Of approving any measure or matters or recorded street for anys nays pursuant to notice i call up the chairss rfrmgs authorizing the issuance of certain subpoenas for documents and testimony for purposes of markup and move that the committee agree to the resolution. The clerk will report the resolution. Resolution offered by chairman Gerald Nadler resolved that upon the adoption of this resolution the chairman of the committee on the judiciary is authorized to issue subpoenas for the documents and testimony from current and former Administration Officials relating to the following. One, the zero tolerance policy and other family separation policies and practices, two detention or shortterm custody of children and or families, and three discussions about or offers of president ial pardonens to department of Homeland Security officials or employees. In addition the chairman as his discretion. Without objection the resolution is considered as read in and open for amendment at any point i will begin by recognizing myself for Opening Statement. Today the Judiciary Committee will take additional important steps to toward greater oversight of the Trump Administration in two areas. Immigration and alleged obstruction of justice. First immigration. Every oh the past several months we held hearings and sent letters to the agencies of jurisdiction. Regarding a series of catastrophic and inhumane immigration policies. Many questions remain and its past time to hold the administration accountable. In january as one of my first acts as chairman i sent letters to the then department of Homeland Security d had. S second nielsen then acting attorney general whikter and Current Health and Human Servicess secretary azar. Asking them to turn over information and records person tank to development and execution of the administrations socalled zero tolerance which really meant family separation Immigration Enforcement policy and the detention of migrants. I am pleased to say that dhs and hhs have for the most part complied with the request. However in a span of six months the department of justice has produced only a estimatoring of heavily redacted emails. And yet to get these documents represent the administrations most substantive response to the various immigrationrelated inquiries we have made in this congress. In april we requested documents and information regarding troubling reports that the administration was considering retaliatory actions against certain members of congress who the president deemed to be in opposition to his funding and policy priorities. That the president openly discussed attacking on social media, shocks the conscious. After sending a followup letter we were told by Agency Officials that because these actions were never executed there was no need for the disclosure of related documents or information. That, however, is for congress to decide, not the administration. Whether we need that information and those zumts. In may 2019, along with several Judiciary Committee colleagues i wrote to dhs demanding immediate investigation into the deaths of five Migrant Children at the southern border over the last six months twels as well as the Committee Member breasting on conditions in shortterm Holding Facilities. Having been to el paso twice this year, i was already aware that conditions were dploerable and unacceptable. And with the release of two dhs offices of Inspector General reports my concerns have groan exponentially. To date dhs has not provided a single briefing or any response to the letter. I use these examples to highlight the scope of serious concerns we have raised with the administration and the systematic withholding of information from the congress. Zpit our oversight responsibility on behalf of the American People. We have given the administration ample time to respond to these serious reports of egregious conduct. In committee cannot sit idly by there must be oversight and accountability. On that subject, in april 2019, along with the chair of other committees. I sent a letter to acting dhs secretary kevin mcaleanen requesting information relating to President Trump offer to pardon him if he illegal closed the southern border as the president reportedly suggested he should do. A followup letter was sent on may 29th but we have yet to receive response to the inquiries. That matters. Because it represents a serious threat to our rule of law system and brings me to the other group of subpoenas we are authorizing today. Element just elaborate. For a president now these are allegations. And news reports. Which we want to check out. For a president to order an Administration Official to violate the law and to say dont worry if you violate the law ill pardon you would be a terrible dereliction of duty and terrible violation of his of the president s duty to see the laws faithfully executed. Its an open invitation to violate the laws. And this brings mo he to the other group of subpoenas we are authorizing today. These 12 subpoenas relate to the committees Ongoing Investigation into ails of obstruction of justice, public corruption and abuses of power. Including such conduct zroibd within the scope of the Mueller Report. The special counsel who will be appearing before the committee next week found in his report that the russian government attacked the 2016 u. S. President ial election in quote sweeping and systematic fashion unquote. The report also detailed 10 instances of possible of obstruction of the investigation of that most serious matter as well as other possible misconduct. The committee on the judiciary has a constitutional obligation to investigate yebl allegations of misconduct. We have been doing that through pursuing the unredacted Mueller Report and key related witnesses and documents. There is no substitute, however, for primary evidence as the Committee Makes decisions which is why we have sought documents and testimony from former white House Counsel donald mcgahn. Hope hicks, and former deputy white House Counsel annie donaldson. Today we focus on 12 additional witnesses including government officials worked or continued to work in close proximity to the president. The witnesses can you those outside of government who have critical information in connection with our investigation. We will not rest until we obtain their testimony and documents so that this committee pan congress can do the work that the constitution and the American People expect of us. I now recognize the Ranking Member of the Judiciary Committee, the gentleman from georgia mr. Collins for his Opening Statement. Thank you, mr. Chairman and here we go again on another round of and episode of premature subpoena authorizations brought to you by the democrats on the house Judiciary Committee. Aside from the lack of specificity or lack of a lot of things and lack of maybe raw School Understanding of a subpoena this is again another trick trek down an empty road in the world of the oversight the markup makes no sense we have a zero tolerance policy this is a area where the chairman sent a single request to the administration back january 11th not a single follow up request since thp nevertheless has the kmrgs produced a steady stream of documents the department of health and Human Servicess made a total of 20 productions nearly one per week for over 7500 pages the department of Homeland Security has made over four productions including one earlier in week. Amounting to over 3,300 panls as you can see in the boxes beside me the department of justice provided six productions totals 1,200 panls and some of the administration voluntary made 29 productions totalling 12,000 pages yet the chairman wants to issue subpoenas for more documents. Second, the chairman wants to issue a subpoena for information regarding the detention of children and families in a subpoena for information about the discussions or offers of president ial pardon foss dhs employees. The chairman only tangentially issued a document request regarding detention pack in january. A subpoena it is not only premature but unjustified. The chairman has zero predicate. He was telling the truth when he said during the earlier subpoena authorization he views the subpoena as a beginning of a dialogue process. Third, the chairman wants to continue a subpoena binge and issue additional 12 subpoenas to individuals related to the mueller investigation. The chairman has had no formal contact with three of the individual and the subpoena will in fact by i say i guess as weve heard the beginning of a dialogue process. Once again i want to emphasize, the chairman has not sent even one written request to tleep of the individuals on this list we are authorizing. Four of the individuals were part of the chairmans short lived and now defunct investigation into the 81 trump ashts associates. Each individual cooperatewood the chairman cooperated with the inquiry before the investigation seemingly has died on fine vain. Incredibly another individuals has already received a subpoena from the chairman. He produce the documents as well but i guess the chairman is going to reward him wit yeth another subpoena. Because apparently the first one wasnt good enough process. I guess there wasnt enough dialogue. Again, the record devoid of any basis for subpoena authorizations. At least the chairman is consistent. This is a pattern we have seen several time before. If you cooperate with him you get a somebody. If you ignore him he will leave you alone. In the world of congressional oversight the subpoenas make no sense at all. But in the world of politics todays markup makes perfect sense. When we left for the july 4th recess mo i friends on the other side were reeling having a very lebron james and public interparty squabble over funding more for humanitarian cries at the border. The kriez the the committee failed to address. Before with he get back to town we are cigaretted by the chairmans intention toth op the subpoena binman. Focus on issues he hasnt touched for months if at all. This is a happen hazard way of conducting congressional oversight. Its no wonder over other committees have taken the lied on investigating issues. The jordinary committee is trying to play catch up chairman cummings issued stps to dhs a hhs and. Doj back if february five months ago. Ipsi has been consistently leading the way in regard to mueller investigation. One of the subpoenas is for michael flynn. A person ipsi is close to bringing in after issuing him a subpoena last month. The chairman refused to review the the report and held the attorney general in contempt. Meanwhile adam shif got access to the underlying documents. If the goal is information or testimony our chair is failing. But he if the goal is political theater we are winning chairman shif also threatened to subpoena the special counsel and he forced the chairmans hand. Now instead of a hearing where all of the members get to ask questions we are having our legs cut out from under us by limiting questions not all republican members will be able to ask questions and not all Democrat Members will ask questions processes an odd format is the result of chairman not taking seriously this information and moving forward and were all here to suffer it. In fact let me bring up its against house rules but thats another problem weve never had a problem with here in the last six and a half months and the democrat minneapolis are not happen. Imts a chance to change the narrative and prove to his rank and file and the dynamicic caucus, we can be tough on the President Trump flrgs after being pushed around six months. Today a chance to show we have what it takes and we will not bow. Next woke a hearingened one of the largest most talked about investigations in two years. And this committee got rolled. The Intel Committee gets the to all questions this committee does not. This committee gets to divide in the haves and have knots. Were all elected bangkok sides. This a fares, especially when it flies in the face of a five minute rule that is conveniently being ignored. Here we go again as ive had to say for the past six and a half months let the show begin. Thank you, mr. Collins. Without objection to all other Opening Statements will be included in the record. I recognize myself for purposes of offering an amendment in the nature of a substitute. The clerk will report the amendment. Amendment in the nature of a swt to resolution offered by mr. Nadler. Stroik all after the rchlg claus and insert following. That upon the adoption of in resolution the chairman. Without objection the amendment in the nature of a substitute will be considered read. And shall be considered as base text for purposes of amendment. I will recognize myself to explain the amendment. My amendment in the nature of a substitute makes no substantive changes to the resolution and simply makes a technical revision to form attorney general sessions name as stated in the resolution. Therefore i urge adoption of the amendment and yield back the balance ofmy time. I reigns the Ranking Member of the judiciary gentleman the broadness of this, the lack of specificity of this, the understanding of looking at it and saying what do we want . And as i stated in my Opening Statement we are here again for sure this committee has become run by press release when we cannot do substantive work, this is not the way subpoenas are supposed to work, this is not the way that congressional oversight is to work and for those of us that hope to work in the majority quit ruining for the rest of us because this is not the way they are supposed to work and things are supposed to happen there has been no followup on many of these, some of them have never even gotten the first request or even help the ones that have responded are getting third with another subpoena. Lets keep going. Any amendment into the amendment or the substitute . In that case. The gentleman from ohio. Move to strike the last word. The gentleman is recognized. A mr. Chairman, despite the fact that millions and millions of taxpayer dollars in 22 months were spent on an investigation and a report that determined that there was no conclusion and collision by the Trump Campaign with a let russia and they determined that there is no obstruction of justice the majority continues on what clearly is a fishing expedition , yet more subpoenas here today, i agree completely with the Ranking Member, that this is much ado about wasting this committees time, and avoiding other issues which are within our jurisdiction which we continue to avoid. It is really a fake impeachment, a fake impeachment, to satisfy the hardcore democrat base who hate this president , who despise the fact that he is still on the white house and in fact, despise the fact that he was ever there. Now this committee has allowed itself as a Ranking Member said to be rolled, runover, rush on by the Intelligence Committee, it is really embarrassing for a committee that really has had significant statue in this house for so many years, rather than wasting more time on this fishing expedition, we could be spending our time on things that really matter on things that would actually benefit the American People for example, we had nearly a quarter of 1 Million People enter our country, flow into this country at our southern border of the last two months alone, think of that, a quarter of 1 Million People in two months and most of those came in through our very flawed, asylum process, which we ought to be able to come to some a bipartisan agreement if we actually talk about it, discuss it, have hearings on that issue, it is so flawed we have people that are paying drug cartels to come here, the money is flowing back there when these people are coming in at one point, people are literally coming down to watch tv and they are coming down loaded with drugs and boxes right down the way from that, because our border is so unprotected at this point and putting the American People at risk, that is something immigration, asylum etc. Is within the jurisdiction of this committee. But, we essentially ignore that over and over again. And as i said, the cartels are making huge amounts of money with this, this is putting the American People at risk, we had 70,000 people who died of drug overdoses last year. 70,000 people, drug overdose, most of it, opioids, much of it fentanyl for example, and that issue is essentially ignored this committee, there is people by the way, when they come here, they are told the socalled magic words by the cartels again who are making the money, they come into the country and they are given a court date, 2 5 years down the road, about 10 actually show up for the court date the other 90 or so, completely ignore it and are put on a bus and are put on a train, a bus or a plane, shipped off to someplace in the country, our Congressional District here and they essentially disappear an