October 16, 2019 - Issue: Vol. 165, No. 163 — Daily Edition116th Congress (2019 - 2020) - 1st Session

[Pages H8153-H8154]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   NOTICE OF INTENTION TO OFFER RESOLUTION RAISING A QUESTION OF THE 
                        PRIVILEGES OF THE HOUSE

  Mr. BIGGS. Mr. Speaker, pursuant to clause 2(a)(1) of rule IX, I rise 
to give notice of my intention to raise a question of the privileges of 
the House.
  The form of the resolution is as follows:
  House Resolution 630. Condemning and censuring Adam Schiff, 
Representative of California's 28th Congressional District.
  Whereas President Trump released the transcript of a call between him 
and the President of Ukraine;
  Whereas President Trump subsequently released the whistleblower 
complaint of August 12, 2019;
  Whereas, in a September 26, 2019, hearing on the whistleblower 
complaint, House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff purported 
to relay the content of the phone call to the American people;
  Whereas, instead of quoting directly from the available transcript, 
Chairman Schiff manufactured a false retelling of the conversation 
between President Trump and President Zelensky;
  Whereas this egregiously false and fabricated retelling had no 
relationship to the call itself;
  Whereas these actions of Chairman Schiff misled the American people, 
bring disrepute upon the House of Representatives, and make a mockery 
of the impeachment process, one of this Chamber's most solemn 
constitutional duties;
  Whereas, for more than 2 years, Chairman Schiff has spread false 
accusations that the Trump campaign colluded with Russia;
  Whereas, on March 20, 2017, then-Ranking Member Schiff read out false 
allegations from the Steele dossier accusing numerous Trump associates 
of colluding with Russia;

[[Page H8154]]

  Whereas then-Ranking Member Schiff falsely claimed in a March 2017 
interview to have ``more than circumstantial evidence'' of collusion 
with Russia;
  Whereas then-Ranking Member Schiff negotiated with Russian comedians 
whom he believed to be Ukrainian officials to obtain materials to 
damage the President of the United States politically;
  Whereas, according to a New York Times article on October 2, 2019, 
Chairman Schiff's committee staff met with the whistleblower prior to 
the filing of his complaint, and staff members communicated the content 
of the complaint to Chairman Schiff;
  Whereas Chairman Schiff concealed his dealings with the whistleblower 
from the rest of the Intelligence Committee, and when asked directly in 
a television interview whether he had any contact with the 
whistleblower, he lied to the American people and said, ``We have not 
spoken directly with the whistleblower.'';
  Whereas members of the Intelligence Committee have lost faith in his 
objectivity and capabilities as chairman, with every Republican member 
on the committee having signed a letter calling for his immediate 
resignation as chairman; and
  Whereas Chairman Schiff has hindered the ability of the Intelligence 
Committee to fulfill its oversight responsibilities of the intelligence 
community, an indispensable pillar of our national security: Now, 
therefore, be it
  Resolved, That--
  One, the House of Representatives censures and condemns 
Representative Adam Schiff for conduct that misleads the American 
people in a way that is not befitting an elected Member of the House of 
Representatives;
  Two, Representative Adam Schiff will forthwith present himself in the 
well of the House for the pronouncement of censure; and
  Three, Representative Adam Schiff will be censured with the public 
reading of this resolution by the Speaker.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Cuellar). Under rule IX, a resolution 
offered from the floor by a Member other than the majority leader or 
the minority leader as a question of the privileges of the House has 
immediate precedence only at a time designated by the Chair within 2 
legislative days after the resolution is properly noticed.
  Pending that designation, the form of the resolution noticed by the 
gentleman from Arizona will appear in the Record at this point.
  The Chair will not at this point determine whether the resolution 
constitutes a question of privilege. That determination will be made at 
the time designated for consideration of the resolution.

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