Texas 2017 - 85th 1st C.S.

Texas House Bill HCR22 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

Old	New	Differences
1	1	85S11709 BPG-D
2	2	By: Reynolds H.C.R. No. 22
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5	5	CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
6	6	WHEREAS, On June 12, 2017, U.S. Representatives Brad Sherman
7	7	and Al Green filed an article of impeachment against President
8	8	Donald John Trump for high crimes and misdemeanors; and
9	9	WHEREAS, The article states that President Trump has
10	10	prevented, obstructed, and impeded the administration of justice;
11	11	he has exhibited a pattern of behavior calculated to thwart
12	12	investigations being conducted by federal law enforcement
13	13	officials into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential
14	14	election, including inquiries into the activities of General
15	15	Michael Flynn, his former national security advisor, and into
16	16	possible collusion by members of his campaign staff and other
17	17	associates; and
18	18	WHEREAS, After vainly pressing then-FBI director James Comey
19	19	to shut down the Flynn probe, President Trump carried out his
20	20	implied threat and fired Mr. Comey; one day after that incident,
21	21	the president expressed to Russian officials his relief at being
22	22	rid of Mr. Comey, stating in a meeting "I faced great pressure
23	23	because of Russia. That's taken off"; he also admitted in a
24	24	television interview that the dismissal sprang from the Russia
25	25	investigation, which statement could serve as a warning to any
26	26	successor inclined to follow Mr. Comey's example of independence;
27	27	along the way, President Trump also tried to enlist Daniel Coats,
28	28	the director of national intelligence, in his scheme to stymie the
29	29	examination of General Flynn's activities; and
30	30	WHEREAS, Former director of national intelligence James
31	31	Clapper has characterized the firing of Mr. Comey as "egregious and
32	32	inexcusable"; President Trump's course of conduct is clearly a
33	33	felonious obstruction of justice under Section 1512 of Title 18 of
34	34	the U.S. Code, which applies to anyone who corruptly "obstructs,
35	35	influences, or impedes any official proceeding, or attempts to do
36	36	so"; Article II of the Constitution provides for impeachment and
37	37	removal in the case of "Treason, Bribery, or other high Crimes and
38	38	Misdemeanors," and there is broad bipartisan consensus that
39	39	obstruction of justice falls under this definition; obstruction of
40	40	justice was cited in the first article of impeachment filed against
41	41	President Richard Nixon in 1974, based on his efforts to interfere
42	42	with the FBI's Watergate investigation, and it formed one of the
43	43	grounds on which President Bill Clinton was impeached in 1998; more
44	44	recently, the House of Representatives voted unanimously to impeach
45	45	Texas Federal District Court Judge Samuel Kent for this offense;
46	46	and
47	47	WHEREAS, Donald J. Trump has acted in a manner contrary to his
48	48	trust as president of the United States and subversive of
49	49	constitutional government, and his conduct manifestly warrants
50	50	impeachment, trial, and removal from office; now, therefore, be it
51	51	RESOLVED, That the 85th Legislature of the State of Texas,
52	52	1st Called Session, hereby urge the United States Congress to
53	53	impeach President Donald John Trump; and, be it further
54	54	RESOLVED, That the Texas secretary of state forward official
55	55	copies of this resolution to the president of the United States, to
56	56	the president of the Senate and the speaker of the House of
57	57	Representatives of the United States Congress, and to all the
58	58	members of the Texas delegation to Congress with the request that
59	59	this resolution be entered in the Congressional Record as a
60	60	memorial to the Congress of the United States of America.