Schumer Floor Remarks Calling For Senate Judiciary Chairman Graham To Bring In Special Counsel Mueller To Provide Public Testimony Without Delay

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Chuck Schumer today spoke on the Senate floor calling for Senate Judiciary Chairman Lindsey Graham (R-SC) to bring in Special Counsel Mueller to provide public testimony without delay. Below are his remarks, which can also be viewed here:

Madam President, we have now had a day where the attorney general testified before the Judiciary Committee and many issues are not resolved because there are great discrepancies based on Mr. Mueller’s letters that have been made public – two letters, in fact, that have been made public – between what Mr. Barr has been saying and what Mr. Mueller believes.

The cloud that hangs over our country because of Russian interference in our election, and frankly, that hangs over the president because of the actions that Mr. Mueller outlined in his report, remains. There’s a great need to clear all of that up – and to clear all of that up with no ands, ifs, or buts.

So I was shocked when I heard the Chairman of the Judiciary Committee, my friend, colleague – who I’ve traveled with – Sen. Graham, came out of the hearing and said he was not going to call Mueller for a hearing. The fact that he, on his own – despite the desires of many other members of the committee – would simply say that Mueller is not going to testify was so outrageous and wrong.

So I went to my colleague here on the floor, my friend Sen. Graham. I said to him, “How can you do this?” This is outrageous.” He said, “I’m just going to ask Barr in a letter if he said anything misleading. I’m just going to ask Mr. Barr in a letter if Barr said anything misleading or inaccurate, but not have the hearing.” I was appalled.

Now, I see in a tweet by a reporter, Emma Dumain, that Sen. Graham has slightly modified what he said. He said, “If Mueller tells Graham in the letter that Barr said anything misleading or inaccurate today, he would have the hearing.” That is not good enough. That is a game. He should not put the onus on Mr. Mueller – a straight arrow, someone who believes in chain of command – to publically state that in a letter. Mueller should come testify. No ands, ifs, or buts. Mueller should come testify. No games as to what he answers in a letter.

What are our colleagues so afraid of on the other side of the aisle? Are they afraid that Mueller might say things that are different than what Attorney General Barr said? Are they afraid that the country discuss the kinds of things the president has done, which nobody much seems to like? Are they afraid that we talk about foreign interference in our elections?

I would plead with my colleague Sen. Graham to reconsider. I would plead with my colleague Sen. Graham to say Mueller is coming, no ifs, ands, or buts so that we can question him – including our side of the aisle. That’s what congressional oversight is about. It’s not about the Chairman of the Judiciary Committee deciding what should be heard and what should not be heard. That’s not the job of the Chairman of the Judiciary Committee, no matter who he is or she is.

Special Counsel Mueller just concluded one of the most important investigations in our nation’s history. The Senate and the American people have a right to hear from the special counsel directly about the threat of foreign interference in our elections and yes, the conduct of the president.

And it’s one of the biggest takeaways in the hearing that we need the special counsel here to testify to clarify the discrepancies between what he and the attorney general are saying. We don’t need a letter. We don’t need conditions. That seems like a game, a dodge, a ruse, a way to prevent Mr. Mueller from testifying.

My view: Attorney General Barr routinely mischaracterized the special counsel’s words, his intentions, his reasoning. We know that from the special counsel’s letter that was publically released, we know that to be true. It’s likely that Attorney General Barr did so again in the hearings.

We need to hear from the special counsel himself to sort this out and get the truth. Not in the discretion of the Judiciary Committee Chairman, but because America, our system of government, our rule of law demands it.

Congress has always had, from the days of the Founding Fathers, a duty to provide oversight for the executive branch. Just because one party doesn’t feel like doing it because the president is from the same party, that doesn’t measure up to the grandness of our constitution.

My dear friend from South Carolina. Please rethink your position. Back off this idea that Mueller shouldn’t testify or should only testify if he meets certain conditions only set by you, and call special counsel Mueller in to testify.

I yield the floor.

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