[Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 65 (Tuesday, April 14, 2026)]
[Senate]
[Pages S1722-S1723]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                       Unanimous Consent Request

  Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, last month, America lost a man who devoted 
his life to serving America. Robert Mueller passed away on March 20. He 
left behind an amazing legacy of patriotism, honesty, integrity, and 
courage.
  In 1968, at the height of the Vietnam war, Robert Mueller chose to 
enlist in the Marine Corps. He was a rifle platoon leader. Years later, 
he said that of all his accomplishments in life, he was ``most proud 
the Marine Corps deemed me worthy of leading other Marines.''
  He earned a Bronze Star for valor when his platoon was ambushed, 
suffering multiple casualties. He rescued--personally rescued--a 
wounded marine. He earned a Purple Heart after being wounded by enemy 
fire while leading his platoon to rescue soldiers who were pinned down 
by the enemy.
  While Mr. Mueller's time in the Marines ended in 1970, that is far 
from the end of his service to this country. After his military 
service, Robert Mueller became a lawyer and spent most of his life in 
public service.
  A lifelong Republican--a lifelong Republican--he served for many 
years as a prosecutor and senior Justice Department official under both 
Republican and Democratic Presidents alike.
  Throughout the 1990s, Mr. Mueller would serve in various positions at 
the Department of Justice, working as a senior litigator in the 
Homicide Section of the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of 
Columbia and as U.S. attorney for the Northern District of California. 
Mueller's work won him the admiration of both President George W. Bush 
and the U.S. Senate.
  One week before September 11, 2001, Bob Mueller was sworn in as 
Director of the FBI. In the aftermath of the horrific 9/11 terrorist 
attack, Bob Mueller worked tirelessly to make our Nation safe.
  Director Mueller led the FBI in a tumultuous time. After the worst 
terror attack in American history, Bob Mueller more than any single 
individual was responsible for modernizing the FBI to combat the 
threats that we face in the 21st century. It was my honor to support 
him in that effort.
  It is no surprise that when his term with the FBI was set to expire 
in 2011, President Obama asked the Senate to extend Mueller's term by 2 
years. The vote in the Senate was unanimous--100 to nothing--in favor 
of Bob Mueller, as it should have been.
  Mr. Mueller left the FBI in 2013, and even that was not the end of 
his service to the American people. In 2017, Director Mueller was asked 
to serve his Nation one last time. Deputy Attorney General Rod 
Rosenstein, a Trump appointee, asked Mueller to serve as special 
counsel to investigate Russia's efforts to interfere in the 2016 
election.
  While my colleagues and I have spent many years debating the merits 
of the Mueller report, his work on Russia's interference in the 2016 
election and throughout his time at DOJ and FBI demonstrates true 
character, hard work, courage, honesty, professionalism, and a 
dedication to our Constitution.
  In honor of his legacy, I introduced a resolution with my colleagues 
from Virginia, his home State, that recognizes the contributions Bob 
Mueller made to our Nation. I will now make a unanimous consent request 
to pass the resolution.
  Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that notwithstanding rule XXII 
and as if in legislative session, the Senate proceed to the 
consideration of my resolution, which is at the desk; further, I ask 
unanimous consent that the resolution be agreed to, the preamble be 
agreed to, and that the motions to reconsider be considered made and 
laid upon the table with no intervening action or debate.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there objection?
  The Senator from Indiana.
  Mr. BANKS. Mr. President, reserving the right to object, of all the 
things that the U.S. Senate should be focusing on today, like funding 
DHS and paying our TSA agents or protecting our elections with the SAVE 
America Act, Democrats instead are bringing yet again another 
resolution that is a clear political potshot against President Trump. 
Democrats are more interested today in rehashing their failed attempt 
to delegitimize the 2016 election a decade ago than in bettering our 
great country.
  The fact of the matter is, the reputation of Robert Mueller is a 
mixed bag, and the end result of the Mueller investigation that my 
colleague just talked about was a farce.
  What has always remained constant is that Democrats just can't accept 
that Donald Trump won the election in 2016 fair and square. Ten years 
after that historic victory, Democrats are still complaining about it 
and advancing their Russian collusion hoax. Democrats know that the 
Russian collusion hoax was their attempt to undermine President Trump. 
They knew and they know now that it has been debunked time and time 
again.
  The Mueller investigation was meant to stop President Trump and 
derail his agenda that he was elected by the American people to advance 
in 2016, and it was very costly to the American people and to this 
great country.
  Robert Mueller will always be intertwined with the Russian collusion 
hoax that greatly damaged this country.
  This resolution adds fuel to a fire that really burned out a long 
time ago. It is just another political hit job at President Trump, and 
I am not going to go along with it today.
  There are so many more important things that we should be doing on 
the floor today--again, like funding DHS or protecting our elections. 
Mr. President, therefore, I object.

[[Page S1723]]

  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The objection is heard.
  The Democratic whip.
  Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, I am disappointed that the junior Senator 
from Indiana has blocked the Senate from honoring an American hero, Bob 
Mueller, who protected our national security with his life and for 
decades served the call to public service.
  This is so unusual, to come to the floor and to honor someone who has 
served the county the way Bob Mueller did and to have an objection. And 
to say that it was a ``political potshot'' against Donald Trump--it was 
not at all. The effort that I made on the floor was to extol the 
virtues of a man who served this country and risked his life for this 
country over and over again.
  My colleague is objecting for one reason only: President Donald Trump 
despises Robert Mueller and his memory because Trump's own 
administration appointed Mueller as special counsel to investigate 
Russia's efforts to interfere in the 2016 election. Mr. Mueller's 
comprehensive investigation resulted in 37 indictments, 7 guilty pleas 
or convictions, and 14 criminal referrals to other U.S. Department of 
Justice counterparts. This, to Donald Trump, was an unforgivable sin.
  Do you remember what President Trump said when he heard that this man 
died, exactly what he said? The President of the United States said of 
Bob Mueller:

       Good. I'm glad he's dead.

  ``Good. I'm glad he's dead''--words from the mouth of the President 
of the United States, a man who poses as the messiah or some doctor; I 
don't understand which.
  ``Good. I'm glad he's dead''--the President of the United States, the 
Commander in Chief, responding to the passing of a marine, Bob Mueller, 
who received a Purple Heart and a Bronze Star.
  This is not the first time the President has attacked an American war 
hero. I am sorry that the Senator from Indiana joined in that attack. 
We cannot pretend this cruel and un-American behavior is normal. I am 
sorry the Senator from Indiana sees it differently.
  I want to say to Bob Mueller's family, who I believe is watching: He 
is still an American hero in my eyes, and though this political move 
was made on the floor--and it seldom is made; I am sorry--it doesn't 
change one bit the fact that Bob Mueller served this country honorably, 
with dignity and character, his whole life.
  I yield the floor.

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