[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 193 (Thursday, December 6, 2018)]
[Senate]
[Pages S7340-S7341]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                             Robert Mueller

  Mr. CASEY. Mr. President, I rise today to talk about not the Mueller 
investigation as much as I want to talk about Robert Mueller himself 
because of the substantial responsibility that he has, and I think it 
is important for us to remind ourselves, as well as to remind our 
country, about his service at a time when he has often been attacked by 
folks in Washington.
  When I think of an individual like Robert Mueller, I think of two 
words: ``public service''--or maybe just one word: ``service.'' He was 
inspired, as many people know, to become a marine by one of his friends 
from the college lacrosse team he was on. This man's name was David 
Hackett, and he later died on the battlefield of Vietnam.
  Mr. Mueller said in a speech:

       One would have thought that the life of a Marine, and 
     David's death in Vietnam, would argue strongly against 
     following in his footsteps. But many of us saw in him the 
     person we wanted to be. And a number of his friends, 
     teammates, and associates joined the Marine Corps because of 
     him, as did I.

  So said Robert Mueller about his friend David Hackett.
  To paraphrase the words of President Kennedy, Robert Mueller didn't 
join the Marine Corps because it was easy; he joined because it was 
hard. While many of his peers were seeking to avoid the horrors of the 
Vietnam conflict and the combat in Vietnam, Robert Mueller volunteered 
to face those horrors. That sense of duty is the essence of public 
service.
  Robert Mueller enlisted in the Marines just a few weeks after 
graduating from Princeton in 1966 and went through the demanding 
programs of the Army's Ranger School and Airborne School. He then spent 
a year in combat on the ground in the jungles of Vietnam, leading an 
infantry platoon. The Washington Post described the conditions the 
regiment faced as a ``hellscape'' of ``bloody jungle warfare.'' It was 
under these difficult circumstances that Mr. Mueller received the 
Bronze Star for ``heroic achievement'' after leading his fellow marines 
through an 8-hour battle where, under enemy fire, ``Second Lieutenant 
Mueller fearlessly moved from one position to another, directing the 
accurate counterfire of his men and shouting words of encouragement to 
them. . . . [H]e then skillfully supervised the evacuation of 
casualties from the hazardous fire area.''
  Just 4 months later, he was shot in the leg when he responded to an 
ambush by enemy forces. He received the Navy Commendation Medal with a 
citation praising him for rushing to save his fellow marines while 
``completely disregarding his own safety.''
  That sense of serving a cause larger than himself is what led Robert 
Mueller to enlist in the Marines and what led him later to apply to law 
school so he could continue serving the country through our system of 
justice. He served in the U.S. States Attorney's Offices and the 
Justice Department for years, working his way up the chain of command 
and earning a reputation as a dogged and fair prosecutor committed to 
enforcing the rule of law.
  In 2001, he was confirmed unanimously by this body to serve as FBI 
Director and subsequently led the FBI's response to the September 11 
attacks. In 2011, as his 10-year term was set to end, we in the Senate 
at that time voted 100 to 0 to extend his term until 2013.
  Mr. Mueller has not only earned the respect of public officials he 
has worked with, he has maintained that

[[Page S7341]]

respect throughout decades of public service. There is no one better 
qualified to lead this Russia investigation in terms of intellect, 
experience, or character than Robert Mueller. A lot of Americans are 
glad he is leading this effort to find out what happened, how the 
Russians were able to interfere in our election. Robert Mueller and his 
team have already produced results, and their work has sent a powerful 
message to Russia--and to any other foreign or domestic entity that 
would interfere with our elections--that the United States will not 
tolerate any attack on our democracy.
  Mr. Mueller's investigation is critical to our national security, and 
it must be protected from interference by the President or anyone else. 
It is now more important than ever that the Senate pass legislation to 
protect the investigation and Mr. Mueller's job from interference of 
any kind. I call on the Senate once again to take a vote on the Special 
Council Independence and Integrity Act.
  Mr. President, I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Kansas.
  Mr. MORAN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the vote 
scheduled for 1:45 occur now.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there objection?
  Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The question is, Will the Senate advise and consent to the Kraninger 
nomination?
  Mr. MORAN. I ask for the yeas and nays.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there a sufficient second?
  There appears to be a sufficient second.
  The clerk will call the roll.
  The legislative clerk called the roll.
  Mr. CORNYN. The following Senator is necessarily absent: the Senator 
from North Carolina (Mr. Tillis).
  The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Perdue). Are there any other Senators in 
the Chamber desiring to vote?
  The result was announced--yeas 50, nays 49, as follows:

                      [Rollcall Vote No. 255 Ex.]

                                YEAS--50

     Alexander
     Barrasso
     Blunt
     Boozman
     Burr
     Capito
     Cassidy
     Collins
     Corker
     Cornyn
     Cotton
     Crapo
     Cruz
     Daines
     Enzi
     Ernst
     Fischer
     Flake
     Gardner
     Graham
     Grassley
     Hatch
     Heller
     Hoeven
     Hyde-Smith
     Inhofe
     Isakson
     Johnson
     Kennedy
     Kyl
     Lankford
     Lee
     McConnell
     Moran
     Murkowski
     Paul
     Perdue
     Portman
     Risch
     Roberts
     Rounds
     Rubio
     Sasse
     Scott
     Shelby
     Sullivan
     Thune
     Toomey
     Wicker
     Young

                                NAYS--49

     Baldwin
     Bennet
     Blumenthal
     Booker
     Brown
     Cantwell
     Cardin
     Carper
     Casey
     Coons
     Cortez Masto
     Donnelly
     Duckworth
     Durbin
     Feinstein
     Gillibrand
     Harris
     Hassan
     Heinrich
     Heitkamp
     Hirono
     Jones
     Kaine
     King
     Klobuchar
     Leahy
     Manchin
     Markey
     McCaskill
     Menendez
     Merkley
     Murphy
     Murray
     Nelson
     Peters
     Reed
     Sanders
     Schatz
     Schumer
     Shaheen
     Smith
     Stabenow
     Tester
     Udall
     Van Hollen
     Warner
     Warren
     Whitehouse
     Wyden

                             NOT VOTING--1

       
     Tillis
       
  The nomination was confirmed.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Under the previous order, the motion to 
reconsider is considered made and laid on the table, and the President 
will be immediately notified of the Senate's action.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The majority leader.

                          ____________________