[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 163 (2017), Part 4]
[Senate]
[Pages 5156-5157]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                RUSSIA AND TRUMP CAMPAIGN INVESTIGATION

  Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, last week in testimony to the House 
Intelligence Committee, FBI Director Comey confirmed what many of us 
have been urging for months: the need for an independent commission to 
look into the Russian act of cyber war on our election and any possible 
collusion with members of the Trump campaign.
  Comey confirmed that the FBI was ``investigating the nature of any 
links between individuals associated with the Trump campaign and the 
Russian government, and whether there was any coordination between the 
campaign and Russian efforts.''
  He continued that FBI agents would pursue the investigation ``no 
matter how long that takes.''
  This is incredible. I am not surprised, but it is incredible. Our 
Nation's top law enforcement agency is investigating possible links 
between those involved in President Trump's campaign and a foreign 
adversary known to have conducted an aggressive intelligence operation 
to help him get elected, and all the while, this President continues to 
deny any such attack, praise the dictator who launched the attack, and 
pursue policies that mirror those of the attacker, including the 
weakening of the Western security alliance.
  Yet what has been the priority of the majority party amid this 
mounting and serious breach, one we already knew about 5 months ago?
  Has it been to set up an independent commission to look into this 
unprecedented threat to our Nation and democracy? No.
  Has it been to work with the White House to disclose all information 
in an open and transparent manner to clear up any concerns or 
suspicions? No, in fact the opposite--we still haven't even seen the 
President's tax returns to get answers on Russian money in his 
businesses.
  Has it been to pass sanctions on Russia for its attack on our Nation? 
No.
  Has it been to pass meaningful cyber security legislation, 
legislation blocked by the majority in the last Congress to make sure 
our next elections in less than 2 years are secure from attack? No.
  So what has been the priority instead? Well, last week, the majority 
voted to make it easier to kill baby bears and their mothers in their 
dens. The majority also reversed internet privacy protections for 
consumers. A few weeks ago, the majority voted to reverse a law to help 
mitigate corruption in some of the world's most impoverished nations.
  Of course, the majority failed to advance TrumpCare, which would have 
stripped 24 million Americans of healthcare, a cruel bill that would 
have disproportionately hurt those who voted for President Trump.
  This is a dereliction of our responsibility here in the Congress. Not 
one of these issues is more important than getting to the bottom of 
possible collusion with the Russians or of the possibility that some in 
the White House have been compromised by a foreign government.
  I want to praise the few on the majority side who have spoken out on 
the need for an investigation, including Senator Graham and Senator 
McCain. They noted early on the need for an independent investigation.
  Today a majority of Americans also want an independent commission. I 
am again calling for the same. We need an

[[Page 5157]]

independent commission, one led by American statesmen or women of 
unquestioned reputation, say Sandra Day O'Connor or Colin Powell.
  We did this after the attack of September 11, and this attack and its 
unanswered questions demand nothing less again today.

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