House Democrats announced a new strategy on Friday to
force votes to highlight President Trump's possible ties to Russia.
Democrats plan to offer measures known as resolutions of
inquiry that automatically trigger floor votes if they don't get action in
committee within 14 legislative days.
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and several
other Democratic lawmakers scheduled a press conference in the Capitol to
announce the plans on Friday morning.
The announcement included members of the House Financial
Services, Ways and Means, Transportation and Infrastructure, Foreign Affairs,
Homeland Security and Judiciary committees.
Democrats are seizing on the few tools at their disposal
given their limited ability to direct congressional oversight while in the
minority.
Republicans are likely to consider the resolutions in
committee to avoid forcing the entire House to vote on them.
Still, the votes are meant to put a spotlight on Trump as
well as House Republicans, who Democrats say aren't being aggressive enough
with oversight of the administration.
For instance, one resolution unveiled as part of the
strategy would request documents or records from Trump relating to his abrupt
firing of James Comey as FBI director in May and Attorney General Jeff
Sessions' involvement in the decision.
The resolution, offered by Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.),
will go to the House Judiciary Committee for consideration.
The Judiciary panel already rejected multiple previous
resolutions of inquiry earlier this year that demanded documents from the
Justice Department connecting the Trump campaign with the Russian government's
2016 election interference.
Rep. Bill Pascrell (D-N.J.) also offered a resolution of
inquiry in the House Ways and Means Committee to request President Trump's tax
returns from the last decade.
The party-line votes in committee to dismiss the resolutions
prevented any House floor vote.
But Democrats are determined to force more votes - even if
they don't go anywhere - to pressure Republicans after revelations this week
involving President Trump's son.
Donald Trump Jr. released emails on Tuesday showing how he
set up a meeting last year with a Russian lawyer claiming to have damaging
information about Hillary Clinton.
A publicist with ties to a Trump family business partner who
served as an intermediary said that it was "obviously very high level and
sensitive information but is part of Russia and its government's support for
Mr. Trump."
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