[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 81 (Wednesday, May 10, 2017)]
[Senate]
[Pages S2872-S2873]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                         Firing of James Comey

  Mr. PETERS. Mr. President, I rise today to discuss President Trump's 
decision to fire FBI Director James Comey. During his campaign, then-
Candidate Trump regularly talked about how he would be the law and 
order President. ``Law and order'' means different things to different 
people, but all of us should be able to agree that we cannot have law 
and order without the rule of law.
  The rule of law is not a new or even uniquely American idea. It dates 
back to the Magna Carta of 1215. This document--a pact between King 
John of

[[Page S2873]]

England and his barons--established that the Nation's people have 
certain rights and that even the monarch is subject to the laws of the 
land. Centuries later, as we cast off the British monarchy, declared 
our independence, and established our own form of government, our 
Nation's founders enshrined the rule of law in our Constitution.
  Our system of checks and balances was designed to hold all levels of 
the Federal Government accountable but especially the President. 
Without the rule of law, law and order becomes merely order imposed by 
an unaccountable government. We know what order without the rule of law 
looks like. Last century it looked like the regimes of the Axis Powers. 
Now it looks like North Korea, Egypt, the Philippines, and, yes, 
Russia. These are all nations led by strongmen whom our President has 
praised in some manner, strongmen who hold democratic institutions in 
contempt and exercise disproportionate control over their nations' 
military, government institutions, and the media.
  While the press here in the United States remains independent, we 
have a President who has chosen to regularly do battle with what he 
derides as the ``fake news media.'' He has even called our cherished, 
constitutionally protected free press ``the enemy of the American 
people.''
  It is often said that the news is the ``first rough draft of 
history.'' While the President can attempt to wage war with the news 
media, none of us can truly fight history. But here in the Senate, we 
can help shape it. History has its eyes on our Chamber now.
  Some of my colleagues across the aisle have said they are 
``troubled'' or ``disappointed'' by the President's decision to fire 
Director Comey, but it appears that many are taking a wait-and-see 
approach. They are taking a wait-and-see approach to Director Comey's 
firing. They are taking a wait-and-see approach to how the 
administration replaces him. They are taking a wait-and-see approach to 
the ongoing investigation into the Trump campaign's potential collusion 
with Russia. The problem here is that this administration won't let us 
see anything. The Trump administration is actively working to cover up 
everything that we, as the independent legislative branch, need to see 
to get to the bottom of the Trump campaign's potential collusion with 
Russia.
  Director Comey was investigating this potential collusion at the time 
that he was fired, and it has been reported that Director Comey 
recently asked Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein for an increase 
in money and personnel for this very investigation. Within a matter of 
days, the Deputy Attorney General wrote a memo recommending that 
President Trump fire Director Comey for actions he took last year. So 
was Director Comey fired on May 9, 2017, for his actions back in 2016? 
Are we to believe the President and the Attorney General were carefully 
weighing the merits of Director Comey's service since the inauguration, 
or was he fired because he was ramping up his investigation into 
Russian collusion? Let's not forget that this is the same collusion 
investigation from which Attorney General Sessions recused himself 
before recommending to the President that he fire Director Comey.
  This is clearly a President who is more than happy to fire people, 
and he does so in a hasty fashion. Director Comey is not the first 
public servant to be fired while investigating this administration. In 
fact, he is in pretty good company. Acting Attorney General Sally Yates 
was fired while overseeing the collection of intelligence related to 
meetings between the Russian Ambassador and members of the Trump team. 
The U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York was fired while 
investigating HHS Secretary Price's financial investments, in addition 
to leading a separate investigation into corrupt Russian businessmen 
and officials. One firing is an incident, two is a coincidence, but 
three is a pattern.
  The past 4 months suggests that our President thinks he can simply 
tweet and fire his way out of this problem, while continuing to cozy up 
to the Russians. Earlier today, less than 24 hours after firing 
Director Comey, President Trump hosted the Russian Ambassador and the 
Foreign Minister in the Oval Office.
  I am deeply concerned that the President is unable or unwilling to 
grasp what the underlying problem here actually is. When the President 
hears Members of Congress on both sides of the aisle discuss the 
Russian attack on our election and the very foundations of our 
democracy, he hears sour grapes stemming from people who would have 
liked the Republican primary or the general election to have ended 
differently. But let me be very clear: This is not about scoring 
political points. This is not about winning the news cycle or the back-
and-forth on Twitter. This is not the newest iteration of partisan 
politics.
  Now is the time for all of us to put country above party. Throughout 
our Nation's history, Senators have come together to tackle some of the 
Nation's most difficult problems. Our Union has survived other 
challenges, and I am confident we can navigate this together, but we 
need to know exactly what we are up against. This is about properly 
diagnosing and curing a possible Russian infection in the White House 
and inoculating our government and elections for the future. Firing 
your doctor won't take your illness away, and taking a wait-and-see 
approach won't do that either.
  We need an independent special prosecutor to diagnose potential 
collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia. We cannot wait for the 
President to handpick a new FBI Director who will owe his or her 
nomination for this unexpected job opening to the very people he or she 
will be charged with investigating.
  Our democracy is resilient and our democracy is strong, but if we 
have a festering foreign infection that is left untreated, our 
democratic system will certainly weaken. We need a special prosecutor 
to either identify and address any malfeasance or issue this White 
House a clean bill of health.
  Democracies are built on trust in civic institutions--a trust that 
has eroded in recent years, and I am deeply concerned that this erosion 
is accelerating. As Americans and as elected officials, we must come 
together and restore our constituents' trust in the Federal Government. 
We cannot just wait and see any longer. Now is the time for an 
independent special prosecutor.
  Mr. President, I yield the floor.
  I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Gardner). The clerk will call the roll.
  The bill clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mrs. MURRAY. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order 
for the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Kennedy). Without objection, it is so 
ordered.
  Mrs. MURRAY. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent to speak as in 
morning business.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.