[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 181 (Thursday, November 15, 2018)]
[Senate]
[Pages S6969-S6970]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                          DEMOCRACY IN AMERICA

  Mr. SCHUMER. Madam President, the President of the United States 
swears an oath to protect and defend the Constitution, including 
bedrock principles like the rule of law and the sanctity of our 
elections. But nearly every day, President Trump ignores this 
fundamental responsibility and tramples on the values that have made 
our country the light of the world. No President has come close to 
defaming and trying to destroy the democratic values of this country. 
No President has come close--none.
  This morning, for what seemed like the millionth time, the President 
angrily, wildly, and baselessly ranted about the special counsel's 
investigation. It doesn't matter to him that his claims have no basis. 
It doesn't matter to him that his words may degrade faith in our 
independent law enforcement agencies and the rule of law. He proceeds 
only according to self-interest. He is offended that someone might look 
into the fact that he did something wrong--this happens with every 
President--and he lashes out in ways that hurt our democracy 
permanently.
  Just look at how over the past few weeks President Trump has tried to 
intimidate and bully election officials in Florida and Arizona with 
fantastical claims of voter fraud. It doesn't matter to him that there 
is no evidence to the charges. It doesn't matter to him that in both 
States--Arizona and Florida--Republican officials have said there is no 
fraud, debunking the President's claims. It doesn't matter to him that 
his claims erode faith in the integrity of our elections among a 
segment of his supporters. If the President thinks it will help him 
personally, he will say it.
  One of the most recent examples of this just happened yesterday. The 
President keeps getting more and more absurd. He makes things up. He 
most recently claimed in an interview with the Daily Caller that 
``illegal'' voters ``go to their car, put on a different hat, put on a 
different shirt, and vote again.''
  Name one. Name a few. When did it happen and when? Or did you just 
read this on some rightwing, nasty, dishonest blog and just repeat it? 
Donald Trump, you are the President of the United States. Because you 
read something in a blog that has no basis in fact, you don't have the 
right to repeat it, if you are President and behaving Presidentially, 
and yet he does it over and over. It is the height of irresponsibility.
  Since his first day in office, President Trump has made these 
ridiculous claims about voter fraud that even his sham voting 
commission, led by Kris Kobach, couldn't prove. The real disgrace is 
how low the President and

[[Page S6970]]

some Republicans will stoop to prevent American citizens from 
exercising their right to vote and how far they will go to undermine 
faith in our democracy, even to the point of disenfranchising military 
voters--people who may be overseas defending our freedom, risking their 
lives, who want to vote--and if their ballots don't come in at exactly 
the right moment, they shouldn't be counted--disgraceful.
  The tendency is to treat the President's words as an extension of our 
modern, partisan politics. Well, we have too much partisan politics, 
but the truth is that the President's blatant disregard for basic 
norms, constitutional constraints, and truth is unique to him. No 
President has come close to going as far to destroy democratic norms. 
He is doing severe and possibly irreparable damage to our democracy all 
to suit his goal and often, it seems, just his ego.
  Democrats condemn this behavior, but where are our Republican 
friends? They should know better. They do know better. I hear the 
private chatter. The silence of the Republican majority as the 
President takes an ax to democratic norms will go down as one of the 
least bright moments in the history of the Republican Party. It will go 
down as one of the bad marks in the history of the Senate, and we don't 
hear a peep. Are our Republican colleagues afraid? Are they just being 
mercenary? After this last election, I wouldn't think that would be the 
case. Trump didn't lead them to overwhelming victory. When are we going 
to hear from them?
  This is not an issue of partisanship. When a President, Democrat or 
Republican, does so much to destroy democratic norms and does so much 
to just make up things--like that people went into a car and put on a 
different hat to vote--where are our colleagues decrying this, at least 
saying that the President shouldn't do it? They are embracing a 
President whom they know has done so many bad things. I am not talking 
ideologically. I am talking about honor and respect for democracy. It 
is something they should not be proud of.

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