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H.Res.477 / 115th Congress

Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that a special counsel should be appointed by the Attorney General or his designee to investigate misconduct by former Attorney General Loretta Lynch and former Federal Bureau of Investigation Director James B. Comey with regard to the investigation of former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton for mishandling of classified data and use of an unauthorized email server.

Referred to the Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, Homeland Security, and Investigations.

Official summary

Version 00 · Introduced in House · Jul 26, 2017

Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that a special counsel should be appointed by the Department of Justice to investigate:

then-Attorney General Loretta Lynch directing Comey to refer to the investigation into the handling of classified data and use of an unauthorized email server by former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton as a matter, rather than a criminal investigation;

Comey's leaks to Columbia University law professor Daniel Richman regarding conversations between Lynch and President Trump and how the leaked information was released to lead to the appointment of special counsel Robert Mueller;

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the propriety and consequence of immunity deals given to Cheryl Mills, Heather Samuelson, John Bentel, and potentially others by the FBI during the criminal investigation into Clinton's conduct;

Comey's decision to usurp Lynch's authority in announcing that criminal charges would not be brought against Clinton regarding her use of a private email server and handling of classified information;

Comey's knowledge and impressions of any ex-parte conversation between Lynch and former President Bill Clinton on June 27, 2016, at a Phoenix airport on a private jet;

Comey's knowledge of the company Fusion GPS and its creation of a dossier on Donald Trump;

any potential leaks by Comey to author Michael Schmidt dating back to 1993;

Comey's knowledge of the purchase of a majority stake in Uranium One by Rosatom;

Comey's refusal to investigate Hillary Clinton regarding selling access to the Department of State through Clinton Foundation donations, Huma Abedin's dual employment at such entities simultaneously, or utilization of the State Department to further paid speaking opportunities for her husband;

any collusion between Comey and Robert Mueller;

whether Comey had any knowledge of efforts made by any federal agency to monitor communications of then-candidate Donald Trump, to assess Comey's knowledge about the unmasking of individuals on Donald Trump's campaign team, transition team, or both, to assess the role that former National Security Adviser Susan Rice played in the unmasking of such individuals, or to reveal the purpose served by unmasking any individuals serving on the staff of Donald Trump; and

whether Comey had any knowledge of the dissemination of unredacted information to various intelligence agencies and of any attempts to use surveillance of Donald Trump to damage the credibility of his campaign, presidency, or both.

Read the summary on Congress.gov
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Who introduced it

Rep. Gaetz, Matt [R-FL-1] · R–FL

Committees

  • Judiciary Committee
29 cosponsorship records, including any withdrawals

Actions

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  1. Referred to the Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, Homeland Security, and Investigations.

  2. Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.

  3. Introduced in House

  4. Introduced in House

Bill text & related measures

Text links open the official source. We currently store references to these documents.

Related bills identified by Congress.gov

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Source last updated: Jan 3, 2025. Consult Congress.gov for the current record.

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Objective

Analyze H.Res.477 as objectively as possible. Explain its main provisions, who would be affected, possible benefits and harms, implementation, exceptions, and uncertainties. Present the strongest arguments for and against it, and identify evidence needed to assess its public impact.

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Fairness and public impact

Progressive lens

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Institutions and government scope

Conservative lens

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Individual rights and government power

Liberty lens

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