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Thompson, Democrats File Discharge Petition to Form Independent Commission on President's Ties with Russia

May 17, 2017

Washington – Today, Rep. Mike Thompson (CA-05) signed a discharge petition to force a vote on HR 356, a bipartisan bill that would establish an outside, independent commission to investigate the President's ties to Russia. The petition comes in the wake of last night's allegations that the President asked former FBI Director James Comey to drop his ongoing investigation into former national security advisor Michael Flynn's connections to Russia.

"If true, last night's revelation about the President trying to pressure Dir. Comey into dropping his investigation is a gross abuse of power," said Thompson. "It has all the hallmarks of a cover-up, and makes it clear we need an independent, outside investigation to get to the truth. The President is rapidly losing credibility, and the integrity of our institutions is at stake."

A discharge petition is a rarely-used procedure by which a bill can be brought to the floor once it reaches 218 signatories. A discharge petition was used in 2015 to reauthorize the Export-Import Bank and in 2002 to trigger a vote on the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act.

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