[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 120 (Tuesday, July 17, 2018)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1024]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                REGARDING SPECIAL COUNSEL INVESTIGATION

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                            HON. STEVE COHEN

                              of tennessee

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, July 17, 2018

  Mr. COHEN. Mr. Speaker, I include in the Record the following op-ed 
by former Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist about the need to protect 
Special Counsel Mueller's investigation from partisan political 
interference. The piece recently appeared in the Washington Post.

The Senate I Led Put Country Over Party. This One Must Do the Same for 
                            Robert Mueller.

                            (By Bill Frist)

 Bill Frist is a heart and lung transplant surgeon, former U.S. Senate 
   majority leader and senior fellow at the Bipartisan Policy Center.

       When I retired from the U.S. Senate in 2007 as its majority 
     leader, my parting words were a prayer for my colleagues to 
     rise above the passions of the moment and protect the 
     institution as a bulwark for our country's enduring values. 
     The Senate I served in was not devoid of partisanship, nor 
     should it be, but my hope was that patriotism would always 
     take priority over party.
       It is with some trepidation that I offer thoughts on how 
     the good people still serving in the Senate should address a 
     current crisis, but staying silent is no longer an option. 
     Special counsel Robert S. Mueller III is under assault, and 
     that is wrong. No matter who is in the White House, we 
     Republicans must stand up for the sanctity of our democracy 
     and the rule of law.
       Certainly, my former colleagues face difficult pressures. 
     They go to work in a Washington that is divided. They want to 
     ensure a Supreme Court that, like most of our citizens, 
     understands that government power must be limited. They want 
     a fair tax code that supports a growing economy. They want 
     less regulation. By those measures, President Trump is a 
     great partner at the other end of Pennsylvania Avenue. But we 
     can't look the other way as, tweet by tweet, with each new 
     assault on the Justice Department's independence, the bedrock 
     principles of our party crumble.
       I'm a Republican because I stand for small government and 
     also, as a physician, for the dignity of every life. But I am 
     also a Republican because I believe in the rule of law. 
     Republicans must fight for that principle today--even if it 
     means pushing back against a Republican administration. As a 
     party, we can't let the president or his allies erode the 
     independence of the Justice Department or public trust in the 
     vital work of law enforcement. That would be true even if the 
     stakes were much lower, but it is overwhelmingly so when it 
     comes to investigating foreign interference in our elections. 
     Congress must ensure that Mueller is able to do his job 
     without interference or intimidation.
       Nobody knows what the special counsel's investigation will 
     conclude. I, for one, do not think the president colluded 
     with Russian President Vladimir Putin to win the 2016 
     election. But I do believe Putin purposely tried to undermine 
     our democratic process.
       It isn't easy to tell a president of your own party that he 
     is wrong. But the assault on Mueller's investigation does not 
     help the president or his party. When Trump talks about 
     firing the special counsel or his power to pardon himself, he 
     makes it seem as though he has something to hide. The 
     president must remember that only Mueller's exoneration can 
     lift the cloud hanging over the White House.
       The special counsel's investigation is not about Trump. It 
     is about our national security. Every American should be 
     rooting for Mueller's success in determining precisely how 
     Russia interfered in our fundamental democratic process. I 
     had no illusions about the Soviet Union during the Cold War, 
     and I have none about Putin now. Mueller's most recent court 
     filings indicate that Putin is seeking to meddle in this 
     year's elections. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, Director of 
     National Intelligence Daniel Coats and FBI Director 
     Christopher A. Wray--all Trump appointees confirmed by the 
     Republican-led Senate--have also warned of foreign 
     interference. We should heed these warnings and empower 
     Mueller to see his important work through to its conclusion.
       I have worried over the years about runaway legal 
     authority, and I've battled against activist judges. I don't 
     worry about Robert Mueller. He is a lifelong Republican with 
     a career of distinguished service running the Criminal 
     Division of the Justice Department for President Ronald 
     Reagan and serving as President George W. Bush's FBI 
     director, twice unanimously confirmed by the Senate. And his 
     investigation is getting results: By any objective standard, 
     he has moved swiftly, obtaining 23 indictments and five 
     guilty pleas in just more than a year.
       Congress must never abandon its role as an equal branch of 
     government. In this moment, that means protecting Mueller's 
     investigation. We're at our best as senators and Republicans 
     when we defend our institutions. But more than that, it's our 
     best face as Americans.
       People around the world admire not just the material well-
     being of the United States but our values, too. The rule of 
     law is something many die trying to secure for their 
     countries. We can't afford to squander it at home.

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