[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 140 (Thursday, September 15, 2016)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5817-S5819]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
Russia
Mr. MENENDEZ. Mr. President, I rise to take a stand against Russia's
attempts to tamper with the American Presidential electoral process and
to create chaos in our elections and, at the end of the day, to
undermine the integrity of the results of our election to serve its own
purposes.
I remind my colleagues that in 2012, I was the victim of such
election tampering attempts. The Washington Post reported that while I
was running for reelection and preparing to become chairman of the
Senate Foreign Relations Committee, the CIA had credible evidence,
including Internet protocol addresses, linking Cuban agents to planted
stories in the United States and in Latin American publications.
It was reported that those connections were laid out in intelligence
reports provided to U.S. Government officials and sent by secure cables
to the FBI's Counterintelligence Division. Despite all of our
government's capabilities, they supposedly could not find who was
behind the smear. Maybe our government didn't want to rock the boat as
they were prepared to establish relations with Cuba, but you would
think that our government would do everything possible against a
foreign government that was trying to upset the election of a sitting
Senator to affect U.S. policy.
Let's be clear. In this new digital world of open and accessible
personal information available to anyone who has the technical savvy to
find it and use it for nefarious purposes, the election of anyone in
this Chamber is at risk.
We need to take a stand in this election cycle. We need the
administration to come forward and tell us what they know about
Vladimir Putin's efforts to influence our Presidential election. We
need to know what Putin knows, and we must find out exactly who is
behind it, what they have, and what their purpose is.
It is certainly more than my experience and more than the Republican
nominee's deplorable admiration for dictators and strongmen. It is
about protecting the American political process from outside
interference and influence.
Let's be very clear. I know, from my experience that we cannot
underestimate the tradecraft of seasoned operatives like Vladimir
Putin. We certainly cannot be naive enough to praise them for perceived
strength and conflate it with the ruthless abuse of power. There is a
difference between thuggery and strength.
Let's be clear. Neither the Cuban Government, which attempted to
smear me, nor Putin is in any way a friend of the United States. In
Putin's case, he is, as my colleague from Arizona--who, like me, was
sanctioned by Putin--has publicly called him, ``a thug and a butcher.''
He is, in fact, a dictator who has been connected to the brutal deaths
of his enemies and now has shown a willingness to use cyber warfare to
undermine our democratic process. He clearly is attempting to shake the
bedrock integrity of our political system, as Cuban intelligence tried
to undermine the integrity of my last election in an effort to prevent
me from becoming chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
From my perspective, the purpose is not only to undermine credibility
and faith but to create a result that would benefit Russia. These
actions are beyond the scope of any acceptable international norm and
cannot be tolerated. With a laptop, a computer code, and a KGB penchant
to rebuild the Russian Empire, wage Cold War 2.0, and use every
technological tool to tip the geopolitical balance in Russia's favor,
we cannot in any way praise Putin or anyone else who attempts to
influence our election process for their leadership.
We have seen the manifestation of Putin's methods in the latest cyber
attack on the Democratic National Committee and in a long list of
egregious conventional interventions, from the annexation of Crimea to
the orchestrating of supposed-Russian separatists who shot down
Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 over Ukraine, his invasion of eastern
Ukraine through the use of irregular Russian forces, now his troops
amassing along the Ukraine border, and his invasion of Georgia not long
ago. You can see it in his efforts to undermine sovereign Baltic
countries through broadcasting and cyber efforts against those
governments.
We have seen it in his military and political maneuverings to
maintain control of his naval base in the port city of Tartus in Syria
by intervening, with Assad, in the Syrian civil war. In Syria, Putin
has stepped up his support for his friend and dictator Bashar al-Assad.
While its own citizens are suffering severe economic hardships, and
while innocent Syrian civilians continue to suffer under the barrel
bombs and military campaigns of Assad, Putin continues to provide
military and tactical support to this murderous regime, attacking
schools and hospitals with cluster munitions and incendiary attacks.
Further ignoring the basic rights of all people, as Russia sells
weapons system to Assad, it refuses to grant asylum or basic
humanitarian support to Syrian refugees, who are directly suffering
under Russia's continued involvement in their country.
I remind my colleagues that Putin is no friend to the United States.
His brand of leadership is to be condemned in no uncertain terms and
should be denounced in this Chamber and by all responsible American
Presidential candidates.
He is not a strong leader. He is a ruthless dictator who clearly
knows his tradecraft and has not only hacked into the Democratic
National Committee's computer files but has capitalized on whatever
business ties Paul Manafort has or had to Russia to woo--seemingly, in
effect--an American Presidential candidate who respects strongmen and
bravado and effectively recruit him.
There is no room in this Chamber or in the American political
landscape for the support of Putin's actions or leadership. This former
KGB agent has a clear purpose in mind. He is engaged in a Soviet Cold
War style brand of dictatorial actions, including state-sponsored
surveillance, censorship, and repression.
Just look at the record. Human rights groups continue to report that
[[Page S5818]]
in 2015, the Kremlin's crackdown on civil society, media, and the
Internet took a sinister turn as the government further intensified
harassment and persecution of independent critics. Putin's thugs
routinely harass anyone and everyone who dares to question Putin's
authority.
Earlier this year, a vocal critic was shot dead in front of the
Kremlin. According to reports from rights groups, last week Russian
police harassed, beat, and threatened environmental activists, and
Russian state TV published a smear campaign against these
environmentalists, calling them American spies. The real spying--the
dangerous activity--comes from Russia itself.
It was July when Russian hackers broke into the email servers of the
Democratic National Committee--a clear and blatant attempt to interfere
in our domestic political process. We know that Russian actors released
tens of thousands of emails with the intention of undermining the
Democratic nominee for President, while, amazingly, the Republican
nominee seems to encourage it. He encouraged an international
adversary--someone he clearly admires for his supposed strength--to
hack into the emails in the account of a former American Secretary of
State.
This is not normal political campaign behavior. In my view, it is
treasonous, and there are no excuses for it. There is no defending it.
There is no reasonable explanation or defending it. Every one of my
colleagues in this Chamber should condemn it.
Encouraging hacking and government surveillance reeks of
authoritarianism that has no place in our democratic society and
threatens each and every one of us. It is outrageous that anyone would
invite a foreign leader of an adversarial country to undermine or
threaten any American, let alone a former Secretary of State and
Presidential candidate.
Putin clearly prefers a candidate who is willing to cozy up to
dictators, who lavishes praise on the leadership styles of dictators
like Saddam Hussein. Someone aspiring to be Commander in Chief, who
praises the behavior of leaders who murder their own citizens, jail
journalists who dare to question their activities, or consistently take
actions to isolate themselves from the international community, in my
view, has no business seeking higher office.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator's time has expired.
Mr. MENENDEZ. I ask unanimous consent for one additional minute.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there objection?
Without objection, it is so ordered.
Mr. MENENDEZ. Any praise of Putin for any reason, a Cold War warrior
who continues to upend international stability and order, seeking to
expand his rule and control, holds false Duma elections in Crimea,
stages war games on Crimea's shores--simulating an invasion--clearly
must raise a red flag to every American voter.
We must respond to Russia's continued muscle flexing and provocation.
I call on the administration for forceful and appropriate responses to
Russia's nefarious and calculated involvement in our elections. It is
attacking the U.S. political system in a Putin-led cold war 2.0, and it
is clear this old KGB spy has no boundaries.
Let's not let ourselves be recruited by him or confuse strength with
ruthlessness, as some have. It is my hope that every one of my
colleagues will in no uncertain terms condemn any attempt by any nation
to influence any American election as well as Russian interventionism
and Putin's actions around the world.
With that, I yield the floor.
Mrs. FEINSTEIN. Mr. President, today I wish to support Ms. Susan
Gibson to serve as the next inspector general of the National
Reconnaissance Office, NRO, the first to be confirmed by the U.S.
Senate.
In 2013, the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, which I chaired
at the time, included in its Intelligence Authorization Act a provision
to require Senate confirmation of the inspectors general for the
National Reconnaissance Office and the National Security Agency. Ms.
Gibson represents the first nominee to be considered by the Senate for
the NRO position.
I had the pleasure to meet Ms. Gibson earlier this year, prior to the
Senate Intelligence Committee's open hearing which took place on June
7, 2016, to consider her nomination. I personally appreciated our frank
discussion for it demonstrated Ms. Gibson's understanding of the role
of the inspector general and the need for principled, objective, and
effective oversight of every aspect of the NRO.
With this confirmation, it will be Ms. Gibson's job to ensure that
the NRO remains free of waste, fraud, and mismanagement, while
supporting efforts to drive the organization toward more efficient and
effective operations. I believe that Ms. Gibson possesses the extensive
experience and background necessary to carry out this mission.
It is also important that Ms. Gibson recognizes her responsibility to
keep the appropriate Members of Congress fully and currently informed
about the concerns she may identify at the NRO.
I do not want to sugarcoat it, but this is big job. It is a big job,
in part, due to NRO's size and the complexity of its mission. Ms.
Gibson will be required to dig deep into some very technical and
complicated programs, including some of the most classified and
expensive programs.
But it is also a big job because it comes with the extra
responsibility of conducting oversight of an organization in which most
activities are conducted in secret. The duty to the American public
cannot be overstated.
The Senate Select Committee on Intelligence on which I currently
serve as vice chairman is charged with ensuring the intelligence
community operates in a manner that is legal, efficient, and abides by
the values of the American people. The committee requires effective and
independent inspectors general to support us in this task. It is my
expectation that Ms. Gibson will make full use of the authorities
provided to her as an inspector general.
So, again, congratulations on Ms. Gibson's well-deserved confirmation
to this important position, and I want to thank her again on her
continued service to the country.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Ohio.
Mr. PORTMAN. Mr. President, my understanding is that we have 7
minutes left on the Republican side, and I ask unanimous consent to use
those 7 minutes.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
heroin and prescription drug epidemic
Mr. PORTMAN. Mr. President, I rise today to talk about this epidemic
of heroin, prescription drugs, and now fentanyl and other synthetic
heroin. It is devastating our communities. My home State of Ohio,
unfortunately, is one of those States that has seen the tragedy of this
epidemic unfold. The grip of this addiction has affected every single
State in this Chamber, though. People are talking about it more and
more in this Chamber because it is affecting every one of us, every
community. It knows no ZIP Code. It is in the rural areas, in the
suburban areas, and the inner city. No community is safe from it.
Yesterday, I had a coffee--which I do once a week--our Buckeye
Coffee, and I had a woman come up to me at the coffee whose name is
Sheila. Sheila told me about her son and her daughter-in-law. They had
overdosed. They were unconscious. Luckily, she had Narcan--this miracle
drug. It is a brand name of naloxone. She was able to bring them back
to life.
She then started a group that is all over our State now, which is
called Families of Addicts. They are in five different counties. They
are focused on the hope of treatment and recovery, but they are also
focused on--when Narcan is administered--going to people, intervening
with people, getting them into treatment, longer term recovery, and
helping them save lives. I so appreciate her and so appreciate these
other parents like her who are ensuring that, yes, we save people's
lives with Narcan, which is so important, but we also ensure that we
are getting people into the treatment they need so they can get back to
a productive life and back to their families.
This Chamber passed legislation called the Comprehensive Addiction
and Recovery Act, or CARA, earlier this summer. That legislation is now
being implemented by the administration. I hope they accelerate that
implementation. They must because the epidemic is so urgent, but,
unfortunately,
[[Page S5819]]
that legislation, which was written over the last 3\1/2\ years, doesn't
address one specific issue that I think must be addressed now in the
context of what is happening in my State of Ohio and around the
country, because it is not just prescription drugs and not just
heroin. Increasingly, it is this synthetic heroin called fentanyl or
carfentanil and sometimes U-4. This is poison and it is getting into
our communities. It is much more powerful than heroin. Ingesting just a
few flakes of it can kill a human being.
We have seen huge spikes in overdoses in Ohio over the last couple of
months. In my hometown of Cincinnati, we had 174 overdoses in the space
of 6 days. Miraculously, most people were saved by Narcan but sometimes
having to be administered four or five or six times. The authorities
knew it wasn't just heroin, and sure enough, we were able to get a
sample of carfentanil to them thinking that might be the problem. They
tested it, and sure of enough, many of these overdoses were caused by
this synthetic heroin which is 100 times stronger than heroin in some
cases. By the way, it is a large animal tranquilizer used for elephants
in zoos. Yet these traffickers and pushers are using this drug and not
just causing overdoses but causing overdose deaths.
We need new legislation. Last week, we introduced legislation in this
Chamber to be able to stop this fentanyl, carfentanil, U-4, and these
other synthetic drugs from coming into our communities.
What we were told by the authorities is, the drugs come in by way of
the mail system primarily from China and sometimes India. There are
chemists in sophisticated laboratories in these countries sending this
poison into our community. All we are asking for in our legislation is
let's ensure that packages coming from those countries have the
information provided so we know where they are coming from, where they
are going, and what the contents are. Unbelievably, that is not
required now. FedEx, UPS, and other private carriers require it, but
our mail system, including our U.S. mail system, does not require it.
Talking to law enforcement, including Customs and Border Protection,
DEA folks, and the people who are in the trenches dealing with this
issue, all agree this legislation makes sense so we can try to stop
some of this poison from coming into our communities.
I have been on this floor every single week since our legislation
came up back on March 10. I have been talking about the importance of
getting legislation passed, and that has now happened. I have been
talking about the importance of implementing it quickly, and that is
now happening. The Comprehensive Addiction Recovery Act was supported
by an amazing 92-to-2 vote in this Chamber because every State is
affected.
I believe we need to do even more with regard to the specific issue
of these synthetic drugs coming into our country through the mail
system. I ask my colleagues to support it--with 92 of us supporting
that legislation--and please look at this legislation. Let's support
it, get it to the floor, get it to a vote, and let's begin saving more
lives as we have to deal with this new wave of synthetic heroin coming
into our communities.
I yield back my time.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. All time has expired.
The question is, Will the Senate advise and consent to the Gibson
nomination?
Mr. ALEXANDER. Mr. President, I ask for the yeas and nays.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there a sufficient second?
There appears to be a sufficient second.
The clerk will call the roll.
The assistant bill clerk called the roll.
Mr. CORNYN. The following Senators are necessarily absent: the
Senator from New Hampshire (Ms. Ayotte), the Senator from Wisconsin
(Mr. Johnson), the Senator from Kansas (Mr. Moran), and the Senator
from Louisiana (Mr. Vitter).
Further, if present and voting, the Senator from New Hampshire (Ms.
Ayotte) would have voted ``yea''.
Mr. DURBIN. I announce that the Senator from California (Mrs. Boxer),
the Senator from Virginia (Mr. Kaine), and the Senator from Vermont
(Mr. Sanders) are necessarily absent.
I further announce that, if present and voting, the Senator from
Virginia (Mr. Kaine) would each vote yea.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Are there any other Senators in the Chamber
desiring to vote?
The result was announced--yeas 93, nays 0, as follows:
[Rollcall Vote No. 142 Ex.]
YEAS--93
Alexander
Baldwin
Barrasso
Bennet
Blumenthal
Blunt
Booker
Boozman
Brown
Burr
Cantwell
Capito
Cardin
Carper
Casey
Cassidy
Coats
Cochran
Collins
Coons
Corker
Cornyn
Cotton
Crapo
Cruz
Daines
Donnelly
Durbin
Enzi
Ernst
Feinstein
Fischer
Flake
Franken
Gardner
Gillibrand
Graham
Grassley
Hatch
Heinrich
Heitkamp
Heller
Hirono
Hoeven
Inhofe
Isakson
King
Kirk
Klobuchar
Lankford
Leahy
Lee
Manchin
Markey
McCain
McCaskill
McConnell
Menendez
Merkley
Mikulski
Murkowski
Murphy
Murray
Nelson
Paul
Perdue
Peters
Portman
Reed
Reid
Risch
Roberts
Rounds
Rubio
Sasse
Schatz
Schumer
Scott
Sessions
Shaheen
Shelby
Stabenow
Sullivan
Tester
Thune
Tillis
Toomey
Udall
Warner
Warren
Whitehouse
Wicker
Wyden
NOT VOTING--7
Ayotte
Boxer
Johnson
Kaine
Moran
Sanders
Vitter
The nomination was confirmed.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Under the previous order, the motion to
reconsider is considered made and laid upon the table, and the
President will be immediately notified of the Senate's action.
____________________