[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 82 (Thursday, May 11, 2017)]
[Senate]
[Pages S2892-S2893]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                          RUSSIA INVESTIGATION

  Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. President, the dismissal of Director Comey has 
raised a bevy of troubling questions over the

[[Page S2893]]

last few days. The President of the United States fired the man in 
charge of an active investigation about the President and his campaign 
ties to Russia. The truth is, the dismissal of Director Comey is part 
of a much longer pattern of this administration's interfering with or 
removing the people who are in a position to conduct an independent 
investigation of the President and his administration.
  The administration requested that the chairmen of the House and 
Senate Intelligence Committees help them beat back reports in the press 
about the Russia probe. The administration picked this Attorney 
General--a very close political ally, then-Senator Jeff Sessions--to 
lead a Justice Department that was supposed to independently conduct 
this investigation.
  Attorney General Sessions, of course, has since had to recuse himself 
from the Russia investigation after he misled Congress about his 
meetings with the Russian Ambassador.
  The administration is not shy about removing independent prosecutors 
and law enforcement officers from their posts if they are simply doing 
something the President doesn't like, even if it is required by law. 
They fired Sally Yates. They fired Preet Bharara. They fired more than 
40 U.S. attorneys across the country. Now they have fired Director 
Comey.
  This is about more than just Mr. Comey. This is about a pattern of 
events that casts tremendous doubt on whether this administration has 
any interest in allowing the Russia investigation or any other 
investigation that could be politically damaging to them to proceed 
unimpeded. This is about one of the most sacred things we believe in as 
Americans, the rule of law--the rule of law being threatened here.
  We in Congress, in both parties, should have one overarching goal: to 
get the full unvarnished truth. That means getting to the bottom of the 
events that led to Mr. Comey's dismissal and making sure the Russia 
investigation is conducted impartially. Here in Congress, the Senate 
Intelligence Committee is doing its investigation in a bipartisan way, 
but the executive branch investigation has been compromised.
  Attorney General Sessions, who had to recuse himself from the Russia 
investigation, played a significant role in firing the man who was 
leading it. Not only that, but the Attorney General is now reportedly 
leading a search to replace Mr. Comey. He is helping select the next 
FBI Director, who will be in charge of an investigation he cannot 
oversee--what an irony.
  This Attorney General shouldn't be anywhere near the hiring process 
of the next FBI Director. His role will jaundice the entire process, if 
it hasn't already.
  In order to ensure the American people can have faith in the 
impartiality of the investigation, it must be conducted far from the 
reach of the White House. It is the overwhelming view of my caucus that 
a special prosecutor should now be appointed to conduct the 
investigation into the Trump campaign's ties to Russia.
  This special prosecutor should be appointed by the highest ranking 
civil servant at the Justice Department. Mr. Rosenstein and other 
political appointees should not be the ones who decide on a special 
prosecutor, lest that decision be seen as influenced, or worse, made at 
the direction of the administration. I thank my colleague from 
California, Senator Feinstein, for speaking so eloquently on this 
proposal.
  In addition, there are several things that should happen here on 
Capitol Hill that will help get us to the bottom of the events this 
week.
  First, Mr. Comey should testify before Congress. There are so many 
questions that only Mr. Comey can answer. So I applaud Senators Burr 
and Warner for inviting him to appear before the Intelligence Committee 
next week. It was the right thing to do. We ought to hear from Mr. 
Comey, and I urge Mr. Comey to come and tell the whole story.
  Second, Attorney General Sessions and Deputy Attorney General 
Rosenstein should make themselves available to Congress. I am renewing 
my request of the majority leader to call an all-Senators briefing 
where they can answer the questions swirling about from Tuesday night's 
firing. Attorney General Sessions and Deputy Attorney General 
Rosenstein should appear separately and partially in a classified 
setting if necessary, but they must come.
  Mr. Rosenstein has played a central role in all of these events. He 
could help clear up questions about where the decision to fire Mr. 
Comey originated. So later today, separate and apart from my request 
that he come before the Senate, I will be sending Mr. Rosenstein a 
letter with a list of questions for him to answer publicly. America 
needs to hear them. Many Democrats voted for Mr. Rosenstein a few weeks 
ago because he had a reputation for integrity. He assured us he would 
be an independent force inside the Department of Justice, and 94 
Senators voted for him, but the events of last week have made many of 
us question that belief. He owes it to the Senate. He owes it to the 
people he supervises in the Justice Department and in the FBI, and he 
owes it to the American people to provide some answers.
  In sum, we demand the appointment of a special prosecutor by a 
nonpolitical appointee at the Department of Justice. We want to hear 
from Mr. Comey. We are asking the majority leader to hold separate all-
Senators briefings with the Attorney General and Deputy Attorney 
General. This would help us get a hold on what happened, would explain 
why, and would help guide us in what to do next because this 
investigation will not die no matter who wants it to. I sincerely hope 
we will get an answer from the majority leader by the end of the day. 
This is a very serious matter.
  Right now, there are two different stories coming out of the White 
House. Some are saying the decision to fire Mr. Comey came directly 
from the White House; others, including the Vice President, have said 
it came from the Department of Justice--specifically, Mr. Rosenstein 
and Mr. Sessions. We need to resolve these two story lines on something 
as important as this. We need the truth, the whole truth, and nothing 
but the truth. So I hope my Republican colleagues see the wisdom and 
value in our request and respond appropriately by the end of the day.

                          ____________________