The Congressional Record is a unique source of public documentation. It started in 1873, documenting nearly all the major and minor policies being discussed and debated.
“RAISING A QUESTION OF THE PRIVILEGES OF THE HOUSE” mentioning the U.S. Dept. of Justice was published in the House of Representatives section on pages H3361-H3363 on May 1, 2019.
The Department is one of the oldest in the US, focused primarily on law enforcement and the federal prison system. Downsizing the Federal Government, a project aimed at lowering taxes and boosting federal efficiency, detailed wasteful expenses such as $16 muffins at conferences and board meetings.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
RAISING A QUESTION OF THE PRIVILEGES OF THE HOUSE
Mr. GREEN of Tennessee. Madam Speaker, I rise to offer a question of the privileges of the House previously noticed.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Clerk will report the resolution.
The Clerk read as follows:
H. Res. 304
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'';
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.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The resolution qualifies.
Motion to Table
Mr. HOYER. Madam Speaker, I have a motion at the desk.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Clerk will report the motion.
The Clerk read as follows:
Mr. Hoyer moves that the resolution be laid on the table.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion to table.
The question was taken; and the Speaker pro tempore announced that the ayes appeared to have it.
Recorded Vote
Mr. GREEN of Tennessee. Madam Speaker, I demand a recorded vote.
A recorded vote was ordered.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. This is a 5-minute vote.
The vote was taken by electronic device, and there were--ayes 226, noes 183, not voting 22, as follows:
AYES--226
AguilarAllredAmashAxneBarraganBassBeattyBeraBeyerBishop (GA)BlumenauerBlunt RochesterBonamiciBoyle, Brendan F.BrindisiBrown (MD)Brownley (CA)BustosButterfieldCarbajalCardenasCaseCasten (IL)Castor (FL)Castro (TX)Chu, JudyCicillineCisnerosClark (MA)Clarke (NY)ClayCleaverClyburnCohenConnollyCooperCorreaCostaCourtneyCox (CA)CraigCristCrowCuellarCummingsCunninghamDavids (KS)Davis, Danny K.DeanDeFazioDeLauroDelBeneDelgadoDemingsDeSaulnierDeutchDingellDoggettDoyle, Michael F.EngelEscobarEshooEspaillatEvansFinkenauerFletcherFosterFrankelFudgeGabbardGallegoGaramendiGarcia (IL)Garcia (TX)GoldenGomezGonzalez (TX)GottheimerGreen (TX)GrijalvaHaalandHarder (CA)HayesHeckHiggins (NY)Hill (CA)HimesHorn, Kendra S.HorsfordHoulahanHoyerHuffmanJackson LeeJayapalJeffriesJohnson (TX)KapturKeatingKelly (IL)KennedyKhannaKildeeKilmerKimKindKirkpatrickKrishnamoorthiKuster (NH)LambLangevinLarsen (WA)Larson (CT)LawrenceLawson (FL)Lee (CA)Lee (NV)Levin (CA)Levin (MI)LewisLieu, TedLipinskiLoebsackLofgrenLowenthalLoweyLujanLuriaLynchMalinowskiMaloney, Carolyn B.Maloney, SeanMatsuiMcAdamsMcBathMcCollumMcEachinMcGovernMcNerneyMeeksMengMooreMorelleMoultonMucarsel-PowellMurphyNadlerNapolitanoNealNeguseNorcrossO'HalleranOcasio-CortezOmarPallonePanettaPappasPascrellPaynePerlmutterPetersPetersonPhillipsPingreePocanPorterPressleyPrice (NC)QuigleyRaskinRice (NY)RichmondRose (NY)RoudaRoybal-AllardRuizRuppersbergerRushRyanSanchezSarbanesScanlonSchakowskySchiffSchneiderSchraderSchrierScott (VA)Scott, DavidSerranoSewell (AL)ShalalaShermanSherrillSiresSlotkinSmith (WA)SotoSpanbergerSpeierStantonStevensSuozziSwalwell (CA)TakanoThompson (CA)Thompson (MS)TlaibTonkoTorres (CA)Torres Small (NM)TrahanTroneUnderwoodVan DrewVeaseyVelaVelazquezViscloskyWasserman SchultzWatersWatson ColemanWelchWextonWildWilson (FL)Yarmuth
NOES--183
AderholtAllenAmodeiArringtonBabinBaconBairdBaldersonBanksBarrBergmanBiggsBilirakisBishop (UT)BostBradyBrooks (AL)Brooks (IN)BuchananBuckBucshonBuddBurchettBurgessByrneCalvertCarter (GA)Carter (TX)ChabotCheneyClineColeCollins (GA)Collins (NY)ComerConawayCookCrawfordCrenshawCurtisDavidson (OH)Davis, RodneyDesJarlaisDiaz-BalartDuffyDuncanDunnEmmerEstesFergusonFitzpatrickFleischmannFloresFortenberryFoxx (NC)FulcherGaetzGallagherGianforteGibbsGohmertGonzalez (OH)GoodenGosarGrangerGraves (GA)Graves (LA)Graves (MO)Green (TN)GriffithGrothmanGuestGuthrieHagedornHartzlerHerrera BeutlerHice (GA)Higgins (LA)Hill (AR)HoldingHollingsworthHudsonHuizengaHunterHurd (TX)Johnson (LA)Johnson (OH)Johnson (SD)JordanJoyce (OH)Joyce (PA)KatkoKelly (MS)Kelly (PA)King (NY)KinzingerKustoff (TN)LaHoodLaMalfaLambornLattaLeskoLongLoudermilkLucasLuetkemeyerMarchantMarshallMassieMastMcCarthyMcCaulMcClintockMcHenryMcKinleyMeadowsMeuserMillerMitchellMoolenaarMooney (WV)MullinNewhouseNunesOlsonPalazzoPalmerPencePoseyRatcliffeReedReschenthalerRice (SC)RobyRodgers (WA)Roe, David P.Rogers (AL)Rogers (KY)Rose, John W.RouzerRoyRutherfordSchweikertScott, AustinSensenbrennerShimkusSimpsonSmith (MO)Smith (NE)Smith (NJ)SmuckerSpanoStauberStefanikSteilSteubeStewartStiversTaylorThompson (PA)ThornberryTimmonsTiptonTurnerUptonWagnerWalbergWaldenWalkerWalorskiWaltzWatkinsWeber (TX)Webster (FL)WenstrupWestermanWilliamsWilson (SC)WittmanWomackWrightYohoZeldin
NOT VOTING--22
AbrahamAdamsArmstrongCarson (IN)CartwrightCloudDavis (CA)DeGetteHarrisHastingsHern, KevinJohnson (GA)King (IA)NormanPerryRigglemanRooney (FL)ScaliseTitusVargasWoodallYoung
{time} 1426
Mr. VAN DREW changed his vote from ``no'' to ``aye.''
So the motion to table was agreed to.
The result of the vote was announced as above recorded.
A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.
Stated against:
Mr. ARMSTRONG. Mr. Speaker, I was unavoidably detained. Had I been present, I would have voted ``nay'' on rollcall No. 174.
Mr. KEVIN HERN of Oklahoma. Mr. Speaker, I was unavoidably detained. Had I been present, I would have voted ``nay'' on rollcall No. 174.
Personal Explanation
Mr. CARSON of Indiana. Mr. Speaker, I spoke at the memorial service for Indiana's former Senator Birch Byah and missed roll call votes 172 to 174. Had I been present, I would have cast the following votes:
Roll Call 172, on the Previous Question on the Rule, H. Res. 329, vote YEA.
Roll Call 173, on H. Res. 329, vote YEA.
Roll Call 174, the Motion to Table the Green of Tennessee Privileged Resolution, H. Res. 304, vote YEA.
personal explanation
Mr. PERRY. Mr. Speaker, I was unavoidably detained and could not get to the floor. Had I been present, I would have voted ``nay'' on rollcall No. 172, ``nay'' on rollcall No. 173, and ``nay'' on rollcall No. 174.
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