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Congressional Record—Senate S498 S498 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE January 23, 2020 If there were any doubt about how don’t want to lose a single more vote under his control. There may be an ef- President Putin feels about the Presi- than necessary. But those polls do fort to say: OK, the human hand gre- dent’s conduct, you need only look to show the powerful motive that Donald nade, Rudy Giuliani, it is all his fault. Putin’s own words. His statement on Trump had—a motive that he didn’t He has the President in his grip. November 20 tells it all. He said: have the year before or the year before And even though the U.S. intel- Thank God nobody is accusing us anymore that; a motive that he didn’t have ligence agencies and the bipartisan of interfering in U.S. elections. Now they’re when he allowed the aid to go to Senate Intelligence Committee and ev- accusing Ukraine. Ukraine without complaint or issue in eryone else told the President time That is a short quotation from Putin, 2017 or 2018. It was only when he had a after time that this is nonsense, that but it speaks volumes. Even though growing concern with Joe Biden’s can- the Russians interfered, not the President Trump knew there was no didacy that he took a sudden interest Ukrainians, he just couldn’t shake factual basis for the theory that it was in Ukraine and Ukraine funding and himself of what he was hearing from Ukraine that interfered in the 2016 the withholding of that aid. Rudy Giuliani. You can say a lot of election rather than Russia and knew I also want to underscore what the things about President Trump, but he that Russia was perpetuating this the- President said in that July 25 call. My is not led by the nose by Rudy Giuliani. ory, he still wanted President Zelensky colleague showed you that transcript And if he is willing to listen to his per- to pursue the investigation. Why? Be- from July 25 where the President says: sonal lawyer over his own intelligence cause, while Putin and Russia clearly ‘‘I would like you to find out what hap- agencies, his own advisers, then you stood to gain by promoting this con- pened with this whole situation with can imagine what a danger that pre- spiracy theory about Ukraine, so did Ukraine, they say CrowdStrike.’’ My sents to this country. Donald Trump. He knew it would be po- colleagues have explained what that My colleague also played for you that litically helpful to his 2020 election. theory is about that server, that interview with Director Wray. And, An announcement of an investigation CrowdStrike server—the crazy theory again, I was just struck anew by that by Ukraine would have breathed new that it was Ukraine that hacked the interview. In that interview, Director life into a debunked conspiracy theory Democratic server and that server was Wray says: ‘‘We have no information that indicates that Ukraine interfered that Ukrainian election interference whisked away to Ukraine and hidden with the 2016 presidential election.’’ was there in 2016, and it lent it great there so that the investigators and the That is Donald Trump’s Director of the credibility. It would have cast doubt on FBI couldn’t look at this server. That FBI: ‘‘We have no information that in- the conclusions of the Intelligence is what Donald Trump was raising in dicates that Ukraine interfered with Committee and Special Counsel that conversation with President the 2016 election’’—none, as in zero. Mueller that Russia interfered in the Zelensky. I bring up this point again because The reporter then says: When you see 2016 election to help President Trump. politicians pushing this notion, are you And it would have helped eliminate a you may hear from my colleagues, the President’s lawyers, as we heard during concerned about that in terms of the perceived threat to the legitimacy of impact on the American public? Donald Trump’s Presidency, that he the testimony in the House, that the concern was over Ukrainian inter- And the Director says: ‘‘Well, look, was only elected because of the help he there’s all kinds of people saying all ference in the election, and why isn’t it received from President Putin. kinds of things out there.’’ possible that both Russia and Ukraine I now yield to Mr. SCHIFF. Well, yes, there are, but this person Mr. MCCONNELL. Mr. Chief Justice. interfered in the election? Never mind is the President of the United States. The CHIEF JUSTICE. The majority that is contrary to all the evidence. When he says ‘‘there are all kinds of leader is recognized. But it is important to point out here people out there saying all kinds of f that we are not talking about generic things,’’ well, what he is really saying interference. We are not talking about, is the President of the United States. RECESS SUBJECT TO CALL OF THE as we heard from some of my col- CHAIR It is one thing if someone off the leagues in the House, a tweet from a streets says it, but when it is coming Mr. MCCONNELL. Mr. Chief Justice, Ukrainian here or an op-ed written by from the President of the United I am going to recommend that we take somebody there and equating it with States, you can see what a danger it is a 15-minute break at this point. the kind of systematic interference of if it is patently false and it is promul- The CHIEF JUSTICE. Without objec- the Russians. What we are talking gated by the Russians. tion, it is so ordered. about here—what the President is talk- And, again, the reporter says: We There being no objection, at 2:57 p.m. ing about here is a very specific con- heard from the President, himself, he the Senate, sitting as a Court of Im- spiracy theory going to the server wanted the CrowdStrike portion of this peachment, recessed until 3:25 p.m.; itself, meaning that it was Ukraine whole conspiracy investigated, and I whereupon the Senate reassembled that hacked the Democratic server, not am hearing you say there is no evi- when called to order by the CHIEF JUS- the Russians. This theory was brought dence to support this. TICE. to you by the Kremlin, OK? So we are And Wray says: ‘‘As I said, we at the The CHIEF JUSTICE. Mr. Manager not talking about generic interference. FBI have no information that would in- SCHIFF. We are talking about the server. We dicate that Ukraine tried to interfere Mr. Manager SCHIFF. Senators, I am are talking about CrowdStrike. At in the 2016 presidential election’’— going to pick up where my colleague least, that is what Donald Trump want- none. from Texas left off, but I want to begin ed to investigate or announced—this And so you can imagine the view by underscoring a few of the points completely bogus, Kremlin-pushed con- from the Kremlin of all of this. You that she made, in listening to her pres- spiracy theory. can imagine Putin in the Kremlin with entation, that really leapt out at me in I was also struck by that video you his aides, and one of his aides comes a way they hadn’t leapt out at me be- saw of Tom Bossert, the former home- into the office and says: Vladimir, you fore. land security adviser for the President, are never going to believe this. The First, I want to address—my col- in which he talked about how com- President of the United States is push- league shared a number of slides show- pletely debunked and crazy this con- ing our CrowdStrike theory. ing the polling strength of Joe Biden spiracy theory is. And then there was I mean, you can almost imagine the vis-a-vis the President as a demonstra- that rather glib line that he admitted incredulity of Vladimir Putin: You are tion of his motive, the fact that he was glib, but nonetheless made a point, kidding; right? You mean he really be- went over these political investiga- about the three or five ways to im- lieves this? His own people don’t be- tions to undermine someone he was peach oneself, and the third way was to lieve this. Nobody believes this. deeply concerned about. hire Rudy Giuliani. It would be bad enough, of course, This is an appropriate point for me to Now, it struck me in watching that that the President of the United States make the disclaimer that the House clip, again, that it is important to em- believes this Russian propaganda managers take no position in the phasize that Rudy Giuliani is not some against the advice of all of his advis- Democratic primary for President. I Svengali here who has the President ers—common sense—and everything VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:00 Jan 24, 2020 Jkt 099060 PO 00000 Frm 00012 Fmt 4637 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\G23JA6.017 S23JAPT1 dlhill on DSKBBY8HB2PROD with SENATE January 23, 2020 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE S499 else, but it is worse than that. It is Second, the President’s only interest Ambassador SONDLAND. Announced pub- worse than that. On the basis of this in Ukraine was the ‘‘Big Stuff’’ that lically. Russian propaganda, he withheld $400 mattered to himself, not issues affect- Mr. Manager SCHIFF. The other evi- million in military aid to a nation Rus- ing Ukraine or the United States.
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