DEMS TO WHITE HOUSE: ASSERTING PRIVILEGE TO BLOCK COMEY IS BASELESS, AND FURTHER PROOF OF OBSTRUCTION OF JUSTICE
Washington, D.C. – In several publicappearances today, White House spokesmen have refused to rule out the possibility that President Trump will invoke executive privilege in an attempt to block former FBI Director James Comey from testifying before Congress. House Judiciary Committee Ranking Member John Conyers, Jr., together with the Democratic leadership of the House Committee on the Judiciary, wrote to White House Counsel Donald McGahn, below, to remind him “that any such assertion of privilege is almost certainly baseless.”
The letter is signed by House Judiciary Committee Ranking Member John Conyers, Jr. (D-MI); House Judiciary Subcommittee Ranking Members Jerrold Nadler (D-NY), Zoe Lofgren (D-CA), Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX), Steve Cohen (D-TN), David N. Cicilline (D-RI); and House Judiciary Committee Vice Ranking Member Jamie Raskin (D-MD).
Washington, D.C. (May 15, 2017) – Reps. John Conyers, Ranking Member of the House Committee on Judiciary, and Elijah E. Cummings, Ranking Member of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform issued the following statement in response to press reports that President Donald Trump revealed highly classified information to Russian diplomats:
Dean of the U.S. House of Representatives John Conyers, Jr.
"We need to be clear, we do not know if these allegations are true or false, but if -- IF -- these allegations are true, President Trump may have just disclosed top secret information to the Russians and possibly jeopardized an intelligence source in the process. This is the same meeting in which Russian officials laughed with the President in front of Russian photographers inside the Oval Office while members of the American press were excluded. Republicans and Democrats in the House of Representatives need a briefing from the National Security Adviser and the directors of our nation’s intelligence agencies to get to the bottom of these allegations, and if there are audio recordings of this meeting, Congress needs to obtain them immediately. After an unprecedented week in which many thought it would be impossible for President Trump to be any more irresponsible, he now may have sunk to a dangerous new low.”
Dean of the U.S. House of Representatives John Conyers, Jr.
Washington, D.C.—Today, after President Donald Trump tweeted “better hope that there are no ‘tapes’ of our conversations before he starts leaking to the press!” Rep. John Conyers, Jr., the Ranking Member of the House Committee on the Judiciary and Rep. Elijah E. Cummings, the Ranking Member of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, sent a letter, below, to White House Counsel Donald F. McGahn II to request copies of all recordings in possession of the White House regarding this matter.
In their letter, the Members also requested, “…all documents, memoranda, analyses, emails, and other communications relating to the President’s decision to dismiss Director Comey—a decision which the President declared yesterday he planned to make “regardless of [the Deputy Attorney General’s] recommendation”—and all discussions with Director Comey.
Washington, DC – Today, every Democratic member of the House Judiciary Committee joined Ranking Member John Conyers, Jr., in sending letters both to White House counsel and the CEO of Ivanka Trump Collection, LLC, expressing concerns that Ivanka Trump may be using her official position for private gain. The letter focuses on Ms. Trump’s meetings with leaders from China and Japan and the swift, subsequent approval of valuable trademarks for her company by those foreign governments.
These letters come after the public release of new guidance from the Office of Government Ethics, confirming that Ms. Trump is considered a government employee covered by federal ethics rules, as well as new reports describing how Ms. Trump may have used her official position to promote both her new book and Trump Tower in the Philippines.
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), 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).
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.
Democrats Also Call On White House & DOJ To Release Information On White House & DOJ Communications
Washington, D.C. – Today, all House Judiciary Committee Democrats sent a letter to Acting Deputy Attorney General Dana J. Boente, asking the Department of Justice to address the accuracy of assertions made by President Trump accusing President Obama of wiretapping his phones prior to the election—in the wake of widespread reports that FBI Director Comey had asked DOJ to reject such claims. Judiciary Democrats also asked the Department to provide information about possibly improper contacts between the White House and DOJ concerning efforts by the Russian government to unlawfully influence the U.S. presidential election in favor of Mr. Trump. A similar letter has been sent to White House Counsel Donald McGahn.
Dean of the U.S. House of Representatives John Conyers, Jr.
“Today, it was reported that Director Comey was “incredulous” at the President’s claim. We call on the White House Counsel to tell us about their contact with DOJ and we ask the Acting Deputy Attorney General to set the record straight about the facts of any inquiry,” said Ranking Member Conyers. “Given Attorney General Sessions’s recent decision to recuse himself from the Russian influence investigation, we have directed the letter to the Acting Deputy Attorney General. It would be highly inappropriate to say the least if the Attorney General was involved in any decision to not respond to the FBI Director’s request. President Trump’s irresponsible and baseless tweet over the weekend charging that President Obama wire-tapped Trump have led to troubling reports of efforts by the White House Counsel to contact the Department of Justice about investigations and reported requests by the FBI Director that the Justice Department refute Trump’s assertion.”
Both letters were 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), 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).
Tomorrow, House Judiciary Committee Democrats will send a letter to White House Counsel Donald McGhan, asking him to provide information about contacts between the White House and the Department of Justice. Judiciary Democrats will also send a similar letter to FBI Director James Comey.
Current signers include: Ranking Member John Conyers, Jr. (D-MI) and Representatives Jerrold Nadler (D-NY), Steve Cohen (D-TN), Hank Johnson (D-GA), Ted Deutch (D-FL), Luis Gutierrez (D-IL), Ted Lieu (D-CA) and Jamie Raskin (D-MD).
Full text of the letter is below. The text of the letter is for immediate release.
A signed copy of the letter along with a complete list of Members who signed on, will be released tomorrow.
Ranking Member reacts to reports that Trump Team asked FBI to deny Russia ties
Washington, DC – This evening, CNN reports that White House Chief of Staff Reince Priebus asked the FBI to “knock down” media reports about communications between the Russian government and associates of President Trump. If these reports are accurate, the White House may have violated Department of Justice policies established in 2007 and 2009 to limit direct communications about pending investigations between the White House and the FBI.
House Judiciary Committee Ranking Member John Conyers, Jr. (D-MI) today issued the following statement in response:
Dean of the U.S. House of Representatives John Conyers, Jr.
“Tonight’s report should concern all Americans, regardless of party.
“The White House is simply not permitted to pressure the FBI to make public statements about a pending investigation of the President and his advisors. The Bush and Obama Administrations took steps to limit this sort of back channel communication for the express purpose of protecting the integrity of the Department of Justice and the FBI.This is deeply troubling because of the inappropriate attempt to influence the FBI and because it may reveal a broader effort by the Trump White House to cover up malfeasance during the campaign.
“A spokesman for the Department suggests that Attorney General Sessions is ‘reviewing’ these guidelines. The policy seems clear cut to me. I once again call on the Attorney General to recuse himself from any investigation into the connections between the Trump campaign and the government of Vladimir Putin. The need for an independent, bipartisan investigation into these matters has never been more clear.
“Tomorrow, the Trump Administration will almost certainly attempt to deflect criticism by casting doubt on the officials who brought these communications to the attention of the media. Again, I ask the Inspector General of the Department of Justice to ensure that whistleblowers within the Department are protected from any kind of retaliation.
“It is past time for House Republicans to engage on this issue. The Trump team has clear ties to the Russian government—and we ignore those ties at our own peril.”
