[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 208 (Wednesday, December 20, 2017)]
[Senate]
[Pages S8171-S8172]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                          RUSSIA INVESTIGATION

  Mr. WARNER. Mr. President, I rise today concerned about the threats 
to the special counsel's critical investigation of Russian interference 
in the 2016 election.
  Over the last several weeks, a growing chorus of irresponsible and 
reckless voices have called for President Trump to shut down Special 
Counsel Mueller's investigation. At first, these calls came from the 
fringes of our political discourse--those who refuse to put our country 
and our security before base political instincts.
  Earlier this year, many of my colleagues on both sides of the aisle 
were right to push back on these misdirected calls and urge that the 
special counsel be allowed to do his job without interference. However, 
in recent weeks, those voices seem to be growing in stridency and in 
volume. Just this weekend, one major news organization suggested that 
Special Counsel Mueller could be involved in a coup against the 
President. One senior adviser at the White House has now outrageously 
alleged that ``the fix was in against Donald Trump from the 
beginning.'' Those statements are reckless. They are inappropriate, and 
they are extremely worrying. They are also at odds with the President's 
own lawyers who have pledged to cooperate with the special counsel.
  Beyond being irresponsible, the seemingly coordinated nature of these 
claims should alarm us all--particularly since, in recent days, these 
baseless accusations have been repeated by several Members of the House 
of Representatives.
  I believe it is up to every Member of this institution, Republican or 
Democratic, to make a clear and unambiguous statement that any attempt 
by this President to remove Special Counsel Mueller from his position 
or to pardon key witnesses in any effort to shield them from 
accountability or shut down the investigation would be a gross abuse of 
power and a flagrant violation of executive branch responsibilities and 
authorities. These truly are red lines, and we simply cannot allow them 
to be crossed.
  Let's take a moment to remember why Special Counsel Mueller was 
appointed in the first place and why it remains so critical that he be 
permitted to finish his job without obstruction.
  Recall, last spring, when we were all reeling from a series of 
confounding actions by this President, beginning with the firing of FBI 
Director Jim Comey on May 9. Mr. Comey was fired just 2 months after 
publicly revealing the FBI's ongoing investigation of the Trump 
campaign and--as we would find out later--after several attempts by 
this President to improperly influence Director Comey.
  Try to put yourself back into those dangerous days. Director Comey's 
dismissal was met with confusion and widespread condemnation. We needed 
a stabilizing action from our Nation's law enforcement leadership. We 
needed some certainty that the facts would be found and brought to 
light, regardless of what they were.

[[Page S8172]]

  Eight days after Mr. Comey's firing, Trump appointee and Deputy 
Attorney General Rod Rosenstein appointed Robert Mueller to oversee the 
investigation into ``any links and/or coordination between the Russian 
government and individuals associated with the campaign of President 
Donald Trump'' and ``any matters that arose or may arise directly from 
the investigation.''
  His appointment reassured Americans that there will be a full and 
thorough law enforcement investigation. The announcement was met with 
support on both sides of the aisle and received nearly universal 
praise. In fact, many of the same people who are attacking him today 
praised Mr. Mueller's appointment just months ago.
  Indeed, there is much to praise. The fact is, Robert Mueller has 
impeccable credentials as a man of the law. He has assembled a team 
that includes some of the Nation's best investigators, and he is 
leading the investigation with the professionalism it deserves.
  Mr. Mueller is a dedicated Vietnam war veteran and a lifelong 
Republican, appointed to his current role by Deputy Attorney General 
Rod Rosenstein, also a Republican. In fact, all of the major players to 
date in this investigation--former Director Comey, current FBI Director 
Rosenstein, and even Attorney General Sessions, who has had to recuse 
himself--are all Republicans. The charges that some have made that 
somehow Democratic political bias has crept into this investigation are 
baseless, given the makeup of the leadership team.
  In recent weeks, much has been made of some political opinions 
expressed by an FBI agent during the election last year. This specious 
line of argument conveniently ignores the fact that as soon as Mr. 
Mueller learned about those comments, he immediately removed that agent 
in question from the investigation. If anything, this incident only 
adds to Mr. Mueller's credibility as a fair and independent 
investigator.
  I stand here as the vice chairman of the Senate Intelligence 
Committee. We are in the midst of our own investigation into Russian 
incursion, and I am proud of the way Chairman Burr and our committee 
has taken on this very difficult task.
  We have made tremendous progress uncovering the facts of Russian 
interference in our elections. Our committee's work helped expose the 
dark underbelly of disinformation on many of our social media 
platforms. We have successfully pressed for the full accounting of 
Russian cyber efforts to target our State electoral systems, and, 
despite the initial denials of any Russian contacts during the 
election, this committee's efforts have helped uncover numerous and 
troubling high-level engagements between the Trump campaign and Russian 
affiliates, many of which have only been revealed in recent months.
  We have a lot of work to do. Our committee has gone out of its way to 
ensure continued bipartisan backing for this effort, and I am committed 
to seeing the effort through. However, it should be very clear that our 
committee cannot and will not stand as a substitute for Mr. Mueller's 
investigation.
  As Chairman Burr and I have noted on numerous occasions, the FBI is 
responsible for determining any criminal activities related to this 
inquiry. As such, Mueller has already moved to indict two individuals 
and has negotiated two additional guilty pleas. This was an 
investigative path reserved solely for law enforcement, and it is 
essential that it be permitted to go on unimpeded.
  The country no doubt remains severely divided on the question of the 
last election. However, the national security threat facing us today 
should demand that we rise above partisan differences. No matter the 
political divide, surely each of us--and all Americans--should want to 
know the truth of what happened during last year's election, and, no 
doubt, we want to know that as quickly as possible.
  The President has long called the investigation into Russian meddling 
into the 2016 election a witch hunt, and he has done much to discredit 
the intelligence community's unanimous assessment of Russian 
interference in our election. The failure of this White House to lead a 
whole-of-government approach to prevent this type of election 
interference in the future--either by the Russians or some other 
adversary--defies understanding. The President's refusal to accept the 
intelligence community's assessment and his blatant disregard for 
ensuring that Russia never again infiltrates our election process has 
been unnerving and cause for significant concern.
  In recent days, the President has said he is not considering removing 
Special Counsel Mueller, but the President's track record on this front 
is a source of concern. I am certain most of my colleagues believed he 
wouldn't fire Jim Comey either.
  Firing Mr. Mueller, or any other of the top brass involved in this 
investigation, would not only call into question this administration's 
commitment to the truth but also to our most basic concept, the rule of 
law. It also has the potential to provoke a constitutional crisis.
  In the United States of America, no one--no one--is above the law, 
not even the President. Congress must make clear to the President that 
firing the special counsel or interfering with his investigation by 
issuing pardons of essential witnesses is unacceptable and would have 
immediate and significant consequences.
  I hope my concerns are unfounded--in many ways, I had hoped I would 
never have to make this kind of speech--but there are troubling signs. 
It is critical that all of us, as elected officials and as citizens, 
speak out against these threats now before it is too late.
  Thank you.
  I yield the floor.
  I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  The bill clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. FRANKEN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order 
for the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.

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