House Republicans rejected an attempt by Democrats on Thursday to demand that the State Department turn over records related to President Donald Trump’s secretive one-on-one meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
On a party-line vote, Republicans on the House Foreign Affairs Committee objected to a resolution that would have insisted on obtaining “copies of every document, record, communication, transcript, summary, note, memorandum, and read-ahead” that could shed light on the president’s interactions and agreements with Putin.
The so-called “resolution of inquiry” is a procedural mechanism that has gained favor among House Democrats, who are largely powerless to exert their will in a GOP-controlled Congress. The resolutions require committee action within 14 legislative days of their introduction, or else backers can force a vote on the House floor. Democrats, especially those on the House Judiciary Committee, have turned to the tactic to force GOP lawmakers to reckon with thorny issues like the firing of former FBI Director James Comey.
The measures have all failed along partisan lines, but they have forced dozens of GOP lawmakers to take positions on difficult issues ahead of the 2018 congressional elections. But Thursday’s resolution — introduced by Rep. Brendan Boyle (D-Penn.) just ahead of the House’s August recess — is another indication of the avenues of investigation that Democrats could pursue if they retake the majority in January.
“When they went into a room together — no staff, no advisors — just the two of them and interpreters — alarm bells went off all over Washington, DC and around the world,” said Rep. Eliot Engel (D-N.Y.), the top Democrat on the Foreign Affairs Committee. “Now, two months later, the alarm is still going off because the American people still have no idea what was discussed in that meeting. We need to know.”
Other Democrats used the debate as a chance to highlight Trump’s puzzling relationship with Putin, calling his posture toward the Russian leader “bizarre” and suggesting that he may have made closed-door agreements with Putin that implicate sensitive national security matters.
Committee Chairman Ed Royce (R-Calif.) said the resolution would set a “dangerous and harmful precedent” for the president’s ability to conduct foreign policy. He also said attempting to demand documents could lead to years of litigation that would ultimately be fruitless.
Royce emphasized that he “strongly disagreed” with Trump’s posture toward Putin in the Helsinki meeting.
“Vladimir Putin is not our friend,” Royce said, adding, “Helsinki was a squandered opportunity to challenge Vladimir Putin’s false narratives on Ukraine, Syria and Russia’s ongoing interference in our democracy.”
But, the demand for documents “is not a wise approach to oversight,” he said.
Trump met Putin in Helsinki in mid-July, amid raging controversy about Russia’s interference in the 2016 presidential election. The meeting came just days after the Justice Department announced the indictment of 12 Russians for hacking Democratic Party emails as part of the scheme.
Trump emerged from the meeting and appeared to downplay Putin’s role in election interference and dismiss the intelligence community’s findings on the issue. The display led to a furor in the United States and Trump tepidly walked back his comments, though he continued to suggest that “other people,” not just Russia, may have been behind the interference effort.
source: politico.com
To believe Donald Trump in any way, you’d have to believe the following things….
1. EVERY news station other than FOX NEWS, which is the only one bought and created FOR the republican party is lying about everything it reports.
2. That suddenly, the media in all forms (newspapers) too, are the enemy of the people.
3. Suddenly, all 17 intelligence agencies are uniformed and wrong and lying about their investigations.
4. That its completely normal and okay for a president to surround himself with corrupt criminals and not be a criminal himself.
5. That he doesnt want to disclose his tax returns which would clear up so many questions about his motives because he is being audited.
6. That nepotism and the emoluments clause in our constitution does not apply to our current president .
7. the only thing that matters is the economy.
8. Climate change is not real. Even though its devastating our east coast at this moment.
9. Sexual misconduct doesnt matter.
10. That we should change all the things that our founders of this country came here for, freedom, equality, immigration, religious freedom, the pursuit of happiness and the american dream.
11. that all these deep state conspiracy theories make sense. They don’t.
12. That all the books written about the chaos and mess Trump is making are wrong. So many tell the same story…..
There is no way I can believe any of these things that you would have to believe in order to support this narcissistic, lying, immature, insecure, weak, sorry excuse for a man.
Why should they turn them over anything. Russia could prove a better friend than some of our friends. Russia IS NOT the U. S. S. R anymore. Maybe Putin told on Clinton’s dirty deeds. Why are the Dems.flipping out so much, I mean really why. Maybe Putin told the REAL Truth about Ukraine or Syria or interference. If you think about it , with the bias in the FBI and DOJ what makes one think that the CIA and Intel be honest, and they were along with Homeland security told us of the weapons of mass destruction. Bottom line it was a meeting between Trump and Putin and I trust them both more than any of the crying Dems. So their meeting and their business DWBH
I trust my President Mr Donald Trump. He is my President. Amen
The Democrats are SQUIRMING!! When we receive all of the mail / e-mails / memos etc. from Hillary, Abidin / Comey / Brennan / Clapper / McCabe / Strozk / and on and on and on. All the info about Benghazi, Hmmm?
No. They can’t have any info until THEY give up all their info. Never mind Obozo! Birth Certificate? Foreign Student? School and university records? Marriage Certificate? Birth Certificates for his “children?” Don’t get me started!!!
Ok, just as soon as every democrat releases every bit of information about all their private dealings with anyone.
It shouldn’t be up to government are anyone else that is not voted in it should be up to the highest man in office and that is President Donald Trump read it and wheep get over yourself already if main stream media only knew how stupid they look never in my life have I ever witness so much hate and disrespected people in my life it was not Russian that got the smartest president ever Donald Trump it was 63 million hard working Americans that elected him and he is doing exactly what we hired him to do thank you President Donald Trump
Both parties should be informed about going gssf on in the white house, this is how are government is to be run.