Congressional Record—Senate S2974
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S2974 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE May 17, 2017 need to address the burden and growing The PRESIDING OFFICER. Under mittees, and Mr. Comey should testify complexity of our Tax Code, and they the previous order, the time until 12 before those committees in public. In- came together to actually do some- noon will be equally divided in the deed, providing the Congress the tapes thing about it. Republicans and Demo- usual form. and memos may be the only way for crats worked side by side and across RECOGNITION OF THE MINORITY LEADER this administration to credibly make a the aisle to move that tax legislation. The Democratic leader is recognized. case to a justifiably skeptical Amer- ican public about its version of the It was a big win for both parties, for THOUGHTS AND PRAYERS FOR SENATOR TILLIS Ronald Reagan and the Republicans, story reported by the New York Times. Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. President, I just The President says what Comey said for Tip O’Neill and the Democrats. heard that our friend and colleague Now it is once again time we do was wrong. Prove it. It is easy to prove from North Carolina has collapsed dur- it, as long as there are tapes or tran- something about the issue, and I would ing a race in DC and is receiving med- hope our Democratic colleagues will scripts of what happened. If the Presi- ical attention. Until we hear further dent is right, he will have no problem once again work on a bipartisan basis news, our hearts will be in our mouths, toward that end. This has been a grow- releasing memos, tapes, or transcripts hoping for the best. Our thoughts and that corroborate his story. But if he ing problem for a number of years now. prayers, as a Senate family, are with The American people deserve a tax sys- fails to release them, the American the junior Senator from North Carolina public will justifiably tend to side with tem that allows them to keep more of and his family. their hard-earned money, that empow- Mr. Comey, not what the President had RUSSIA INVESTIGATION ers them to invest in their futures, and to say, particularly in light of so much actually makes it easier to succeed Mr. President, on a different subject, backtracking, backsliding, and factual rather than harder. the events of the last 2 weeks have fabrication in this White House. We have to get this accomplished be- shaken my confidence in this adminis- Finally, the events of this past week cause Americans have waited long tration’s competence and credibility. only heighten the need for a special enough for an economy that finally There has been revelation after revela- prosecutor who is truly independent to lives up to its potential and finally al- tion, allegation after allegation of mis- run the Department of Justice’s inves- lows them to realize theirs as well. conduct on the part of the President tigation into potential collusion be- I appreciate the House under Speaker and his team. In the past 2 days, it has tween the Trump campaign and Russia. reached new heights. The American people must have faith RYAN’s leadership for the role it is playing in these efforts. That work The President, according to reports in the integrity and impartiality of continues now with a Ways and Means in the Washington Post and the New this investigation. We have learned, if Committee hearing dedicated to tax re- York Times, may have divulged classi- the reporting is accurate, that the President is willing to directly inter- form tomorrow and more to follow in fied information to a known adversary fere with an active investigation. coming days. and actively tried to quash an inves- Whether or not it breaks the law is not I also appreciate the good work of tigation of a close political ally. the point here. The point is, he was Members in both the House and the From the President’s own words, we already know that the Russia inves- trying to interfere with an investiga- Senate, particularly the Senate Fi- tion. How can anyone trust someone in nance Committee under Chairman tigation was on his mind when he fired Mr. Comey. We now know it may not the President’s chain of command, HATCH, who has been leading our dis- have been the first time the President someone who the President has ap- cussions. For years, the chairman has pointed, after those actions? The only been hard at work with fellow Finance has taken an action to impede an ac- tive investigation of his campaign or way out is a special prosecutor. It is Committee members on both sides of the right thing to do. the aisle on options for tax reform, and associates, if the reports in the New York Times are true. We know the President is willing to I am confident Senator HATCH will con- fire an FBI Director because of this in- tinue to lead the way on these efforts Concerns about our national secu- rity, the rule of law, the independence vestigation, in his own words. It makes in the days and months ahead. all the sense in the world to have a spe- The task before us is certainly a sig- of our Nation’s highest law enforce- ment agencies are mounting in this cial prosecutor who can be fired only nificant one, but I am confident we are for cause to lead the Russia investiga- land. The stated explanations for these up to the challenge because we know tion. That would help protect the in- events from the White House have been how important it is for us to get this tegrity of the investigation by insu- porous, shifting, and all too often con- done, and we know how long overdue lating it from a White House, which at tradictory. this is as well. the very minimum, is overreaching. The country is being tested in un- f Given the circumstances, these re- precedented ways. What is now re- quests are reasonable. They are mod- RESERVATION OF LEADER TIME quired are the facts and impartial in- est. I hope—I really pray—that my The PRESIDING OFFICER. Under vestigations into these very serious friends on the other side of the aisle the previous order, the leadership time matters. The White House should make will see that now is the time to put is reserved. available to the Intelligence Commit- party considerations aside and do what tees the transcripts and any related f is right for our country. I know that summaries of the Oval Office meeting several of my colleagues—Senators CONCLUSION OF MORNING between President Trump and the Rus- from Maine, Tennessee, Arizona—have BUSINESS sian Foreign Minister and Ambassador. expressed concerns. A few have gone The PRESIDING OFFICER. Morning We can then assess exactly what was further and endorsed some of the ac- business is closed. said and understand the consequences tions I have mentioned. It is a good of any intelligence that was shared f first step, but it is not enough. In the with the Russians. past 24 hours, there has been more EXECUTIVE SESSION On the topic of Mr. Comey, if the movement among Republicans in the President has tapes of his conversation House than here in the Senate. The with Mr. Comey, we ought to be able to Senate, by its traditions, should be EXECUTIVE CALENDAR review those tapes as well to see if the leading this effort, not following. More The PRESIDING OFFICER. Under President pressured the FBI Director of my Republican friends should join the previous order, the Senate will pro- to shut down an active investigation. the Senators from Maine, Tennessee, ceed to executive session to resume The Times reported that Mr. Comey and Arizona in speaking out about consideration of the Brand nomination, kept contemporaneous memos of his these events first but, far more impor- which the clerk will report. conversation with the President, and tantly, helping us get to the bottom of The assistant bill clerk read the Mr. Comey has a reputation for accu- them in an impartial, trusted, and re- nomination of Rachel L. Brand, of racy in those memos. Those memos spected way. Iowa, to be Associate Attorney Gen- should also be provided to the congres- To my friends on the other side of eral. sional Intelligence and Judiciary Com- the aisle: America needs you; America VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:09 May 18, 2017 Jkt 069060 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 0624 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\G17MY6.002 S17MYPT1 SSpencer on DSK7TPTVN1PROD with SENATE May 17, 2017 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE S2975 needs you now. America needs you to Children’s Health Insurance Program America, and the congressional district help pressure the Deputy Attorney for healthcare. That is one out of five I represented basically was smaller cit- General to name a special prosecutor people in my State who need these pro- ies—no more than 100,000 population at to compel this White House to turn grams to have basic health insurance the time—with a lot of smaller towns. over the transcripts and tapes to Con- for themselves and their children. I can’t tell you the pride those commu- gress, to demonstrate that the Con- This includes 300,000 Illinois seniors nities take in downstate Illinois in gress the American people elected, and people with disabilities, 650,000 who their hospitals. Some of those hospitals Democrats and Republicans, can come were recently added as part of the Af- are a lifeline—the only source of together to do the right thing when it fordable Care Act.