A bipartisan group of 44 former senators urged the Senate Monday to stand in “defense of our democracy” amid the crises posed by the investigations into President Trump and global conflicts.
“We are on the eve of the conclusion of special counsel Robert S. Mueller III’s investigation and the House’s commencement of investigations of the president and his administration,” the lawmakers wrote in an op-ed published Monday in the Washington Post. “The likely convergence of these two events will occur at a time when simmering regional conflicts and global power confrontations continue to threaten our security, economy and geopolitical stability.”
As a result, the lawmakers argued that the country was on the cusp of entering an era “when our nation must engage at every level with strategic precision and the hand of both the president and the Senate.”
“We are at an inflection point in which the foundational principles of our democracy and our national security interests are at stake, and the rule of law and the ability of our institutions to function freely and independently must be upheld,” they said.
The lawmakers noted that, although sometimes they opposed one another, they were never “enemies” and that, despite disagreements, “we did not veer from our unwavering and shared commitment to placing our country, democracy and national interest above all else.”
The lawmakers also claimed that the Senate “has stood in defense of our democracy” at other points in history of constitutional crises and that the Senate must do so again now.
The letter was signed by former lawmakers including Sens. John Kerry, D-Mass.; Chuck Hagel, R-Neb.; and Lowell Weicker, I-Conn.
Mueller is investigating Russian interference in the 2016 election and whether the Trump campaign colluded with the Kremlin. Democrats, who now have a majority in the House, are poised to use their new oversight powers to investigate Trump and his administration.
For example, Rep. Jerry Nadler, D-N.Y., who is expected to become chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, told CNN last month after the 2018 midterm elections that Trump’s “administration is going to be held accountable” in the next Congress.
