Senate Majority Whip John Cornyn on Thursday objected to a bipartisan resolution that affirms Russian responsibility for the 2016 election interference and demands the notes from President Trump’s one-on-one conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
“The way to do our work is through bipartisan committee work, have the witnesses come and testify, ask them hard questions, and render our judgment,” Cornyn, a Texas Republican, said on the floor. “I think we should consider sanctions, not sort of Sense of the Senate resolution that … [has] no deterrent effect.”
Cornyn spoke after Sens. Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., and Chris Coons, D-Del., offered the resolution as a rebuke of Trump’s failure to condemn Russian election interference and blame Putin for the poor state of U.S.-Russia relations. The resolution likewise called for the notes from Trump’s meeting and access to individuals — a potential reference to the president’s translator — who might be able to shed light on the conversation.
“We saw earlier this week in Helsinki what was truly an Orwellian moment,” Flake, one of Trump’s most aggressive Republican critics, said while introducing the resolution. “By choosing to reject object reality in Helsinki, the president let down the free world by giving aid and comfort to an enemy of democracy.”
Flake and Coons tried to bring up the resolution by unanimous consent, which requires unanimous agreement before it can get a vote. “We need to be clear-eyed that President Putin of Russia will not stop until we stop him,” Coons said on the floor. “We need to stand up and fight for democracy and the rule of law.”
Cornyn countered that the resolution short-circuited more appropriate and rigorous oversight efforts, such as Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s testimony next week. He argued, also, that the resolution contains an error, because it calls for the imposition of the mandatory sanctions that Congress voted to impose on countries that do business with Russia’s defense sector; lawmakers are in the process of providing India with a waiver.
“We ought to be all about encouraging that movement toward us and away from the Russian Federation and I worry there is no reference in here to the waiver,” he said.
Flake, who also endorsed the waiver for India, argued that Cornyn was wrong to deride the resolution as a mere “symbolic” gesture.
“I think it’s regrettable that this was objected to,” Flake said. “We will bring it back . . . Symbolism is important.”
Cornyn also emphasized that the Senate Intelligence Committee is investigating Russia’s 2016 election interference. “I just think this is a little more complicated. we need to take our time and go through regular order or else we’re going to make mistakes,” he said.
Susan Ferrechio contributed to this report.
