[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 163 (2017), Part 7]
[Senate]
[Page 9112]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                        SPECIAL COUNSEL MUELLER

  Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. President, I am frankly disturbed by the new 
strategy on the hard right to discredit Special Counsel Mueller and 
sully his reputation. Their strategy is clear. They know or suspect 
that facts might not be good for the President so they are trying to 
vilify the man who is in charge of finding them, but they have chosen 
the wrong man. Anyone who engages in these baseless attacks about Mr. 
Mueller's character is only heaping dishonor upon themselves.
  Mr. Mueller is known for his service to America and for his 
integrity. He is a straight arrow. He is a Republican. Only a few weeks 
ago, these same hard-right commentators and pundits were praising Mr. 
Mueller. They were lauding his qualities. Even Attorney General Jeff 
Sessions has unequivocally praised Mr. Mueller in the past for his 
service and credibility. Sessions said, Mueller's ``integrity is 
undoubted . . . his experience and love of country is undoubted.''
  To these hard-right commentators who are attacking this honorable man 
who is trying to do a job for our country and see that the rule of law 
is obeyed, read what Attorney General Sessions has said.
  Now, because Director Comey's testimony has made President Trump's 
actions less and less defendable, these hard-right commentators have 
turned tail. They have started an ad hominem, nasty assault on a career 
public servant and a very fine man.
  A close associate of the President, Mr. Christopher Ruddy, has even 
insinuated that the President might fire Special Counsel Mueller. I 
can't think of a worse move for the President at this time. I would 
have him look back in history and see what happened to a President who 
tried to do the same thing.
  I have one question. What are these people who are attacking Mueller 
afraid of? Are they afraid of what Mr. Mueller is going to find? Is the 
White House afraid of what Mr. Mueller is going to uncover?
  It seems pretty obvious that if they were not worried, they would let 
Mueller proceed because they would be confident he would find nothing. 
I find no other legitimate reason why the critics would flip so quickly 
to attack a man of integrity unless they were worried about what he 
might find. Again, if the White House truly has nothing to hide, they 
ought to encourage Special Counsel Mueller to investigate. They should 
let him do his job.
  When people say ``where there is smoke, there is fire,'' they are 
pointing to actions like this, and it makes the American people 
distrustful of the White House and their allies.
  I know these attacks probably don't bother Mr. Mueller. He has a very 
strong spine, and he will go after the facts regardless of the noise 
around him, but they are bothersome, they are wrong, and they are 
nasty.
  One of the most important things in our democracy is a bedrock faith 
in the rule of law; that no person is above the rule of law. The 
President's allies are going to attack every single law enforcement 
agent involved in the Russia investigation. If the White House ever 
joins in those attacks, it will greatly erode the American people's 
faith in the rule of law and do significant damage to our democracy at 
a time when it seems somewhat more fragile than it has in the past. 
This is not a game. This is not fun.
  This is a very serious investigation that is headed by one of the 
most trusted men in Washington. It is about foreign interference in our 
elections, something that eats at--that corrodes the very roots of our 
democracy, the very wellspring of our being, and pride as a nation. I 
would urge that these attacks on Mr. Mueller be ceased and that my 
friends on the other side join me in defending his reputation. They 
have gone a little too far.

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