White House, Russia, and National Security

As part of its role as the "Conscience of the Congress," the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) hosted a panel examining the potential constitutional and ethical violations committed by the Trump Administration and their impact on the safety and security of the nation and the American public’s trust in democratic institutions.

"The President's failure to abide by norms of basic transparency make it impossible for Congress or the American people to assess whether and how those financial interests may be influencing his decision making." - Susan Hennessey, Brookings Institute

Panelists included Malcolm Nance, a combat veteran, commentator, and former naval intelligence collector; Richard Painter, University of Minnesota law professor and former chief ethics counsel under George W. Bush; and Susan Hennessey, a national security fellow at the Brookings Institute and former attorney at the National Security Agency

Information learned from the panel supports the need for an independent investigation into any and all connections and collusion between the White House and Russia. CBC also called for the Attorney General to resign for lying under oath during his nomination hearing about conversations with Russian officials and for the removal of Chairman Devin Nunes from the House Intelligence Committee for mishandling intelligence information related to Russia. So far, three CBC members – Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Calif.), Rep. Al Green (D-Texas), and Gwen Moore (D-Wis.) – have called for President Trump to be impeached.

On August 21, 2017, the CBC announced that it would have a robust discussion on whether to call for the impeachment of President Trump when members return to Congress in September.