[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 582 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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115th CONGRESS
  2d Session
S. RES. 582

                     Protecting American democracy.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             July 19, 2018

 Mr. Sanders (for himself and Mr. Whitehouse) submitted the following 
  resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
                     Protecting American democracy.

Whereas, at the summit in Helsinki, Finland, on July 16, 2018, President Donald 
        Trump embarrassed the United States, undermined the values of the United 
        States, and openly sided with the authoritarian leader of the Russian 
        Federation, Vladimir Putin, against the unanimous assessment of the 
        United States intelligence community that the Russian Federation 
        interfered in the 2016 United States presidential election;
Whereas Senator John McCain stated, ``[It] was one of the most disgraceful 
        performances by an American president in memory. The damage inflicted by 
        President Trump's naivete, egotism, false equivalence, and sympathy for 
        autocrats is difficult to calculate. But it is clear that the summit in 
        Helsinki was a tragic mistake.'';
Whereas, on July 17, 2018, in response to the international backlash, President 
        Trump, while claiming he misspoke and blaming the media for reporting 
        what he said, still sowed doubt about the electoral interference by the 
        Russian Federation by claiming it ``could be other people also'' and not 
        just the Russian Federation;
Whereas the United States faces an unprecedented situation in which the 
        President of the United States refuses to acknowledge an attack on the 
        democracy of the United States;
Whereas the Russian Federation has been interfering not only in the elections of 
        the United States, but also in the elections of other democracies, such 
        as the United Kingdom, France, and Germany, to name a few;
Whereas the goal of the Russian Federation is to advance its own interests by 
        weakening the transatlantic alliance of democracies that arose after the 
        Second World War, while also inflaming internal divisions in each of 
        those countries;
Whereas, on July 13, 2018, Special Counsel Robert Mueller announced indictments 
        of 12 members of the military intelligence service of the Russian 
        Federation known as the Glavnoe Razvedyvatel'noe Upravlenie (referred to 
        in this preamble as the ``GRU'');
Whereas, on July 13, 2018, Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats raised 
        the alarm on growing cyberattack threats against the United States in a 
        range of areas, including Federal, State, and local government agencies, 
        the military, business, and academia, stating that the situation is at a 
        ``critical point'', adding, ``In regards to state actions, Russia has 
        been the most aggressive foreign actor. No question. And they continue 
        their efforts to undermine our democracy.'', and comparing the warning 
        signs to the signs the United States faced ahead of the September 11, 
        2001, terrorist attacks;
Whereas the cyberattacks by the Russian Federation represent a threat to the 
        democratic system of the United States and the democratic systems of the 
        allies of the United States;
Whereas, domestically, President Putin has undermined democracy in the Russian 
        Federation, crushing free speech, jailing political opponents, harassing 
        and assassinating journalists who criticize him, and increasingly 
        persecuting ethnic and religious minorities and lesbian, gay, bisexual, 
        transgender, and queer citizens;
Whereas, in terms of foreign policy, the Russian Federation has meddled in the 
        elections of democratic countries, stoking political tensions by 
        promoting hatred and suspicion of immigrants and minorities, and trying 
        to undermine longstanding alliances between democratic allies;
Whereas, in 2014, in violation of international law, the Russian Federation 
        invaded neighboring Ukraine, and annexed the Crimea region;
Whereas the Russian Federation has assassinated political opponents abroad, most 
        recently through the use of poison in Salisbury, England, on a former 
        spy and his daughter, an atrocious chemical attack that endangered the 
        lives of hundreds of civilians and which, according to news reports, the 
        Government of the United Kingdom concluded was likely carried out by the 
        GRU; and
Whereas President Trump had an opportunity to raise the issues described in the 
        preceding clauses with President Putin at the July 16, 2018, summit in 
        Helsinki, Finland, but chose not to: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the Senate--
            (1) accepts the assessment of the United States 
        intelligence community with regard to interference by the 
        Russian Federation in elections in the United States and in 
        other democracies;
            (2) must move aggressively to protect the election systems 
        of the United States from interference by the Russian 
        Federation or any other foreign power, and work closely with 
        the democratic partners of the United States to do the same for 
        elections in those countries;
            (3) demands that the sanctions against the Russian 
        Federation that were enacted in the Countering America's 
        Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (Public Law 115-44; 131 Stat. 
        886) be fully implemented by the President;
            (4) will not accept any interference with the ongoing 
        investigation of Special Counsel Robert Mueller, such as the 
        offer of preemptive pardons or the firing of Deputy Attorney 
        General Rod Rosenstein; and
            (5) declares that the President must cooperate with the 
        investigation of Special Counsel Mueller.
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