Anna Eshoo: “Under clause 1 of rule IX, questions of the privilege of the House are ``those affecting the rights of the House…”

“Under clause 1 of rule IX, questions of the privilege of the House are ``those affecting the rights of the House collectively, its safety, dignity, and the integrity of its proceedings.'' I believe the dignity and the integrity of the House are put at risk when this body refuses to exercise its statutory authority and constitutional obligation to operate as a check on the executive branch. Under section 6103 of the Internal Revenue Code, three congressional committees have jurisdiction to request tax returns: House Ways and Means, Senate Finance, and the Joint Committee on Taxation. This authority was placed in the Tax Code by Congress in 1924 to allow for full investigations of several scandals in the Harding administration, including the Teapot Dome bribery scandal. Section 6103 was the subject of considerable debate in this Chamber, but, ultimately, Congress passed it in order to provide an important investigatory check on the executive branch. In 1974, section 6103 authority was used by the members of the Joint Committee on Taxation to publish a staff report on President Nixon's tax returns revealing that he owed nearly a half a million dollars in back taxes. Today, I worry that we are rapidly approaching a scandal of a similar magnitude to these previous events.…”