assistance policy. which will target women's rights and gender equality. we will put canada at the forefront of this global effort. >> search canada. line to to the house floor. moti prev iously postpone. vote will be taken in the following order h.r. 252 by the 2457 by the , h r. yeas and nays. the unfinished business is a vote on the motion by the gentleman from michigan, mr. upton, to suspend the rules and pass h.r. 2292 on which the yeas

and nays are ordered. the clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: h.r. 292, a bill to extend a project of the federal energy regulatory commission involving the cannonsville dam. the speaker pro tempore: the question is, will the house suspend the rules and pass the bill? members will record their votes by electronic device. this is a 15-minute vote. [captioning made possible by the national captioning institute, inc., in cooperation with the united states house of representatives. any use of the closed-captioned coverage of the house proceedings for political or commercial purposes is expressly prohibited by the u.s. house of representatives.]

the speaker pro tempore: the yeas are 400 and the nays are 1.

2/3 being in the affirmative, the rules are suspended and the rules are passed and without objection, the motion to reconsider is laid on the table. the unfinished business is the vote on the motion of the the gentleman from michigan, mr. upton, to suspend the rules and pass h.r. 2457 as amended, on which the yeas and nays are ordered. the clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: h.r. 2457, a bill to extend the deadline for commencement of construction of certain hydroelectric projects. the speaker pro tempore: the question is will the house suspend the rules and pass the bill as amended. members will record their votes by electronic device. this is a five-minute vote. [captioning made possible by the national captioning institute, inc., in cooperation with the united states house of representatives. any use of the closed-captioned coverage of the house proceedings for political or commercial purposes is expressly prohibited by the u.s. house of representatives.]

the speaker pro tempore: on this vote, the yeas are 402, the nays are 1. 2/3 being in the affirmative, the rules are suspended, the bill is passed and without objection the motion to reconsider is laid on the table.

for what purpose does the gentleman from colorado seek recognition? >> mr. speaker, i send to the desk two privilege red ports from the committee on rules for filing under the rule. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title. the clerk: report to accompany house resolution 37 , resolution providing for consideration of the bill h.r. 2581 oto amend the internal revenue code of 1986 to provide the provision of social security numbers as a condition of receiving the health insurance premium tax credit and providing for consideration of the bill senate 1094 to amend title 3038 united states code to improve the accountability of employees of the department of veterans' affairs and for other purposes. report to accompany house resolution 379, resolution providing for consideration of the bill h.r. 2372 to amend the internal revenue code of 1986 to clarify the rules relating to

veterans' health insurance and eligibility for the premium tax credit and providing for consideration of the bill h.r. 2579 to amend the internal revenue code of 1986 to allow the premium tax credit with respect to unsubsidized cobra continuation coverage. the speaker pro tempore: referred to the house calendar anded ored printed. -- and ordered printed. the house will be in order. members please remove your considerations -- your onversations from the floor. the chair will now entertain requests for one-minute speeches. the house will be in order.

please remove your conversations rom the floor. for what purpose does the gentlewoman from florida seek recognition? without objection the gentlewoman is recognized for one minute. ms. ros-lehtinen: i rise to recognize june as lgbt pride month, a time in which we celebrate the progress our country has made toward equality and honor the contributions of lgbt americans to the diverse fabric that is our nation. i'd like to thank the many organizations in my congressional district, save, unity coalition, the national lgbtq task force, just to name a few and recognize their invaluable work to promote acceptance and fight harassment, bullying, and discrimination wherever it takes place.

this month we also celebrate two years of marriage equality, the union of two people in marriage should not be based on gender but on love. and those legally married couples deserve equal respect and treatment under the law. mr. speaker, this month of celebration is also sadly a stark reminder that we have a ot more work to do to end lgbt violence and we also commemorate the one-year anniversary they have pulse nightclub terrorist shooting. as we honor the memory of those we have lost we must also make a commitment to stand together, to disarm hate and demand the equality, dignity and respect for all individuals at home and abroad. naung, mr. speaker. -- thank you, mr. speaker. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentlewoman from florida seek recognition? >> i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute

and revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentlewoman is recognized for one minute. >> mr. speaker, after 18 years of loving partnerships my friends tim and mining were finally allowed to do what billions of men and women have been doing for many centuries. ms. frankel: enter a legal commitment called marriage. yesterday, i had the joy of celebrating lgbt pride month on the national mall with tim and mike and hundreds of thousands of people of all genders and sexual orientations. we rejoiced our common humanity and the right for each person to e their true self. miley cyrus, the headliner, said it best, it was a party in the u.s.a. yes, our country has come a long way from the stonewall riots of june, 1969. the thing is, there's more work to be done.

today, we remember the horrific orlando pulse nightclub shooting one year ago. we must keep striving for a world where all people can live away from violence and free to love who they want to love without recrimination. and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman rom arkansas seek recognition? without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. >> mr. speaker, i rise today in recognition of little rock c.h.i.-st. vincent hospital for being named to the 2017 list of 00 great hospitals in america. c.h.i.-st. vincent's history of excellence datebacks to 1888 when it began as a 10-bed chair fi ty hospital and the first hospital in little rock. over the years to meet increasing demand for patient care, in addition to expansion

for con instruction, the hospital has made four moves to larger facilities. in 1906, the hospital offered arkansas' first nursing school, the st. vincent's infirmary school of nursing. i'm proud to come into this world at st. vincent, as did our two children. i'd like to thank c.h.i. st. vincent's 100 year legacy of leadership and patient care centered on quality care in central arkansas. thank you, mr. speaker, and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from illinois seek recognition? >> to address the house for one minute & revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. >> mr. speaker, house republicannings passed the ahca which would repeal the affordable care act and now republican senators are working on their own version.

so far we moorthi: know it would be a problem for americans who struggle to pay for coverage at all. it would force families to pay higher premium, end medicaid as we know it, make insurance nearly unaffordable for people with pre-existing conditions and older americans. we don't know more details of the senate plan because the republican leadership is attempting to deny the american people a voice in their own health care system. we need health care reform that lowers costs, expands coverage, and strengthen ours economy. we need legislation written in the light of day that can survive public debate. we do not need this. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from pennsylvania seek recognition? >> unanimous consent to address the house for one minute and revise and extend. the speaker pro tempore: without objection the gentleman is recognized for one minute. mr. thompson: thank you, mr.

speaker. last week, the penn state community lost a legend. mr. ray walker passed away friday at his home. he was 105. penn state's oldest living alumnus. ray told our local newspaper he saw the university grow a lot over the years from, quote, just a cow college, end quote, to becoming one of the largest universities in the nation. penn state truly shaped ray walker's life. back in 1931 he thought he wanted to be a doctor but he was required to take german. after failing twice, he re-evaluated his nage and pursue business. his father told him he'd have oto leave penn state because the family money was lost in the bank crash. ray went to work, starting selling potatoes and coal to fraternity houses. by the time he graduated in 1935, he was sending money home to help his family he founded bradford coal coal and was a driving force in surface mining

all over the world. penn state and i will miss ray walker. he was a friend, he was a distinguished alumnus, and loved by all who knew him. may he rest in peace. thank you, mr. speaker, i yield back my time. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from new jersey seek recognition? without objection the gentleman s recognized for one minute. >> mr. speaker, the tired, the poor, the huddled masses yearning to breathe free are still welcome in america, no thanks to president trump. mr. payne: today for the second time, president trump lost a ruling on his muslim ban in the federal courts of appeal. the purpose of the president's an is clear. then-presidential candidate explicitly called far total and

complete shutdown of muslims entering the united states. just last week, president trump criticized his revised ban as politically correct. and called for a much tougher version. the president's executive order is a muslim ban plain and simple. any argument to the contrary is undercut by the president's own tweets. president trump, by his own words and by his own actions, is abdicating america's moral leadership. the grayness of -- the greatness of america is not built on isolation and discrimination. it is built on the rule of law and the idea of -- ideals of equality and inclusion and on a rich history of immigration. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from minnesota seek recognition? >> i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute and revise and extend my remarks.

the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman is recognized. >> brilliant minds from around the worldcom to the united states to pursue advanced degrees. unfortunately for many of these individuals, after we train them we force them to return to their countries because of outdated policies. mr. paulsen: then, guess what? they compete with america, with the american economy. that's why i've introduced the staple act along with my colleague, congressman quigley. it exempts those born outside the united states from the limits of employment-based green cards and visas awarded annually if they earned a ph.d. from an american institution in the stem fields of science, technology, engineering or math. mr. speaker, by retaining the talent that's benefited from our education system we can unleash even more economic and innovative opportunity here at home. not only does the staple act help promote the american dream from overseas butles brings the

potential of new invention and ideas to and jobs here at home. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman seek recognition? without objection, the gentleman s recognized for one minute. mr. cicilline: on june 12, 2016, 21 americans were gunned down at the pulse nightclub in orlando. tonight we remember those harmed and lost in this attack. lgbt people continue to be targets for attack. don't let anyone tell you we have full equality, we don't. any time an lgbt american is mocked or treated as less than equal it's an attack on the values all of us share as americans. these expressions of bigotry and intolerance only serve to exacerbate problems. so many have joined in

remembering the victims of orlando. we are strongest when we stand united in common purpose for the equality of all americans. it is my sincere hope we will build greater understanding of one another and move closer to ensuring that every american can live free from discrimination and violence of any kind and in a world where everyone is valued and treated with dignity and respect. with that, i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentlewoman from new york seek recognition? >> i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the jerusalem is recognized for one minute. >> thank you, mr. speaker. i rise today to recognize and to express my gratitude to the young men and women who are answering the call to serve in our military upon graduation from high school this year. ms. ten nee: throughout new york's -- throughout's new york's 22nd district thousands are choosing to serb.

they have take on a responsibility greater than themselves. general mcarthur said duty, honor, country. those should dictate what you are, what you can be and what you will be. we wish them tremendous success in their service to our great nationism also wish to acknowledge specifically the kiwanis club's first to say thank you program held to honor the men and women of the southern tier joining the military service. if the 22nd district there are 35 individuals being recognized, their names will be permanently commemorated in the congressional record. i congratulate them and thank them. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from illinois seek recognition? objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. >> mr. speaker, i am so pleased to rise today to honor two

remarkable constituents and their extraordinary achievement that should stand as a model for us all. last month beatrice and fred of lincoln scheyer, illinois, celebrated their 77th wedding anniversary. mr. schneider: 77 years of love, family and commitment. bea and fred met as teenagers in brooklyn, new york. fred was a sheet metal worker by trade and started his own business that he ran for over 40 years. bea worked in a bank. she began selling savings bonds and rose to become a bank teller and eventually assistant vice president. their family has been blessed with two children, ray and herbert, their spouses, michael and gloria, four grandchildren, and now seven great-grandchildren. according to data collected by the worldwide marriage organization, bea and fred are the longest married demoum all of illinois. -- couple in all of illinois. their life long connection is an inspiring example for us

all. on behalf of illinois' 10th district, it is my privilege to congratulate bea and fred on your 77th wedding abe verse -- anniversary. i wish you and your family many more years of health and happiness together. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentlewoman from texas seek recognition? for what purpose does the gentlewoman from ohio seek recognition? ms. kaptur: i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentlewoman from ohio is recognized for one minute. ms. kaptur: thank you. mr. speaker, this house needs to get the job done for the american people. and make sure that we operate by regular order. and that means we want to pass bills here so that we can operate the government of the united states, whether it's the department of defense or small business administration, across the range of departments and agencies. but you can't do that well unless you have a budget. now, the republicans control this house. the republicans control the senate. and the republicans control the white house.

they should be able to agree among themselves to pass a budget and then when as an appropriator we pass our 12 appropriation bills we're give be a number we and -- give an number and we mark up those 12 bill -- given a number and we mark up those 12 bills and we don't go over a budget. but guess what, the republicans can't produce a budget. we're told the military veterans affairs appropriations bill will be marked up in committee and money will be put in that bill. the problem with that is, if we put the money in that bill, how do we know that we'll be able to have money left over for the other 11 bills to fund seniors' meals on wheels or the infrastructure bill that people are talking about. we have a real problem. the republicans need to do the job and produce a budget so that we can serve the american people as they expect us to do. and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentlewoman from texas seek recognition? ms. jackson lee: i ask unanimous consent to address rt the house for one minute -- address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the

gentlewoman is recognized for one minute. ms. jackson lee: mr. speaker, i rise with great jubilation and excitement to recognize and congratulate the catholic charities as they celebrate this day, june 12, being an historic day in texas, because it has been named as texas women veterans day. the catholic charities of the archdiocese of galveston, houston, want to ensure that the texas legislate -- legislators who supported this are in fact congratulated and we're grateful that it was signed into law. texas has the highest number of women veterans of any state in the country. last year 183,597. and these heroes and sheroes could soon have a special day when the state will annually recognize their sacrifices. june 12 now has historic significance. on june 12, 1948, the women's armed services integration act was passed nationally i --,

national -- nationally, allowing women to serve as members of the military. we're delighted that the special population that has bravely served our nation will be honored on this very important day, says catholic charities president and c.e.o. we are women veterans, though several programs through veral programs, and -- through several programs. so this is a great day. thank you, texas, and the legislators who sponsored it. i look forward to introducing such legislation and working with legislation to ensure we have a national day here in the united states. but to the staff of catholic charities, those who travel to austin, and all of those who recognize that we must honor these women veterans as the heroes of the nation, the sheroes of the nation, congratulations. you have a day. june 12. now forever we will honor you on this day. god bless you and god bless the united states of america. the speaker pro tempore: the chair lays before the house the following personal requests.

the clerk: leave of absence requested for mr. curbelo of florida for today, mr. doil of pennsylvania for today, -- doyle of pennsylvania for today, mr. lewis of georgia for today, n.s.f. napolitano of california -- mrs. napolitano of california from june 12, through june 16. and mr. poe of texas for today. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the requests are granted. under the speaker's announced policy of january 3, 2017, the gentlewoman from the virgin islands, ms. plaskett, is recognized for 60 minutes as the designee of the minority leader. ms. plaskett: thank you very much, mr. chair. it's with great honor that i rise today to co-anchor this c.b.c. special order hour. i would like to acknowledge the great work and the leadership of our chair, cedric richmond of louisiana, and of course my co-anchor, marc veasey of texas, as we lead the discussion for the next 60

minutes. in these next 60 minutes we have a chance to speak directly to the american people on issues of great importance to the congressional black caucus, congress, and the constituents that we represent. at this hour we would like to discuss racism and discrimination in america, and specifically hate crimes and the radicalization and domestic terrorism that they present to the american people. the conclusion of dylann roof's trial a few months ago is the latest reminder that homegrown terrorism has become part of the fabric of life in america. this problem shows no sign of fading. yet reveals a threat that is both rare and more complex than simple explanation suggests. solving the issue of domestic violence, -- not domestic violence, excuse me, but domestic terrorism through hate crimes, it involves understanding the true nature of the problem. violent domestic extremism.

so that effective steps can be taken to protect the nation from it. it's legitimate to ask whether homegrown terrorism -- and who are they being radicalized? we talk about jihadi narratives and the islamic extremism, the islamic state group recruiting online. but there are other groups in this nation which are radicalizing our youth, radicalizing young people to be a threat against other americans. this is a subject and a discussion that is rarely -- that has rarely been discussed and which we believe is very important. since 2001, almost 40% of the nearly 150 terrorism fatalities in the united states were related to domestic motivations, not jihadi narratives. and it is my hope and my -- the discussion that we will have this hour that we are able to discuss in depth the effect that these hate crimes and this

domestic violence has on the united states. i would like to put on the record a letter that was written june 7, 2007, by the congressional black caucus to the honorable jeff sessions, the attorney general, andrew mccabe, the acting director of the f.b.i., and to john kelly, the secretary of homeland security in which we express our concern over the alarming number of -- security, in which we express our concern over the alarming number of hate crimes country. in addition to speaking out against the rising tide of hate, violence and intolerance in country, it is critical that those agencies -- in this country, it is critical that those agencies, f.b.i., department of justice, as well as homeland security, speak out and proactively investigate each and every incident of potential hate crimes and aggressively prosecute these cases to the fullest extent of the law. since the election it seems that hate-filled individuals

have been emboldened by the terrorized minority -- and to terrorize minority communities. in just the first 34 days after the election, the southern poverty law center counted a total of 1,094 biased ins debits around the nation -- incidents around the nation. disturbingly the center also calculated that 37% of these cases directly referenced either president-elect trump at the time, his campaign slogans, or his infamous remarks about sexual assault. this data is just from the immediate aftermath of the election. the numbers have increased since then. it is the responsibility of this congress, as well as those agencies, to stem this flow of violence that is occurring in this nation. we know that our president would not tolerate these sorts of matters and we are hopeful that he, the justice department, the f.b.i., and homeland security will do

whatever is necessary to protect american lives from hate crimes that are occurring, domestic terrorism, the radicalization of our young people to exert hate against other americans. i would like to call my co-anchor at this time, marc veasey, to speak on this issue. then we will have an opportunity to hear from other members of the congressional black caucus about this. this time -- that the time i would yield as much time as he would come to my -- at this time i would yield as much time as he would come to marc veasey. mr. veasey: thank you very much for starting off this special order hour on racism and discrimination in the age of trump. i really think this is important and timely that we talk about this. because, as you mentioned, these incidents are on the rise and we need to start to discuss them. we need to have open and honest, frank discussions about them, to be quite forward. because if we don't, then we're never going to be able to move

past this or be able to have a better america in regards to racism, hate, discrimination. if we don't begin just to have that open dialogue. and not only does the country need to have the open dialogue, i think as members of congress, that we need to be the leaders in this area and that we should be the ones that are kicking off the dialogue and starting this. because make no mistake about it, i know a lot of people will tell that you racism is dead. that discrimination is a thing of the past. that it was something that happened to people that are baby boomers and older. and that the effects of discrimination are no longer with us. we know that's not true. we know that, again, as you just mentioned a second ago, hat since 2016, there's been a disturbing number of incidents that have occurred, a disturbing number of things that have been said, things that have been tweeted, the

rise of the alt-right. so many other things that we should be very concerned about. and the southern poverty law center supports this very claim. this organization has collected over 1,300 reported biased incidents between the day after the election, february 2, and let me point out, because i know that sadly there are some people that will cast doubt towards the southern poverty law center. but the southern poverty law center has done a tremendous job over the last couple of decades or so, of not only helping identify people that commit acts, but groups like k.k.k., neo-nazi groups and others. quite frankly, i don't know why anyone would want to say that -- or try to undermine or put down an organization that wants to put down groups like wants

to put down groups like that, like k.k.k. and skin heads and nazis. it makes no sense. i hate when i hear people say bad things about the southern poverty law center. because of the time and money and effort that they put into fighting groups just like i just mentioned. this organization has collected over 1,300 reported biased incidents between the day after the election, on february 7, and let me be clear. because oftentimes when we talk about race, it turns into a very divisive topic. we don't need for this to be a divisive topic. we need to sit down, come together, and talk. because we need to create an opportunity here in america where we can change people's attitudes and make sure that our nation's history is not repeated. i also think that as parents we have to openly talk about race, bigotry and hate with our children. one of the things that disturbs me as a parent and quite frankly as a proud american is i hear people say, well, i

don't say racist things at my house. my kids would never hear that. if kids are saying racist things, then it must be because they're hearing it at home. but i got to tell you, as a parent of an 11-year-old, i know that there are influences outside of my home. i know that there's a lot of peer pressure on kids. i know there's a lot of things on social media. and kids want to fit in. kids want to be cool. you can never utter one bad thing about a different or race or someone of a different sexual orientation than yours in your house, your kid could still end up being caught up in something bad like bigotry or racism, just because of inappropriate influences at school. and that is why it is important in my opinion, that we talk about this with our children, as uncomfortable as it may make us, but we need to have the discussion.

our children need to know it's important to us that we recognize other people's culture, that we recognize other people's faith and sexual orientation and religion. so as they're forming and they're growing they understand that this is a great nation that's open to everybody regardless of race, ethnic or gender background. and you know, i know that for some people, having to talk about racism, that it can be very uncomfortable because it makes people guilty. a lot of times when it comes up, you're talking about this you hear people trying to come up with different examples as -- to sort of assuage any guilt they may have. it makes them very, very uncomfortable. but again we have to attack this head on. we have to come together, condition front these issues of social injustice. because it really is time that our nation healed. it's time that our nation heal and it's time with break the

chains of our plagued history. and with that, i know that we have other members here on the house floor that want to talk. i have some things that i'm going to mention a little bit, just some of the unfortunate incidences that has happened with the president work the command for the chief. the history that he has with racism that i quite frankly would like to see him address. whether it's h.u.d. discrimination, the central park joggers who were exonerated d.n.a. but his comments were, they still did something bad so on and so on, some of the issues at the casino he owned in new jersey. we need to talk about those. quite frankly, he can be a leader, he can be a leader -- a leader in discussing these incidents that happened under his control, under his command,

whether it was at his private corporation or whether it was commenting on the central park joggers about how it was a learning experience for him and how he's never going to let it happen again, never let those words out of his mouth. before i go into that, i'm going to turn it back over to the representative from the virgin islands, representative plaskett and thank you very much for kicking this off. ms. plaskett: i think it's important, one of the things you talk about, what's going on in our homes. and the fact that children can be radicalized outside the home. this is an opportunity to see the victimization of children who become part of the alt-right or neonazi groups. they are being radicalized by disturbing groups and we as leaders in america have a responsibility. that's why we are asking unanimous consent to have the

letter written by chairman cedric mitch rond -- richmond put into the record, the let over june 7, that went to the f.b.i., to homeland security, as well as to the justice department to ask them to investigate and take proactive stances, not just to protect those individuals who are victimized when violence occurs. but to protect those young ople and others who may be untowardly influenced by social media to become part of these groups. i think that's a great point you bring up as well as our president becoming someone who can lead the charge against this. we see the rise of this activity after his -- during his campaign and after his election. then he, our president, needs to be the one to be presidential and to stem this influence and this rise of hate crimes that are taking place. at this time we're asking that our colleague, donnell payne from the great state of new jersey -- donald payne from the great state of new jersey who

has done an amazing amount of work in his own community in the area of newark in trying to stem violence and criminal justice, the reform work you are doing, to speak on this matter this evening. thank you so much for the timer -- for the time you are giving us. mr. payne: i want to thank the gentlelady from the virgin islands, congresswoman plaskett, and the gentleman from texas, marc veasey, for hosting tonight's special order hour on such an important topic, racism and discrimination. before i begin, i want to take a moment to mark the one-year anniversary of the pulse nightclub shooting and to remember the 49 lives cut short in the deadliest mass shooting in our nation's history. as we grieve for the victims and their families, we must continue to stand in solidarity with resurvivors and with the lgbtq community against hate,

intolerance, for love and support of our nation's values of equality and dignity for all. kind the kind of intolerance and -- the kind of intolerance and hate on display that day in orlando has become an alarming trend in this country, a trend that has disturbingly been fueled by president trump. according to the southern verty law center, 37% of the 1, 94 bias-related incidents in just the first month after the election referenced the president, his campaign slogans, or his remarks about sexual assault. as he did throughout his campaign, president trump continues to speak the language of racial and cultural

grievance, pitting americans against one another and perpetuating the vicious -- viciousness he pretends to despice. the result is what you would expect -- a spike in hate crimes and hate speech. i've seen in my district in new jersey where anti-semitic graffiti was plastered on a pedestrian bridge and we've seen it at american university just down the road at the national museum of the african-american history and culture whose nooses were found last month. where nooses were found last month. communities of color know this pain all too well. mr. speaker, i am really fortunate to be able to discuss an issue of such importance to this nation. one nation, under god,

indwissable with liberty and justice for all. you know, i have been very fortunate in my life to have been born into a situation where a great american prior to me held this seat for 23 years in the 10th congressional district of the state of new jersey. his name was donald payne. he was my father. a lifestyle, d me one in which i did not know of his suffering and pain growing up as a young african-american in this country. but have even in that situation have found myself, irrespective of being in that position, found myself in situations that have

been dangerous and uncomfortable. s a young 20-year-old, you know, when we're 20 we do things that we probably shouldn't be on my my mes, i was -- i was on my lunch time going downtown to pay a bill at a department store, i had my first credit card. and i was running late so what i decided to do was make a u-turn on the main street, broad street, in newark, new jersey, the largest street in the town. i made a u-turn to come in front of the store and naturally, you know work my luck, a motorcycle police officer was coming down the street at the same time he pulled me over, as he should. and i was wrong. but i was using my cousin's car.

so when he asked me for my license and registration, i could not find the papers that i needed. i was fumbling and nervous. and the officer leaned into the car and used the n-word and said if you don't find those documents in a minute, i'll throw you so far under the jail they'll never find you. so this is very frightening. for any citizen to go through. so i was able to get my license and i handed it to him. so just before that, they would throw me so far under the jail they would never find me again. once i handed him my license and it said i was donald payne jr., whose father was a sitting councilman in the city of newark

, his whole attitude changed. don't you know that you could get hurt, or you could hurt someone, or you have to be careful. a minute ago, i was nothing. i would be so far under the jail they'd never find me. but now that i'm connected to something or someone, all of a sudden we've become paternal. there are millions of people that aren't connected to someone, mr. speaker, in this country. millions. and these are the types of things that they go through. so i'm just here to say that we must be vigilant. i believe in this country. i believe in its greatness. i believe in the words in the pledge of allegiance. i believe in the constitution. we must make it work for all americans. and with that, i yield back.

ms. plaskett: thank you so much, mr. payne, for your words, your enlightenment, and sharing that personal piece of you and your own experience. there are so many african-americans so many people of color in this country who have those exact same experiences, whether it's us personally, i know i have mine exactly like that, you know, i have four sons that each one of them have had that kind of experience here in this country. and with the rise of hate that's occurring, we have to be careful for every american and we need to be concerned that this country is no longer becoming a safe place. for groups of individuals. that there are people that are rising up and attempting to terrorize other americans. this should be of concern to congress. this should be of concern to our president. and i want to thank you again, mr. payne, for that. at this time we'll yield time to

the congresswoman from texas, congresswoman sheila jackson lee who sitz not only on the budget committee but very relevant to our discussion this evening, is one testify -- is one of the senior members of the judiciary committee as well as homeland security where so many of these issues form a con flunings. -- a confluence. thank you so much for being with us, ms. sheila jackson lee, and we thank you for your remarks and the confidence you'll be giving us here in this chamber. ms. jackson lee: first of all, it is my privilege to thank you, congresswoman plaskett, for your ongoing leadership in speaking to our colleagues and the american people. let me take a moment of personal privilege to say to you, over the weekend in texas i was with a number of individuals from the virgin islands. it was my first task to tell them of the excellent

representation they were getting by you leading on so many issues. but to you i want to say that we were at the commissioning of the u.s.s. gabriel giffords. proud -- gab rial giffords. giffords.le proud to be. so the commander of that ship is from the virgin islands. et me say i made sure that those sailors knew i was supporting them as well, and it was a great tribute to former congresswoman giffords. thank you for your indulgence of that and let me also acknowledge my colleague on the floor, congresswoman val demings, if i might, just to make note of the -- and floridians who are here, make note of the commemoration

of the tragedy at the pulse nightclub. this is an area in which the congresswoman policed if you will, and her spouse still there leads the community in law enforcement. honor to those who lost their lives but to the recognition that terrorism and hatred, hateful acts, are not to be accepted by any of us and as a good friend of mine, a muslim, said yesterday as we stood against hateful acts, against muslims around the world, and around, in particular around the united states, he said that the way that we deal with this dangerous -- with this danger is through love and recognition of human dignity of all the lgbtq community, my deepest sympathy in this month that we honor and have pride month that we

recognize your deep involvement in this country and your right to human dignity. so i thank so i thank congresswoman plaskett for allowing me to engage in that statement. let me say that i would hope that none of us would have wanted to be on the floor tonight talk to about the changing face of america since the election of the president of the united states. but in fact to recognize that there's been a surge in discrimination throughout this nation. the roots of racial extremist violence against peaceful black communities runs deep in american history from this country's dark path -- history. from this country's dark path of slavery, to the lynch mobs that sought to permanently disenfranchise the black vote, to the church bombing that killed four little black girls in birmingham, to the dismantling of an entire community in tulsa, to the senseless stabbing a few weeks ago of a bright young man.

i am saddened that the election of president trump, and i'm not sure whether this has been brought to his attention, i'd like to bring it to his attention, has created a divisive atmosphere. trump's political debut was centered on the racist birtha movement which questioned the -- birth movement which questioned the citizenship of president obama. he was not in office then. to some it was humorous. some were shocked. certainly the black community did not take it humorously. this was a senator who had been duly elected by the citizens of illinois. he had done nothing to bring this commontary -- commentary on himself personally. he sought the presidency of the united states. he offered to the american people all of the documentation that would be required. and yet donald trump persisted for five years in insisting through fake news that he was not a zevent united states of america. during his political campaign, he re-- repeatedly refused to reject the endorsement of white

is you premmist groups. he failed to condemn supporters who shouted out racist slurs and on occasion violently attacked protests that are happened to be an african-american woman in particular. in a nation completely comprised of immigrants he's built a hateful movement around building a wall. and to my friends who are hispanic, particularly mexicans, he called them drug dealers and any number of names. this country has prided itself on the value of immigration, diversity and certainly freed slaves who have come to make this country the great country that it is. overall his anti-immigrant incidents were the most reported, 315 incidents followed by anti-black, 221, and anti-muslim, 112. and anti-lgbt, 109. so i just want to take a moment to add to my commentary the things that i think are grossly horrific. that we should realize that this is not a time for the c.b.c. to be on the floor casting blame. let me also, as i acknowledge

congresswoman plaskett, thank our chairperson, congressman cedric richmond, for his really unceasing leadership of the congressional black caucus and the work that he's done to make sure that we astutely have the information to be the conscience of the congress. these are the pictures of hatred. this is the individual who -- i don't oung man want to show the wrong picture. but this is a picture of an individual who was engaged in he killing of two individuals, i believe in portland, oregon. because they were trying to defend someone of a different background. we have a noose found hanging near an elementary school in washington, d.c., this is the picture of that. this has all happened since the election of president trump.

we have an incident, june 9, 2017, "the washington post," it says, shut up slaves, a spilled starbucks drink red to -- led to a racist tirade and fight. i don't know if people are under extreme tension, but this is all happening in 2017. we have another one, a day without racism, not for trump's administration. the department of justice is dismantling or lowering the civil rights division, cutting the staffing that is there. hate crimes in the u.s. rising. these are the kinds of things. and tragically, he's here's a young, handsome, -- here's a young, handsome, beautiful young man, who was taking his commission, and getting ready to graduate, richard collins iii. he was killed. let me finish on these points about the criminal justice system. that i think is very important. black americans are more likely to have their cars searched. black americans are likely to be arrested for drug abuse.

excuse me, drug use. black americans are more likely to be jailed while awaiting trial. black americans are more likely to be offered a plea deal that includes prison time. black americans are more likely to serve longer sentences than white americans for the same offense. and black americans are more likely to be disenfranchised. we also know that we have statistics that i'll offer into the record of black american youth that are more likely to be included in the juvenile detention center. police stops, police searches, use of force during arrest. juvenile arrest. transgender arrest. 60% of the transgender arrests are black or latino. arrests for marijuana, most blacks are not likely to get pretrial release. more blacks are likely to be prosecuted. more blacks are likely to get prison versus community service. incarceration is longer than whites. state judge incourse ration,

there are 208,000 people in state prison for drug offenses. 32% are white. 68% are black -- black. federal drug convictions are higher among african-americans. african-americans, 47% hispanic. and we are high than -- higher than those. federal court sentencing, and of course incarceration of women, african-americans are higher. sentencing to life without parole, african-americans are higher. 65%. hiring people are criminal records, that makes it very difficult for us to work and eliminating the right to vote. so i will close by simply saying, where is the president on standing with the moral compass of asking the hatred to stop? to really empower a department of justice not to be led by an individual who has fought against voting rights, fought against the rights of those who are seeking to be rehabilitated in the criminal justice system, to join a bipartisan army of

individuals against mass incarceration. where is the president in standing against the hatred that has impacted the african-american community? the words that he has said, where's the president in stopping this onslaught that is generating into violence in the streets? where is the morale compass of this administration? if it is not you, mr. president, the congressional black caucus will not take a back seat to you. whether he fight and bring this country back to where it should be and that is a country that believes in the equality of all americans and the african-americans who have died in wars and have been slaves nd in essence came through a reformation to be free, will not take a back seat to all of this hatred. i ask you, mr. president, where are your answers? i yield back. ms. plaskett: thank you very much, congresswoman. thank you for your leadership on issues related to the judiciary. at this time i would like to invite the congresswoman, the congressman not just from new

york but from, of course, what i believe is the best, most rrough in new york city, brooklyn, which is where i was born and raised. thank you so much, congressman jeffries, for your leadership on the judiciary committee. your discussions about the issues that we are discussing here this evening. and i am waiting to hear what you are going to not only present to us here in this chamber, but to the american people on this issue. thank you. mr. jeffries: i thank the distinguished gentlelady from the virgin islands for yielding and for the phenomenal job that you have done, along with my classmate, the distinguished gentleman from texas, representative marc veasey. as you noted, i have great affection for the fact that you have a significant connection to brooklyn. we say back home there are two types of americans. those who live in brooklyn and those who want to live in brooklyn.

but certainly this is a significant issue that the congressional black caucus is gathered here today to discuss during this hour of power, the opportunity for members of the congressional black caucus to speak directly to the american people on an issue of great significance. since january 20, we've seen a disturbing increase here in erica in anti-immigrant, anti-muslim, anti-black, nti-lgbt and anti-semitic acts . and the question is, is this just a coincidence or could it possibly have something to do with the election of the 45th president of the united states of america? now, in part what we're seeing is connected to a historic backlash that has often

occurred throughout this journey that we've been on here in america, that whenever we make significant progress, there's always a backlash amongst some in america who have got a problem with the fact that we've done things designed to be more consistent with our values of liberty and justice for all, equal protection under the law. we know slavery was the original sin here in america. that was corrected. in the aftermath of the north's victory during the civil war. we had the reconstruction amendments, the 13th amendment, abolished slavery. 14th amendment, equal protection under the law. 15th amendment, the right to vote, regardless of race. that was progress in america. followed by the inevitable backlash. the imposition of jim crow laws, the lynching epidemic, black codes, segregation, particularly throughout the

deep south. progress followed by backlash. and finally, in the 1960's, an effort to create a more perfect union and address the unfinished business in america, you had the civil rights movement. anchored with the 64th civil rights act -- 1964 civil rights act, effectively ended the voting rights act, giving african-americans in the deep south, people of color throughout the country, the right to vote. unimpeded from things like grandfather clauses and poll taxes and other types of shenanigans that people were practicing. 1968, fair housing act. capped off the civil rights movement. followed by the inevitable backlash. chard nixon ran a racist campaign of southern strategy designed to appeal to aggrieved

whites in parts of this country. particularly in the deep south. ushered in an era of resistance to the progress that had been made. anti-busing, anti-affirmative action. then of course we've got barack obama, who was elected in what many of us viewed as an incredible step in the right direction. african-americans having gone from the out house to the white house. eight years of tremendous progress in moving this country forward, followed by the election of donald trump. a man who spent five years perpetrating the racist lie that barack obama was not born of he united states america. and many of us are wondering, why were so many people who wore shpped at the altar of white supremacy drawn to donald trump's campaign? what was it about this individual? that so many folks drip hg in a

hatred -- dripping in hatred flocked to his canned daisy? that's not to say -- candidacy? that's not to say that every american who voted for donald trump is a racist. we know that every racest in -- race nist america voted for donald trump. that's -- racist in america voted for donald trump. that's a problem. again, i ask the question in closing, is this all a big coincidence? we know part of it is the backlash that has often occurred whenever we've made progress in america. but this president has a responsibility to address the rise in hate crimes that have taken place on his watch. whether or not his election is directly connected to it. many of us have our own suspicions. but he's the commander in chief. d he's got to tell his attorney general, who is straight out of central casting in terms of the good old boys, he's got to tell his attorney

general that your job as chief law enforcement officer in the land is to enforce the laws. whether you like whether you like it or not. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is refrained to engage in personalities. the gentlelady from the virgin islands may continue. ms. plaskett: thank you, mr. speaker. mr. jeffries: every single thing that has been said and i urge you to challenge anything as a fact and the fact that there are facts that have been left out in terms of my remarks about the 45th president of the united states, i have been kind of gentle as it relates to the person who is occupying 1600 pennsylvania avenue, but right

now, more to come. but i'd welcome the speaker to dispute anything that has been said in the name of us trying to move this country forward consistent with the notions of equal protection under the law and liberty and justice for all. and with that, i yield back to anchor. namic ms. plaskett: thank you, congressman jeffries. i appreciate your remarks. i know that this house that is rules and is concerned about decorum in here. we here at the congressional plaque caucus are concerned about decorum. and while we uphold the president of the united states and many individuals particularly constituents, the underserved within our communities are fearful about speaking about the person of

president donald trump. but what we are trying to do is speak unrefuteable facts, not about the personality, not about subjective and not our fears but the actual facts about what is happening in this country, because that is life for our children. that is the very essence of us continuing, that is what democracy is about. if we cannot critique the actions of our president, then very fearful to us and very fearful to our house which is a operate branch of government and which i recall a year ago is speaking against the person who was in the white house at the time. so at this time, i would yield additional time to the congresswoman, my classmate, om new jersey, congresswoman

coleman. and i thank you for your work particularly in working with other congressional black caucus women to find the caucus for black women and girls which is very importantment. because it is a forgotten group and you advocate in speaking out for those individuals. mrs. watson coleman: thank you for your individual leadership and considering the subject matter that we are going to discuss. and i want to talk a little bit about something that has sort of been my observation and my experiences for a very long period of time. and i think that are exacerbated by this presidency that we currently have in this house. and let me by way of association just comment positively to the

remarks of my colleague and the former speaker, representative jeffries. my remarks are from the cradle to the grave. black people in america are required to be resilient, courteous and persistent. from the cradle to the grave, black people in america must be comfortable and confident in ourselves but only so much that we do not intimidate or aggravate. from the cradle to the grave, plaque people are told our plight, our struggle, our sacrifice is a fantasy in post-racial america. while we witness the racism, conscious discrimination and our rich history is erased. from cradle toll grave, black people experience discrimination

walking home from the corner store, listening to music at a gas station or sitting in our neighborhood park. we experience this racism and discrimination showing up to school in our natral hairstyles, shopping in our favorite stores or showing up to work including the senate and house of representatives. and last wednesday, it was reported that black troops are far more likely than their white counterparts to face court martial or other forms of military punishment. plaque girls are 5.5 times more likely to be suspended from schools than white girls. that rate balloons in my state of new jersey. to 8 oin 5%. more than 60 years from brown

versus board of education, school systems are separate and unequal. california had 31 open desegregation cases. in 2016, presidential candidate ran a campaign on divisive rhetoric that targeted our communities, our well-being and it only gets worse. from the cradle to the grave, we are told to calm down, sit down and be courteous. the experiences that challengeses the story our history and our very being are kept out of board rooms, classrooms, voting booths, history books, television scripts and the like. let me just tell you from the cradle to the grave, we are built to persevere. we are strengthened to overcome

and born to lead and committed to uplift and fully equip to have the weight on our shoulders even in these times. and guess what? we do. i yield back. thank you. ms. plaskett: thank you very much for those inspiring words and the motivation to us all. want to yield at this time some time to dwight evans of philadelphia, who comes at us -- congressman evans, we bring up the fact that you are a freshman but you aren't a freshman. your leadership and work in philadelphia and pennsylvania and the state house transcends you as a freshman and we call you a superfreshman and you have experience and wisdom here to the house floor and i'm anxious

to hear what you have to speak about the hate crimes and against minorities here in this country. mr. evans: i thank the lady from the virgin islands for her leadership along with my colleague from texas, because both of them somewhere demonstrated real clear leadership for the congressional black caucus. i want to thank them for what they have done and all of the members in the congressional black caucus. mr. speaker, we have a lot to lose under the trump administration. and it's been very clear as stated by all of my colleagues, from health care to food policy to education, to affordable housing, the president and his party continue to look for ways take away we have come to know as fundamental programs

behind building stronger neighborhoods. our nation is facing challenging times and we simply cannot afford to carry on business as usual. to the smithsonian asheal slurs painted on lebron james' house and the attack on cemeteries,ommunity r globe is seeking increases in discrimination and racial bias incidents. r. king always said, we have come here in different boats but we are in the same boat now. an attack against one of us is an attack against all of us. we have fought against racial

intolerance and our journey continues. it doesn't mat are whether you black, jewish or lgbt, we are stronger if we celebrate. when we watch the news, it is upsetting to see what is happening in 2017. in lieu over a week ago at the mith season aian, here in d.c. we found a noose on the grounds as the director said it is a painful reminder of the challenges that african americans continue to face. we know we are not only seeing intolerance against the african-american community. this year at the mount carmel cemetery just outside of my

district in northeast philadelphia, countless tombstones were vandalized. the jaycee received a bomb threat. these are just a few of the vial ns that is taking place. but yet our attorney general, jeff sessions and president claim to be tough on crime and put more people behind bars. this week, mr. speaker, i was a keynote house at an addiction recovery treatment center. the individuals shall the strongest people and their hard work are truly inspiring. where you start is not where you end up. throughout my career i have been finding to find ways. but to do this we have to make

good jobs, great schools and access to health care a reality. we know the tradition isn't always easy. d trying to find good-paying jobs. and the company gave over 500 jobs to incarcerated individuals. this is the result of one city. we know that racism is the factor in our community. we have to confront this head on. at the congressional black caucus collectively stands here today. we will not accept what is taking place. we are prepared to face these challenges. and we are asking others to join us, because we recognize that we can move this country forward, but it will take all of us.

so what we're doing here today is raising the awareness because we must have this conversation in the public way. we must deal with this issue of racism, noninclusion and discrimination. no longer can we accept this. so, mr. speaker, i say to you today, as a member of the congressional black caucus, we are prepared to do our part. ms. plaskett: that thank you for your remarks and continued work to discuss middle communities, middle neighborhoods and the importance of these communities and how they need to be protected. congressman veasey, we have had a discussion ms. herrera beutler: this evening about the racial and the rise in hate crimes and rise of racial tensions. puerto rico had its election in

which they talked about becoming a state. and what i talked about is the virgin islands, guam, american samoa, all of us are territories after 100 years and it was never the intent of congress for areas in the united states to be a territory for 100 years except for the fact that these are now people of color and communities of people of color. and based on the cases, said that the people living in the offshore territories were people of alien races who couldn't understand principles of law and we are not able to have the full-fledged right of american citizens and we are seeing here on the mainland, people of color who are being treated as second-class citizens and not afforded the full protection of this country, when you have

incidents on may 20. may 26 with christian who shouted slurs. and as two men stepped in, they were stepped stabbed to death. congressman veasey, much needs to be done. we have momingts of silence. we mourn for the families of the victims of pulse nightclub. but not enough to have to have moments of silence. e need to take action. mr. veasey: action is needed. some of the things that came out during the campaign, it's knollenberg nothing new, but very -- it's nothing new, but very disturbing and why we need

the president to lead this discussion. i'll speak on that a little bit in just a second here. did i want to stop and take the congresswoman ze eddie bernice johnson. she has a statement she wanted to submit into the record, mr. speaker, on racism and discrimination in america. ms. plaskett: so we're asking, mr. speaker, unanimous consent that all members have five legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include any extraneous material on the subject of this special order hour. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. ms. plaskett: thank you. did you have -- and i know that there were other issues that you wanted to discuss, congressman veasey, with regard to some of these, and examples which iu wanted to give as well -- which you wanted to give as well. mr. veasey: absolutely. very briefly, the president's history on racism from the very beginning of his candidacy, of course, the way he disparaged mexicans and mexican americans in this country, by calling

people rapists, accusing people of bringing disease and crime into the united states. pretending that he didn't know who david duke was. unbelievable. pretending to not know who david duke was. ms. plaskett: well. mr. veasey: even condone -- ms. plaskett: i think he knows now. mr. veasey: even condone the beatings of a black lives matter protester. but his history extends even before that. of course it was very well covered, very well chronicled during the campaign, about the justice department suing his real estate company and his father's real estate company for not renting apartments to black people. not renting apartments to african-american potential tenants. and of course they ultimately settled that lawsuit. because of the wrongdoing that happened there. ms. plaskett: that was in the 1970's, i believe. mr. veasey: that's correct. in 1989 he encouraged and celebrated the wrongful

imprisonment of the central park five and took out full page ads in new york area newspapers calling for the return of the death penalty in response to a very infamous case in which a woman was beaten and raped while jogging in manhattan central park. donald trump back then, before he was president, said that they should be forced to suffer and when they kill, they should be executed for their crimes. i want these murderers and always will. of course, there was a lot of public outrage over that case. very well talked about. it was on all the talk shows and what have you. even after the d.n.a. evidence proved that those men that spent time in prison, that wrongfully spent time in prison, and the d.n.a. evidence exonerated them, he -- ms. plaskett: and they weren't men at the time. they were teenagers when this happened. mr. veasey: they were teenagers at the time. even after the d.n.a. evidence

exonerated them, still said that maybe they should be guilty of something. i thought that was just a terrible thing to say. f course the new jersey casino control commission fined trump plaza and hotel $200,000 in 1992 because managers removed african-american car dealers at the request of certain big-time gamblers that would come in. and in 1996, 20 african-americans in indiana sued trump for failing to honor a promise to hire mostly minority workers for a river boat casino on lake michigan. let me tell you why even despite all of this, why the president has the ability to lead a discussion on race. you might remember shirley sherrod. i don't know if the name rings a bill. she was an african-american agriculture worker, worked for u.s. department of agriculture,

georgia department of agriculture. he was given an example of how she overcame her own bias and her own racism. and of course her comments were misconstrued and the tapes were made to sound one way. she ultimately lost her job, was offered her job back after it was proven that this conservative website, this conservative newspaper had actually tried to disparage her. so they could try to have some sort of a racism equivalentance or something, i guess to try to make their readers feel better. but the reason why i bring that up is because here was a woman that was being honest about and trying to give an example about how she overcame bias and how she overcame prejudice. and the president has an opportunity to talk about central park, to talk about racism in his apartments.

to talk about the other -- the issues at the casinos, to talk about the other areas in his life where he's fallen quite short when it comes to fairness and honesty in racism. so we need him to lead that discussion so we can begin to talk more and we can begin to heal our country. ms. plaskett: part of leadership is expressing your shortcomings. and really using that as an opportunity to move forward and to move the nation forward. so many people look to our president for his leadership and for his thoughts and his out of the box thinking. this would be a tremendous support not only to the people being oppressed, but to others as well. one of the things i wanted to leave us with was a quote and some work that the lawyers committee for civil rights under law is working on. who has a mission to secure all, through or rule of law, targeting in particular the inequities confronting african-americans and other racial and ethnic minorities.

in december of all, through rule 2016, kristen clark, who is the president, stated, hate crimes and hate-filled incidents stand as a dark cloud over our democracy. the recent spike in hate crimes is attributable in part to the racially charged rhetoric that categorized the 2016 election cycle and the right of the alt-right white nationalist extremism. this is a moment tchalls for federal, state and local officials to use every tool in their arsenal to vully investigate, prosecute these incidents when -- to fully investigate, prosecute these incidents when this occur and eradicate this from our nation. thank you so much for this time with that, mr. speaker, we are closing our c.b.c. special order hour. again, we would ask unanimous consent that all members have five business days to revise and extend their remarks and to put any extraneous matter, relevant matter into the record at this time. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the time is expired. members are reminded to refrain

from engaging in personalities oward the president.

under the speaker's announced policy of january 3, 2017, the chair recognizes the gentlewoman from florida, mrs. demings, for 30 minutes. democrat democrat thank you, mr. speaker -- mrs. demings: thank you, mr. speaker. i ask unanimous consent that all members have five legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and

include any extraneous material on the subject of this special order. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mrs. demings: mr. speaker, as i stand here tonight before you, in my hometown of orlando, thousands of people are gathered at a park like they were one year ago to mourn, honor and pay tribute to the 49 lives we lost on january 12, 2016. we were with them earlier today and we would love to be with them tonight. as we were last year. but we are here doing the job we were elected to do. i'm joined tonight by my colleague and absolutely honored to serve with him, representative darin soto. we stand here tonight on the floor together, of the house of representatives, so the world will not forget the lives we

lost in the pulse night club shooting. it was supposed to be, representative soto, you remember, like any other saturday night for the men and women inside the pulse night club. i can only imagine the excitement they shared that evening as they celebrated birthdays and friendships. mr. speaker, they were out for what my bishop likes to call a late night fellowship. and then at 2:02 a.m., when everyone was closing their tabs for the night and about to head home, it was then when an isis-inspired gunman, motivated by hate, walked into the club and opened fire. within a matter of minutes he was able to kill 49 people and wound so many others. the innocent men and women in

the club didn't stand a chance. -- chance against him that night. we lost 49 lives. their full potential will never be known and we will always wonder when we think about their lives what could have been. and many others continue to recover from their visible and invisible wounds. in the days and weeks following the nation's deadliest mass shooting, we saw our community come together in beautiful ways . we mourned with those who lost their loved ones. we came out in groves to donate -- droves to donate blood for survivors who needed it. we showed support and gratitude for our law enforcement officers, our first responders, the nurses and doctors who acted with courage and bravery

in the face of unimaginable tragedy. we embraced and celebrated the diversity that makes orlando the city beautiful. we showed the world that we are a city who defeats hate with love. one year after the shooting, the wounds are still fresh. and the scars are still not fully healed. but our community is resilient and united in the face of this tragedy. this time i would -- at this time i would like to yield as much time as he may consume to my colleague from florida, the gentleman from florida, representative darren soto. mr. soto: i thank my colleague from florida.

representative val demings. first of all, thank you for your service in law enforcement. thank you for your husband's service. our sheriff, jerry demings', service in law enforcement. and to remember the one-year mark of the pulse night club shooting. "our a poem entitled ." se still beats inspiration from a brother lost too soon. a place for his memory to play he tune. alas, his pulse ceased. a safe place for a rainbow of people. full expression was presented throughout alas, his pulse this steeple. they all danced to the pulse ating sounds -- pull say thing

sounds. then came a -- pulsating sounds. then came a night of celebration for many friends, from many nations. on the move to impulsive grooves. in the midst of the night, a dark figure entered. hate-filled heart and soul asplintered. his guns pulsating death. .orrors, cries as bullets fly some, they ran. and some, they died. a melee ensued amidst the smoke and gleam. and in the end terror was silenced. the repulsive vanquished. medics and firefighters quickly came to the rescue, seeking out

those who cried out with fading hues. come quick, he's still breathing. she has a pulse. there were floors with red. one by one, saved from the dead on the monitor, pulses finally beep.ing, beat, beep, in the morning, orlando awakes in sadness, but comes together as one above the madness. the pulse of the city is unspeakable grief and unbreakable love. from everywhere, we came to the center, the blood bank, the lake and the streets. ys. ave our time our pen donors are needed to replenish

our stock. makeshiftmon youments grew before our eyes. we gathered at dr. phillips for those we lost and those still alive. as the bell rang 49 times, sorrow became the not tral impulse, but so is unity. this emotion, this grief, this love was felt around the world by mothers and fathers and boys and girls, a community sull stating with sadness and defiant hope. our happy little tourist town the center ic was of the tragic event. one year, one community stronger, our pulse still beats. for those who survives, our

pulse still beats and for those we lost, our love still remains angels, our love still remains, though pain will ever be in our hearts, our love still remains. and i take this moment to yield back to the gentlelady from florida, the congressman. >> i thank you for that beautiful and inspiring, a poem that captures not only the tragedy that occurred in orlando at the pulse nightclub that how but the heroic acts, our community came together and provides the hope that our community needs. and thank you so much for that. no one can tell the story better than the family members who lost

their loved ones that night. the survivors who were within the club that night. and at this time, we would like to share some of the letters from family members and survivors. the first letter that i would like to share comes from a mother who, if you were watching at all during the early hours of the tragic incident, this particular mother was asking anyone who she could about her son trying to find him and trying to get word of him and i would like to share a mother's story. my son was one of the 49 people killed at pulse nightclub ol june 12, 2016. those were 49 humans who collectively could have lived another 2,500 years. at's longer than we have had

civilization. there were moms and dads and siblings and kids, straight, gay, latino, asian, white. they were your constituents. they deserved better than to die in a entrepreneury of bullets. my son chris was a happy, quirky goofy young man and had been some day on. he was every mother's dream top hit the kid eye lottery. he was the only child. and i never married. i couldn't have loved him more. at came a license d meant health therapist. he loved his work and his prnl life. chris had many friends.

chris and his boyfriend juan were one of at least three couples to die together that night. . other juan and two louises chris was one of two christophers to die that night and at least three christophers who died. the magnitude of the killings is that there were so many named repeated. my son was a loving and giving person. he was someone who was going to be my my right-hand man. now i have no one. hris lived his life with kindness. he was a walking and talking united nationses inclusive of

all. he cared about character, not race, gender, sexuality or ethnicity. e lived the life of inclusion. you would have loved him if you knew him. whether he was your child or friend or cousin or co-worker, he world has a little less joy without him in. hugs and kisses. christopher's mom. i yield back to representative soto. mr. soto: i thank the gentlelady for sharing chris' story. who survivedf mine the pulse nightclub shooting,

entitled is letter, everlasting up unity. i'm a pulse nightclub shooting survivor. i thank god for giving me to continue my life and spread empowerment, compassion, love and unity. i want to express my feelings and as a community and nation, we all suffered a tragic attack of terror on this one year remembrance of june 12, 2016. today, this is known as the biggest mass shooting in american history. let's take in consistent consideration of the ones who

suffered the most, the victims, families of the deceased, the injured survivors, the other survivors who were there and escaped by god's grace and the community who stood by. as a community we have been given the community to rebuild ourselves as stronger individuals and help those who have fallen behind, languished, lament and grief. we must show that constantly, we are not alone and more united and we are better than yesterday. is attack was a terrible and unfortunate tragedy to live through. it was a reminder that there is discrimination and hate in this world. we must engage, learn from it and out lie it to confront and

prevent future fear in our community and ultimately the rest of the world. we can't be stronger if we fuel hate and negativity. we can't point fingers and sensoring based on their sexual orientation and religious beliefs. our world is facing hard times. how can we stop this and end the fear? we must stand ip and speak for our rights and pace and protection and for the safety of our country. above all, we food to engage sole darlt and equality for the love of humanity. we can make this a better place right here, right now. it starts with you going out and doing something myself. we need to live in a world free

of fear. that time begins now. he is from orlando, florida. with that, i yield back to the gentlelady from florida, my colleague, congressman demmings. >> i would like to continue to share letters from the survivors of pulse and the next letter that i will share comes from brandon wolf. it's hard to believe it's been a year. that saturday night was like any other. cheap drinks. , i g side my best friends was as free as ever. standing outside in the patio, ew crossed his arm around my shoulders and schmoe his last

words. he said you know what we never y is that how much we love each other. those were the last words that drew spoke to me that are evening. i learned a lesson, though, from orlando's recovery. at equality and unity aren't trophies and the journey we are on isn't over. we can't take our eyes off of it or forget what lies ahead. we have to disarm hate. we have to silence it. snuff it out. and repolice it with the same essage with drew had for my, love, sincerely, brandon wolf.

at this time, i yield to my colleague from florida to share another letter regarding this tragic incident. mr. soto: i thank you. next we have a story from a friend. my name is jim mcdermott. and i'm a good friend of chris broadman, who is the first survivor of the pulse massacre who passed away on september 11 of last year. chris came to orlando and made it home in the fall of 2007. his outgoing and interest in other people and their stories made him quite popular in our community and we are still grieving our loss.

it is hard to imagine that his constant wonderful smile is not around anymore to brighten our days. he was and is the best friend one could ever have. chris was celebrating at pulse a few days late because he worked on his actual birthday and enjoying the atmosphere of the club. when the attack began. and what i find to be an example of his character, chris pushed his friends to safety over the back fence first before escaping himself. not one person who knows him find this to be a surprise, because chris was a protector, our confidence at and hero.

as we come on the one-year mark, we want to remind his heroism can w a great person affect your life. chris loved people that were unique. wherever i went d had high standard and made us want to live them up to them as well. and he s the divide believes in kindness and new ways of thinking and lead people to a better life. my favorite picture was after the shooting where he held ip a sign at the lgbt center saying love always wins.

in his memory, let us strife to remember not the victims but the survivors as well. they are needing to get the medical care that they continue to need. we should strive to maintain the loving bubble of hope because in his event bass of the division elsewhere in the country, we need to remember their stories because they are worth having. orlando to orlando is known for being a destination of families of all kinds. a rainbow of diversity that's infused in every pass expect of our city beautiful. so -- every aspect of our city beautiful. let's so let's protect that vision. let us stay orlando strong. and in doing so, we remain the

beautiful haven that drew chris to us. and let us never forget the red-haired boy from new york who taught us about unconditional love and friendship from the day he arrived. we love you forever, chris, sincerely, jim mcdermott. and with that i yield back to the gentlelady from florida, my colleague, congresswoman demings. mrs. demings: thank you so much, congressman soto. at this time i would like to share a survivor letter by the name of joshua mcgill. my name is joshua mcgill and i was there the night of the .ulse shooting a year ago although nothing will ever take away that tragic night for me and fellow lgbtq community, not only for orlando, but for all people around the world that were affected by this form of hate towards our community, i must say that we have not let hate win us this far.

-- win thus far and continue to spread love and prayers for one another and for the other families and victims that were either there that night or affected in some way. it has been a true honor in seeing how close everyone has come together. it shows our strength as a whole and the love that we can all provide for one another in a time of need. the continuance of all of this gives me hope. for my future. in the community and in the world. may god bless you and everyone out there. i've become a stronger person since then. and if my strength can help others, i want to. thank you for hearing my words. joshua mcgill. and with that letter i yield again to my colleague, congressman soto.

mr. soto: i thank the gentlelady from florida, my colleague, congresswoman emings, for reading the letter of joshua and how inspiring it really was. next we have a statement from our dear friend, eric rollings, who is one of our supervisors, of the orange county water board that also is one of our only openly gay elected officials. as an openly gay elected official and orlando resident for 27 years, i know the city in orange county very well. we are a loving, caring community that supports the rights and pursuit of happiness of all of our residents. one year ago this very day, we were devastated to feel the loss of so many lives from

every part of all of orlando. yes, pulse by name was a gay night club. but it was attended by everyone. and all walks of life felt safe dancing and having a good time for more than a decade. as the night became dawn and the horror of the events -- of the extent of what happened became painfully available by every media outlet, i didn't need to listen to the news reports because i live right across the street from pulse. the sound of the blades from the helicopters above my house cut through june air. day after day, looking for a better camera angle. out of so many -- so much pain came so much love. immediately orlando went into action. the outpouring of love from

everywhere in the world is still so incredible. the help came from faith-based organizations, the small stores, corporate america. most of all, it came out of love and our neighbors. i hope this never happens to your community or any community , but it most likely will. let me offer some advice. love thy neighbor. know your neighbor. take care of your neighbor. do not wait until another tragedy. talk to your children about violence. let's help the persons that suffer from mental illnesses. there's significant and real difference between a city that is tolerant, a city accepting, and a city that embraces the lgbtq community and all its communities and individuals within those communities. i am proud to live in a city and a county that embraces. we are orlando strong and we

are orlando united. and with that i yield back to the gentlelady from florida, congresswoman demings. mrs. demings: thank you so much, congressman soto. i'd like to share this last survival letter for tonight. it's from eric brero. it says, dear congress, it is fascinating know how fast one year has gone by. the horrifying emotions and feelings of that night have not fleeted. instead, they lay dormant on the recesses of my mind. bubbling up like lava in a moment's notice. from unforeseen triggers. it is like living on a rorl coaster, having great moments -- rollercoaster, having great moments over the past year, making things feel absolutely normal. then extreme lows, feeling as if i will never come out of the darkness. even though the disturbing images of the past, i am optimistic about the future i have ahead of me. i can fully grasp that life will never go back to the normal i once knew, but this experience has helped me focus on what is needed in the world.

that is love and inclusion for all people. over the past year i've had the most amazing support of friends and families who have been for me as i have cried and battled with the demons that lay beside me when i sleep. these feelings have not changed since that night. but i remain positive and stand with my lgbtq and latino brothers and sisters for a better future. for everyone. regards, eric. i'd like to share that today representative soto, representative stephanie murphy, and i introduced a resolution to recognize and mark one year since the pulse tragedy. we were joined by 143 members of congress, democrats and republicans, who are standing to show the community of rlando that we stand with them

in support. that congress will not forget the victims, the survivors, the first responders, and the communities that are shattered by the hands of domestic terrorists. that we will do everything we can to prevent future mass shootings and take care of the people who were left standing in the wake of these tragedies. 12, ommunity declared june 2017, orlando united day. a day of love and kindness all as cross our community. people are coming together to honor the victims by volunteering, attending vigils and memorials. we are a community that will never forget. we won't forget those 49 innocent men and women who were sons, daughters, mothers, husbands, wives, students, teachers, entrepreneurs, dreamers, who had a lot of life

left to live. we are a community that will continue to honor these men and women, not through our words, but through our actions. representative soto, i thank god for you and your service to our community. i'm honored to serve with you in the united states congress. and i appreciate the work that you have done for several years, the last several years, throughout our community. i was honored to share this special order with you and, mr. speaker, with that -- mr. soto: if the gentlelady will yield. i ask that a list of the names of those who perished in the pulse night club shooting be entered into the record. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mrs. demings: thank you so much for that. with that, mr. speaker, we yield back. this concludes our special hour order. thank you. the speaker pro tempore: thank you. the gentlewoman's time has expired. under the speaker's announced licy of january 3, 2017, the

chair recognizes the gentleman from texas, mr. gohmert, for 30 minutes. mr. gohmert: appreciate my colleagues' tribute to the , ctims of that terrible a ic murder spree by radical islamist who said he was doing it for the islamic state. he even called the attorney general and said he was doing it for -- or the attorney general herself indicated that we have tape indicating him saying he's doing it for the islamic state. there's nothing that justifies such an outrageous murder of

even one innocent victim. much less the dozens that were could wn by what normally in the old days be said to have been a crazed killer. but he wasn't so much crazed as radical ven by a islamic agenda. the same radical islamic agenda that caused 30 million mostly , lim egyptians to rise up coming near the anniversary of that event in egypt, the greatest peaceful uprising in the history of the world. egyptians said, we don't want a muslim brother, we don't want a radical islamist controlling our country. it was rather tragic that the

shooter, and i don't want to give him any more notoriety than necessary, so i won't mention his name, but that he was not a lone wolf as is so . ten supposed and we were led to believe repeatedly during the obama administration. but as reporter patrick pool indicates, he was yet another known wolf. the f.b.i. knew he was. local law enforcement knew who he was. ich brings me to the point i wanted to discuss tonight. robert mueller is the special prosecutor who now needs to resign. he was the f.b.i. director that

had the f.b.i. training materials purged so f.b.i. agents could not know what they were looking for in a radical islamist. he changed the training, he purged it to please the council of american islamic relations. and as one intelligence officer said, we blinded ourselves to the ability to see our enemy. and that's what f.b.i. director bob mueller did. and when challenged in a hearing where i was questioning him over the pitiful investigation of the tsarnaev older brother after russia had notified us twice in the united states of his radicalization, after the second time finally ho-hum mueller's f.b.i., not being adequately trained to

recognize what a radical islamist believes, how they act, what they do, what they're studying, what they're memorizing, what they wear, what their personal appearance is, they're not trained to recognize -- they didn't know what they were looking for. they'd go out, best we can find out they talked to tsarnaev. he said, no, i'm not a terrorist. basically. so, not knowing what else to do, since mule heir destroyed the -- mueller had destroyed the proper training to recognize radical islamists, they went and talked to his mother who assure them, no, he's a good boy, he's not a terrorist. . the result was people murdered and maimed at the boston marathon. going lt of the f.b.i. after those who would try to teach others what real radical islam was, the results of dumbing down the f.b.i. in their

ability to spot people who wanted to kill others in the name of allah, people killed at boston, people killed in orlando , and it wasn't any more the fault of guns in orlando than it was oh fault of a white truck in london. it's the people who use those weapons to kill, others it's a matter of defense, the great equalizer the truck is a great means of conveyance. but robert mueller created problems for this country and there are a lot of people that are buried now, perhaps they would, perhaps they would not be deceased if robert mueller had done his job and had been as

concerned about finding radical islamists in america as he was -- as he told me, they didn't go to the boston mosque where sarnyeave surely gave evidence -- tsarnaev surely gave evidence of being radicalized, not his words, i said, you didn't go to the mosque to find out, to talk to, investigate, the best he could do is come back an said -- and say, we went to that mosque as part of the outreach program. lovely, sit down, chat, have some tea, whatever, i don't know what they had, water, whatever it was. make merry, chat, while tsarnaev was plotting to murder many people, as many as he would -- as he could at the boston marathon, bob mueller and his f.b.i. are making merry at the boston mosque that he did not even know who started it.

i asked him that. al-ahmoudid you know started that mosque? he didn't know that al-ahmoudi is doing 23 years in federal prison, and that's more to the credit not of mueller's folk bus of help from england. how ironic is that? but i see that i have a friend yieldrom texas who i will to for such time as he may consume, i yield to my friend, mr. arrington. mr. arrington: thank you, mr. gohmert, thank you, mr. speaker. i love everything about west texas. i love the starry night, the

beautiful ranch, i love that we produce more fossil and renewable energy than any other region in the united states. people from all over the country rely on west texas to make america great. but the greatest contribution from our region is our people. the people of west texas have a distinct friendliness a can-do spirit a humble demeanor a unique sense of humor, and on april 10, 2017, we lost one of our very own who embodied these attributes like no one else. former head football coach at texas tech and favoriteson -- favorite son of west texas, scott dykes carved his -- himself into the hearts of thousands of fans and athletes across the country. a small-town kid from ballinger, texas, achieved his dreesms being -- of becoming a division

i head football coach he led to the red raiders to seven championships and was inducted into the hall of fame. i was honored to call him coach and later had the honor of calling him my friend. we are all saddened by his passing and our prayers with with his children and my friends, rick, bibi, sonny, and their families. thank you, coach, for your colorful wit and country wisdom. thank you for -- thank you for leaving a legacy of love for people and all things west texas. thank you for teaching us that in life, like the game of football, it's not whether you win or lose, it's who you are, it's how you play the game. god doesn't make them any better than you, coach. god bless. i yield back the balance of my ime. mr. gohmert: i thank my friend

from texas. a great noble tribute. sh that it were that i was standing here to say glowing things about people who have been running the f.b.i. but president trump as a candidate said he wanted to come drain the swamp. and the more we dig, the more it swirling be a cesspool up here. we had a man who had been running the f.b.i. who came before the senate, senate hemittee, and testified that did a memo after talking to president trump that he never felt the need to do a memo of talking to president obama. or president bush.

or to take notice like he did. but he was afraid that trump might lie sometime in the future and so he felt it important to do a memo to write some notes. that's what he said. and rather incredible, he didn't find a need to do a memo after attorney general loretta lynch, according to him, told him what -- well, it has to be a lie. she knew that hillary clinton was being investigated for a crime. it was a criminal case. a criminal investigation. she directed f.b.i. director comey not to use investigation, use matter. well, it was an investigation.

and to say anything other than that was a lie. but how ironic that he was afraid trump might lie in the future whereas he had an attorney, he felt a little uneasy but he tnt write any notes. what about his credibility? well , he said he took those notes as a recollection refreshed. and those of us that have tried cases, been judges, you know, we know, that past recollection recorded can be an exception to the hearsay rule. but if he signed an f.b.i. employment agreement, which people are supposed to sign, it should have included these words. all information acquired by me in connection with my official duties with the f.b.i. and all official material which i have

access remains the property of the united states of america. i will surrender upon demand by the f.b.i. or upon my separation if the f.b.i. all materials containing f.b.i. information in my possession. that means that if an f.b.i. agent, director, f.b.i. employee, makes notice, makes a memorandum to refresh his recollection later, it is not a personal piece of property any more than what sandy berger stuffed in his socks were personal property to him. doesn't matter that he prepared it. it was done while being paid by the f.b.i. on f.b.i. time. regarding f.b.i. matters. as f.b.i. director he was talking to the president. how ironic also, we had no memos after president obama made the

basic statement that he didn't think hillary should be prosecuted. we didn't -- we haven't heard ny outcry from the great director comey about how wrong that was, what an obstruction of justice by president obama. we didn't hear any of that. that's about as direct as you can get. when the president was talking on television and told the world and the fact that you may say it out front to the world doesn't make it any less intimidating or directional than if you look somebody in the face one-on-one and tell them. it's not a defense. to say it on television. and yet he wasn't concerned by that. so we start looking a little

deeper, since it appear he is wasn't being honest about being his personal property. and you would like to think he had a good legal education but at dershowitz made clear the f.b.i. that there's nothing wrong if the president tells him we're not prosecuting this individual for this crime. i'm pardoning him here and now. , has the power, all power that director comey has is derived from his boss, the president. so why would he go back and do a memo and consult or i believe the more proper word is co-lewd with others at the justice department about what the president said? because make no mistake, if any of those individuals at the justice department who were co-lewding with james comey

after he met with the president, if they thought there was an obstruction of justice and they didn't report it as they did not, then they committed a crime. so why would they not report it? it appears there can only be one answer. surely they did not intend to doing this if by they believed it were obstruction. it appears since they clearly did not think there was obstruction of justice in the president's use of the word hope , then they must have surely applauded james comey's writing of a memo, writing of notes so that he could pull it out later and use it to go after the president.

there can be no other reason that he did what he did. he either committed a crime by not reporting obstruction as soon as he possibly could, or he was colluding with his the gues to bring down president of the united states. so the more we find as we dig the more of a cesspool it appears to be here in washington. wally hemingway has done an xtraordinary job today in "the federalist," she goes through, james comey has a list of questionable obstruction cases. i wish i'd remembered these. i feel guilty that i didn't realize at the time these things were going on the miscarriage of justice that was occurring at the hands of james comey and bob mueller.

he brings up frank quatrone. a banker who comey pursued relentlessly on banking related charges without fruition. while he couldn't find any wrongdoing or criminal conduct he went after him for supposed, quote, obstruction of justice, unquote, because of a single ambiguous email. sound familiar? before he was indicted, talking before he was indicted, comey talked about intent. the first trial ended in a hung injury, the second got a quibs. the quick was overturn. quatrone was so scarred by the harassment by comey he began funding projects to help victims of prosecutorial overreach and other problems. he said his motivation for supports such projects was that

at the very moment he was found guilty in the second trial he realized there must be innocent people in prison who lacked the financial resources to fight it for justice. he also started the quatrone center for fair administration of justice at the university of pennsylvania law school. he's noted with interest the disparities in how he was treated by comey for a single ambiguous email compared to the handle oofing hillary clinton's email server scandal. with thousands, tens of thousands of emails. how about martha stewart? you might remember martha stewart being sent to jail. james comey was the man who put her there, not because he was able to charge her for anything he began investigating her for. the original investigation was hether she had engaged in they didn't tried to get her on that charge.

and they warned about prrl overreach by comby osk. didn't scharge her, but her innocence was designed to prop up the stock price of her own company and thus constituted securities fraud. , a charge charged they never pursued. she was prosecuted for having misled people by having committed a crime which she was not charged. he pursuit was vin particulartive. and she still served five months' prison sentence. hadley and i feel

guilty. and i was handling felony cases. and the and thracks attacker. called goes through the story dearand both comby and his quote friend and special counsel robert mueller. they tried it. the actual case ended up being thrown out by the courts. buggled the ller biggest ace. and took five lives infect the is 17 other people. and shut down the system. d and typically for iraq and eventually when the facts came

t, inspeak and manipulate by pressure. itical he said in truth, hatfield was he nplausible suspect and never 8d anthrax. had the has been it of threatening people including the women who had a tip to the f.b.i. what did the f.b.i. have evidence? there was none. so the agency did a hail mary and employing two blood heap were shownthese dogs

petted eld who promptly them. when the dogs sexonded, the handlers told the f.b.i., he must be the killer. when they were worried about the quality of the case that mueller nd combo had, quote, comby was certain it was halt field. and paul wolfowitz said, such ervitude seems to be his servitude. he shouldn't haven't been certain in this case. he f.b.i. spent destroying hatfield's's live. and official high exxon rayed him. good work.

james comey and bob mueller. you runed the life of a man with no evidence at all, but told the bush administration, we are absolutely certain this is the guy. and about scooter libby judith muslimmer. and after pressuring john ashcroft to recrews himself on interest, comey gave him his close pirnl friend and godfather to one of his ildren the role of special council. some conflicts ever interest are more important. fitzgerald discovered that the armitage was the leaker.

the f.b.i. department of justice known it all along. and it is intriguing. there was no reason. the f.b.i. knew it. the department of justice knew t and pushed for it. mueller, his close friend, of course, but fitzgerald was the godfather of one of his children. for heaven's sake. is was a cloud over the bush administration. of course not. and it resulted with nothing but the jailing of a journalist who was protecting a source even though they didn't need it. how mean spirited. and dubious prosecution. obstruction of just industries.

re-sign threltend to and talks about hillary clinton. i'm telling you, mr. speaker, this is a scary time in america. ou have this article from june 10, quoting senator warner. all your experience, he is talking to director comby and every meeting you needed to document and he might put out a onand comey said that's right, senator. i had a meelting with a security matter and senate sent them to on.them know what was going

d again, the cull mention of those factors wasn't with the president. that simply is not true. that was a lie. and whoever remembered that a with med "andler" coalman" with his chief source was be able to quote the onversation after working with comby and in the footnotes from "the andler" said they were taken from unclass fide notes from the meeting shortly thereafter. but comey's emails that he let them know. here's what he said in his

email. the president took me into his private office and told me he was being misled. no. and he promised he would shut wn if congress doesn't fix physiciana. and he pulled him into his office. he told him what happened. e memorialized that note and then in the book. mentionedfor-word and p law lean, upstanding enforcement law enforcement. the real pattern. at the end of the article that comby is a snake in the deprass that serves memos to cover his

own rearend but only if they are republicans. gel man's phrasing was clumsy, stuff.s is serious isn't that cozy. heard closely which from the f.b.i. director that he of colude with other members the justice dem of department. here are members to get out to president trump and attorney general sessions and tout get every one of them. and the man they said, this was no question was the culprit in killing people with and

thranchings, that is a lie. t's time to dismiss this special prosecutor, see if we really need one, because we know that comby mab plated the system the same way when he told john ashcroft, so he could appoint patrick fits gerald. enough's enough. comey and mueller, and time to drain the swamp. i yield bam. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the gentleman have a motion. the speaker pro tempore: the question is on the motion to ajoirn. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. the house stands

announcer: tonight on c-span, the oral argument in hawaii v trump regarding the president's executive order banning travel from six majority muslim countries. then the president holds a meeting with his cabinet. after that, treasury secretary stephen minutia. the ninth circuit court of appeals in seattle ruled monday against the president's revised executive order regarding travel restrictions from six majority muslim countries.