[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 163 (2017), Part 14]
[Senate]
[Page 20600]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                        SPECIAL COUNSEL MUELLER

  Mr. CASEY. Mr. President, today I wish to commend Robert Mueller's 
career as a public servant and to condemn partisan, political attacks 
on Mr. Mueller's reputation and American democratic systems.
  A brief glance at Mr. Mueller's biography reflects his consistent 
commitment to serve the American people with honor and courage. As a 
young man, Mr. Mueller served with distinction in the Vietnam war. His 
list of commendations and military decorations, including a Bronze 
Star, two Navy Commendation Medals, the Purple Heart, and the 
Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry, are emblematic of his leadership and 
exemplary service.
  Mr. Mueller not only fought courageously on the battlefield, but upon 
returning home and earning his law degree, he continued serving his 
country throughout his legal career. He cut his teeth working in U.S. 
attorney's offices in Boston and San Francisco for over a decade, and 
when he later served at the Department of Justice, Mr. Mueller was 
nominated by President George H. W. Bush to lead the criminal division, 
where he oversaw cases as diverse as the prosecution of Panamanian 
dictator Manuel Noriega and the Lockerbie bombing.
  In 1995, Mr. Mueller's dedication to public service led him to leave 
a high-paying position at a private firm to join the DC U.S. attorney's 
office homicide division to hold violent offenders accountable for 
their crimes. Three years later, he became a U.S. attorney himself, 
serving in San Francisco and earning himself a reputation as a dogged 
and fair prosecutor committed to enforcing the rule of law.
  In 2001, Mr. Mueller was nominated by a second Republican President, 
George W. Bush, as the Director of the FBI, a position to which he was 
confirmed unanimously by this body. Whether navigating our response to 
the atrocities of 9/11, leading the Bureau's reform in its aftermath, 
or trailblazing the Bureau's role in combating cyber crimes, his tenure 
has been widely lauded. In fact, in 2011, as his 10-year term was set 
to end, we in the Senate voted 100 to 0 to extend his term until 2013.
  In an era of increasing political and cultural tribalism, each time 
Mr. Mueller has been named or nominated for a new position, he has 
received bipartisan and unabashed praise--and rightly so.
  Mr. Mueller, as an expert in law enforcement, could not be better 
suited for the task at hand: an investigation into Russia's 
interference in the U.S. elections. That Russia interfered in our 
elections is neither conjecture nor an attempt to rewrite the political 
outcomes of 2016. It is a fact that was true for the U.S. and many 
European allies in the last year and will remain a serious risk to the 
validity of our future elections if we do not take action. Mr. 
Mueller's investigation will serve as a necessary step to secure the 
ability of Americans to cast their vote in confidence for those who 
will represent them in Washington. Nothing could be more sacred or more 
American.
  Serious, prudent, and thorough congressional oversight is always 
appropriate. Reckless, partisan attacks on the integrity of an honest 
public servant are not the same as congressional oversight. Attacks 
like these embolden our enemies, animate opponents of democracy, and 
inspire terrorists. These attacks are nothing short of unpatriotic.
  I call on my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to stand up for 
the integrity of the process that Mr. Mueller is leading. Skepticism of 
the outcomes of his investigation triggered by dishonest smears on Mr. 
Mueller's reputation by Washington politicians would have lasting 
results and would compromise the ability of law enforcement to protect 
U.S. from our enemies, foreign and domestic.

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