “Sheriff Arpaio was convicted for criminal contempt of court because he ignored orders from a federal judge to stop engaging in racial profiling.  The pardon not only disregards the rule of law, it directly flouts the courts themselves by signaling that it is acceptable for parties to ignore court orders.”

The letter notes that for “125 years, presidents have worked through the Pardon Attorney to ensure that the power of clemency is fairly applied.  President Trump chose to work around this mechanism and ignore DOJ policy calling for a waiting period of five years or more before considering a pardon application and the expression of regret or remorse by the applicant.” It further details that “before resorting to a full pardon, President Trump asked Attorney General Jeff Sessions to simply drop the criminal case against Sheriff Arpaio,” pointing out that the House Judiciary Committee  “has long defended the view that presidents should avoid involvement in specific criminal cases in order to avoid even the perception of politicizing the administration of justice.”

The Members continued, “It is also our Committee’s unique and pressing responsibility to conduct oversight of the President’s use of executive power—particularly when that power is expressed as a pardon that only serves to endorse the transgressions committed by the offender.  If we do not examine this use of the pardon power, we fear that the Committee will be seen by our constituents—and by future generations—as also having endorsed the Sheriff’s conduct.” 

Today’s letter was signed by every Democratic member of the U.S. House Judiciary Committee, which includes: Representatives John Conyers, Jr. (D-MI), Jerrold Nadler (D-NY), Zoe Lofgren (D-CA), Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX), Steve Cohen (D-TN), Hank Johnson (D-GA), Ted Deutch (D-FL), Luis Gutierrez (D-IL), Karen Bass (D-CA), Cedric Richmond (D-LA), Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY), David Cicilline (D-RI), Eric Swalwell (D-CA), Ted Lieu (D-CA), Jamie Raskin (D-MD), Pramila Jayapal (D-WA) and Brad Schneider (D-IL). 

Conyers & Judiciary Democrats Letter To Bob Goodlatte to Address Pardon of Joe Arpaio by Beverly Tran on Scribd

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CONYERS, JEFFRIES & LIEU To AG Sessions: "Are You Recused From Russia Matters Or Are You Going After The Alleged Russia Leaks?"

Members Call for Sessions to Clarify his Involvement with Investigation

Washington, D.C. – Yesterday, U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions indicated that the Department of Justice will pursue criminal charges to curb the number of alleged leaks of classified information from within the government.  The statement raises questions about the scope of the Attorney General’s recusal from matters related to the presidential campaigns, and whether that recusal continues to apply to investigation of the many contacts between the Trump campaign and Putin’s Russia. 

Earlier this week, the House Committee on the Judiciary considered H. Res. 184, a resolution of inquiry introduced by Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) and Rep. Ted Lieu (D-CA), that would have directed the Department of Justice to turn over information related to the Attorney General’s misleading testimony and the pattern of connections between President Trump’s advisers and the Russian government.  That resolution was defeated on a party line vote.

Dean of the U.S. House
of Representatives
John Conyers, Jr.

Today, Ranking Member John Conyers, Jr. (D-MI), joined by Reps. Jeffries and Lieu, wrote to the Attorney General, below, to ask for clarification on his comments.  The members also released the following statement:

“Given the Attorney General’s troubling record on his own contacts with the Russian government, and given the Trump Administration’s apparent attempt to obstruct the work of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence by coopting its Chairman, it seems entirely inappropriate for him to comment on any aspect of these alleged leaks of classified information.  It is critical that Attorney General Sessions clarify the precise scope of his recusal.  We look forward to his prompt response to our letter.”

Members Call for Sessions to Clarify his Involvement with Investigation Letter 3.31.17 by Beverly Tran on Scribd

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House Judiciary GOP Skip Out On Trump-Russia Resolution Debate; Vote To Kill Two Dem Requests For Information From WH & DOJ

Majority Once Again, Refuses Dem Attempts to Conduct Basic Oversight

Washington, DC – Today, House Judiciary Committee Republicans voted to kill H. Res. 184, below, a resolution of inquiry introduced by Reps. Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) and Ted Lieu (D-CA), that would have required the White House and Department of Justice to release information about contacts between Russian officials and Attorney General Jeff Sessions, among other Trump Administration figures. Republicans on the committee also voted down H. Res. 203,  (second below) introduced by Rep. Mike Quigley (D-IL), that would have required the White House and Justice Department to provide information, if any, on Trump’s unsubstantiated allegation that President Obama “wiretapped” him.  

House Judiciary Republicans Appear Uninterested in Oversight: During the markup, Republicans refused to engage in debate on the resolutions.  The Majority’s side of the room was largely empty.  Chairman Goodlatte repeatedly referred to the resolutions as a “waste of the committee’s time.”  Both resolutions failed on party line votes.

Judiciary Republicans were mostly absent from today’s debate.

House Judiciary Republicans Reject Amendment to get Information on Nunes’ Visit to the White House:  During the markup, Vice Ranking Member Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-MD) offered an amendment to H. Res. 203 to request information related to Chairman Devin Nunes’ secretive visit to the White House.  On March 23, 2017, Chairman Devin Nunes of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence told reporters that, “on numerous occasions, the intelligence community incidentally collected information about U.S. citizens involved in the Trump transition.”  Chairman Nunes then traveled back to the White House to share his findings with President Donald Trump.  He still has not shared those findings with his colleagues on the Committee.  Republicans voted down this amendment on a party line vote.

House Judiciary Republicans Limit Debate on Trump’s Lies, Nunes’ Behavior, and Sessions’ False Testimony:  Several times during the markup, Chairman Goodlatte threatened to “take down” the statements of Members attempting to describe the factual record—in effect, forcing them to withdraw their words from the record or lose their speaking privileges for the day.  House Rules prohibit impugning the character or motives of the President—but it is true, as Ranking Members Conyers stated, that “President Trump has a long and colorful history of saying things that are simply untrue.”

House Judiciary Committee Ranking Member John Conyers, Jr. (D-MI), House Judiciary Committee Members Reps. Hakeem Jeffries and Ted Lieu, and House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence Member Rep. Mike Quigley, today released the following statement after the markup:

“Once again, Republicans have proven that they’d rather become complicit with scandals than engage in proper oversight of the Trump Administration. Today, Republicans on the Judiciary Committee took their second and third votes to block Democratic efforts to obtain basic information about interactions between Trump’s inner circle and Putin’s Russia. Republicans can no longer sit idly by and pretend that none of these matters of vital national security importance are real. The American people expect more and the future of our democracy requires it.”

Background

House Judiciary Committee Democrats have long been calling for House Judiciary Republicans to provide proper oversight over Trump and his Administration. On March 10^th, every Democratic member of the Committee called on Chairman Goodlatte to “get moving on Trump oversight.”

Despite Judiciary Republicans’ attempts to block Democratic efforts, these resolutions of inquiry should be the proper next step in the Committee’s oversight of the Trump Administration. They follow two letters to Chairman Bob Goodlatte—both signed by every Democratic member of the Committee—requesting hearings about federal conflict-of-interest and ethics provisions that may apply to the President.  Democrats have also sent several letters to Speaker Paul Ryan, (third below) the Department of Justice and the White House requesting this and related information concerning Trump’s ties to Russia. 

Just a few weeks ago, House Judiciary Republicans blocked Rep. Jerrold Nadler’s (D-NY) resolution of inquiry from reaching the House floor.  The Nadler resolution would have provided Congress with information relevant to President Trump’s conflicts of interest, his potential violations of the Foreign Emoluments Clause, and ties between his advisors and the Russian regime.  During that markup, Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA) and Chairman Goodlatte (R-VA) indicated that the Nadler resolution was unnecessary because the Majority was drafting a bipartisan letter to Attorney General Sessions.  To date, no such letter has been sent.

H.R. 184 Inquiry Requesting President and Attorney General To Turn Over Documents To Congress on Russian Co... by Beverly Tran on Scribd

Letter to House Judiciary Chairman Goodlatte on Congressional Oversight of DOJ Trump-Russia Investigation... by Beverly Tran on Scribd

House Ranking Members to Speaker Ryan On President Trump Violating Emolument Clause 1-12-2017 by Beverly Tran on Scribd

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CONYERS Statement For Judiciary Markup Of H.R. 184, "Trump-Russia Resolution"

Conyers statement starts @ 31:10

Dean of the U.S. House
of Representatives
John Conyers, Jr.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman.  I support this resolution of inquiry, and I urge my colleagues to do the same.

It is the responsibility of this Committee to conduct oversight of the Office of the Attorney General, and to ensure the independence and integrity of the Department of Justice.

Despite protests that this resolution is somehow not yet ripe, H. Res. 184 (below) is the proper next step in exercising those responsibilities.

Since the Attorney General took office, my colleagues and I have written to the Department at least six times. 

           

We have asked for information about conflicts of interest, the Russia investigation, and reports of inappropriate contact between the White House and the FBI.  To date, we have received no response.

We have also written to you, Mr. Chairman, on two occasions, about related matters.  We have received no response there, either.

At our February markup of the Nadler resolution, both Chairman Goodlatte and Mr. Issa spoke at length about a letter they planned to send the Attorney General.  It was described as the “proper” way to conduct oversight.  We were promised an opportunity to join. 

But no letter to the Attorney General was ever sent.  Instead, the Majority wrote to the FBI, asking for a member briefing that still has not taken place.  We did not learn of the letter until we read about it in the press.

Our responsibility to this Committee requires more of us, Mr. Chairman.  H. Res. 184 is an opportunity to correct course and do our jobs.

The resolution is also a chance to answer questions about the Attorney General’s false statements before the Senate.

H. Res. 184 asks for information about the Attorney General’s meetings with Russian officials, his testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee, and his later “clarification” of that testimony. 

This information is critical to understanding why Attorney General Sessions twice gave false testimony, and whether his attempt to correct that false testimony is adequate.

I find it hard to believe that Attorney General Sessions—at the time, a sitting senator, and an active member of the Trump campaign—was unaware of reports about the campaign’s connections to the Russian government until he was asked about it in the committee room.

I find it equally hard to understand why Attorney General Sessions, in “correcting” his testimony, disclosed two meetings with the Russian ambassador—but not to a third that is clearly documented in the public record.

Again, it is this Committee’s responsibility to ask these questions.  We cannot and should not turn a blind eye to false testimony and an obviously incomplete record. 

H. Res. 184 is the right vehicle to begin that inquiry here in our Committee.

Finally, this resolution helps us address a larger problem—one that seems to sweep in more people in the President’s orbit every day.

Why have so many of these men—each of them a part of the Trump campaign—met with the Russian government?

And, perhaps more importantly, why have so many of these men attempted to hide those meetings from the public? 

To a character, it seems, they have only come clean when the media has exposed their deception.

I am deeply disturbed by this pattern, and what it might mean for our country.

In my time on this Committee, Mr. Chairman, I have come to understand that certain values transcend party.     

           

These include: faith in democracy, love of country, and respect for the republican form of government guaranteed to us by our Constitution.

These values are under attack—not just here, but around the world—by a regime that believes only that might makes right.

We know that the government of Russia undermined our election.  We know that they want to undermine the elections of our allies. 

And, given what we know, it is incumbent on us to do something about it. 

Here is our chance to begin that work in earnest.

I thank Mr. Jeffries and Mr. Lieu for introducing this resolution.

I urge my colleagues to support H. Res. 184, and I yield back.

H.R. 184 Inquiry Requesting President and Attorney General To Turn Over Documents To Congress on Russian Co... by Beverly Tran on Scribd

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Rep. Jeffries & House Democrats to Trump: Come Clean on Ties to Russia

Rep. Jeffries introduces resolution to compel the Trump White House and Sessions Justice Department to turn over emails, notes and all communication with Russian officials

WASHINGTON – In the aftermath of misleading information put forth by Attorney General Jeff Sessions concerning his interaction with Russian operatives, and following a steady stream of troubling revelations related to possible collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia during last year’s presidential election, Rep. Hakeem Jeffries and House Democrats have introduced a resolution of inquiry that could compel the Administration to publicly disclose information to Congress and the American people.

The bill calls for President Donald Trump and Attorney General Jeff Sessions to submit to Congress any documents that could connect the Trump campaign with the Russian effort to compromise our Democracy. It states that they must reveal “Any meeting or communication between any formal or informal advisor, affiliate, or employee of Donald Trump, his campaign or transition team, and any individual or entity representing the interests of Russia or individuals with interests involving Russia.”

Rep. Jeffries said: “Jeff Sessions either lied to Congress under oath or provided inaccurate information. Either way, he broke the law. The American people deserve to know why the nation’s Attorney General and all of the president’s men were in frequent contact with Russian operatives during the election. It’s time for House Republicans to put country over party. Something stinks at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. We are determined to find out if the rot goes all the way to the top.”

Rep. Ted Lieu, a co-sponsor of the resolution, said: "For the good of our Republic, there must be a full accounting of any and all ties between Russia, President Trump, his administration and his associates.  Russia waged an unprecedented, robust, covert effort to alter the outcome of our nation's 2016 election.  The importance of fully understanding if Team Trump colluded with Russia cannot be overstated.  This resolution seeks the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth when it comes to the issue of Trump and Russia.  I am honored to introduce this resolution with Congressman Jefferies.  The American people have an absolute right to know the truth about Trump and his team's ties to Russia now."

Seventeen different intelligence agencies have concluded that Russia interfered with our election to help Donald Trump win the presidency. It now appears possible that Jeff Sessions, the nation’s top law enforcement officer, may have been involved with this insidious foreign interference campaign. The House of Representatives is the institution closest to the people by constitutional design. As such, the House must protect the integrity of our democracy. The resolution of inquiry is a meaningful step in that direction.

U.S. Representative of The House Judiciary Committee Jeffries & Lieu Resolution Requesting The President an... by Beverly Tran on Scribd

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CONYERS Welcomes New Judiciary Democrats & Announces Subcommittee Assignments For 115th Congress

Washington, D.C. – House Judiciary Committee Ranking Member John Conyers, Jr. (D-MI) welcomed four new Democratic Members to the U.S. House Judiciary Committee and announced the new subcommittee structure for the 115^th Congress. 

Eric Swalwell (D-CA), Ted Lieu (D-CA), Jamie Raskin (D-MD) and Pramila Jayapal (D-WA) are new to the committee. Congressman Jamie Raskin, a former constitutional law professor, will serve in a newly created Vice Ranking Member position this Congress.

Dean of the U.S. House
of Representatives
John Conyers, Jr.

“I am pleased to welcome four new, and thirteen returning, Members to the House Judiciary Committee,” said Ranking Member Conyers. “I look forward to working with my Democratic colleagues to stand up for our principles in the upcoming Congress, including protecting voting rights, reforming our criminal justice system, crafting common sense immigration reforms, protecting  consumer health and safety, protecting our constitutional values, and holding the Administration accountable.”

The House Judiciary Committee Democratic Structure for the 115th Congress:

Regulatory Reform, Commercial and Antitrust Law Subcommittee

David N. Cicilline (RI-01) – Ranking Member

Henry C. “Hank” Johnson, Jr. (GA-04)

Eric Swalwell (CA-15)

Jamie Raskin (MD-08)

Pramila Jayapal (WA-07)

The Constitution and Civil Justice Subcommittee

Steve Cohen (TN-09) – Ranking Member

Jamie Raskin (MD-08)

Jerrold Nadler (NY-10)

Immigration and Border Security Subcommittee

Zoe Lofgren (CA-19) – Ranking Member

Luis Gutierrez (IL-04)

Pramila Jayapal (WA-07)

Sheila Jackson Lee (TX-18)

Judy Chu (CA-27)

Courts, Intellectual Property, and the Internet Subcommittee

Jerrold Nadler (NY-10) – Ranking Member

Henry C. “Hank” Johnson, Jr. (GA-04)

Judy Chu (CA-27)

Ted Deutch (FL-22)

Karen Bass (CA-37)

Cedric Richmond (LA-02)

Hakeem Jeffries (NY-08)

Eric Swalwell (CA-15)

Ted Lieu (CA-33)

Zoe Lofgren (CA-19)

Steve Cohen (TN-09)

Luis Gutierrez (IL-04)

Crime, Terrorism, Homeland Security, and Investigations Subcommittee

Sheila Jackson Lee (TX-18) – Ranking Member

Ted Deutch (FL-22)

Karen Bass (CA-37)

Cedric Richmond (LA-02)

Hakeem Jeffries (NY-08)

David N. Cicilline (RI-01)

Ted Lieu (CA-33)

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HOUSE JUDICIARY DEMOCRATS RENEW CALL FOR HEARINGS ON TRUMP’S CONFLICTS OF INTEREST

Washington, DC – All House Judiciary Democrats, led by Ranking Member John Conyers, Jr. (D-MI), today renewed their request to have House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte (R-VA) hold hearings to examine the federal conflicts-of-interest and ethics laws that may apply to President Donald Trump.

The members of the committee originally requested a hearing in November 2016, after then President-elect Donald Trump’s vague announcement that he would leave his “…great business in total...” Ranking Member John Conyers, Jr. also requested the Congressional Research Service (CRS), a non-partisan legislative agency operating out of the Library of Congress, to prepare a list of federal ethics and conflict-of-interest rules that may apply to Trump when he assumed office. This list includes four criminal statutes and the Emoluments Clause of the U.S. Constitution. 

Today’s letter was signed by every Democratic member of the U.S. House Judiciary Committee, including: Representatives John Conyers, Jr. (D-MI), Jerrold Nadler (D-NY), Zoe Lofgren (D-CA), Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX), Steve Cohen (D-TN), Hank Johnson (D-GA), Judy Chu (D-CA), Ted Deutch (D-FL), Luis Gutierrez (D-IL), Karen Bass (D-CA), Cedric Richmond (D-LA), Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY), David Cicilline (D-RI), Eric Swalwell (D-CA), Ted Lieu (D-CA), Jamie Raskin (D-MD) and Pramila Jayapal (D-WA).

House Judiciary Democrats Second Request For Hearings On Trump's Conflicts Of Iinterest by Beverly Tran on Scribd

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CONYERS Stands For Dignity & Respect For All

Dean of the U.S. House
of Representatives
John Conyers, Jr.

"North Carolina's House Bill 2 prevents local governments from passing and enforcing additional anti-discrimination laws. This also undermines existing ordinances that protect LGBT Americans, disabled Americans and veterans. I join my colleagues and fellow veterans in urging the Governor of North Carolina to ‪#‎RepealHB2‬ " said Conyers.

Congressional Letter To North Carolina Governor To Protect Veterans By Repealing HB2

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