[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 72 (Thursday, May 2, 2019)]
[Senate]
[Page S2581]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



              Attorney General Barr and the Mueller Report

  Madam President, on a related matter, one of the clearest takeaways 
from yesterday's hearing, in addition to the Attorney General's 
astounding statement that the President could terminate any 
investigation or procedure against him if he believed it were based on 
false facts, was the discrepancy between the Attorney General's 
opinions and the conclusions of the Mueller report.
  My colleague Senator Harris masterfully also uncovered that the 
Attorney General did not examine any of the underlying evidence in the 
Mueller report before making a prosecutorial decision and, to his 
knowledge, neither did the Deputy Attorney General. The arrogance of 
these men is amazing. This is one of the most serious issues we face. 
At least half of the country believes it is very serious--more than 
half. Yet they don't even bother to look at the underlying evidence 
before they issue a statement that indicates the President has been 
exonerated--at least in the President's own mind.
  But that is to say nothing of the fact that there are so many 
unanswered questions about the reasoning behind some of Special Counsel 
Mueller's decisions, regardless of what Barr thought or did or wrote.
  So it is imperative that Mueller come to testify. The result is that 
we have a gap. We have a gap of understanding of key details in the 
Mueller probe--a gap that leaves a cloud hanging over this country, 
over this President, over this Justice Department; a gap that could 
easily be erased by having the special counsel come to the Senate and 
testify.
  So I was frankly shocked, appalled--I thought it wasn't true; it must 
have been a misquote--when I read on Twitter that my friend the 
chairman, Lindsey Graham, chairman of the Judiciary Committee, said 
that he would not ask Mueller to testify, that he would send Mueller a 
letter asking him to respond if he disagreed with the Attorney 
General's testimony, but not invite him to testify.
  ``It is over,'' he repeated to the committee and then to me on the 
floor when I, really, confronted him, even though he is my friend, 
because I was so amazed about this--when I confronted him here on the 
floor of the Senate.
  He modified his request after we talked to say that if Mueller said 
that he was misquoted, he could come. That is not the way to do this.
  Mueller should come--no ands, ifs, or buts. The American people 
deserve it. Frankly, my friend Lindsey Graham is being totally derelict 
in his responsibilities as chair of the Judiciary Committee not to 
invite Mr. Mueller.
  So I would ask Lindsey Graham to reconsider, to think about the 
country, to think about his long history of trying to be fair and 
often--not so much recently, but often--bipartisan. He is someone I 
worked with, and he showed great courage on immigration. He must 
reconsider. He cannot have the Judiciary Committee simply be a 
political arm of the President, which is where it is devolving under 
his chairmanship.
  Congressional oversight requires that Mueller come. The Constitution, 
if you read it, would indicate that it is perfectly within our ability 
and obligation to bring Mueller here.
  Please, Senator Graham, reconsider. Invite Mueller. His testimony is 
desperately needed to clarify what he actually meant and said after Mr. 
Barr's actions.