Chris Coons: “first, I want to thank my colleague and my friend, Mr. Flake, the Senator from Arizona, for joining me today in calling…”

“first, I want to thank my colleague and my friend, Mr. Flake, the Senator from Arizona, for joining me today in calling for action on a balanced bipartisan bill to uphold the rule of law, to avoid a constitutional crisis, and to secure the ongoing position of Special Counsel Robert Mueller, as he moves to complete his investigation. This is a critical moment. Just a week ago today, President Trump forced the resignation of his Attorney General, Jeff Sessions, and effectively stripped Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein of his authority to supervise the ongoing investigation by Robert Mueller--an investigation which, I will remind you, just the same day he forced Attorney General Sessions' resignation, the President attacked publicly as a hoax and a witch hunt. Let's take a step back to remember the bigger picture here. Robert Mueller--a career Federal law enforcement leader, a decorated combat veteran, a lifelong Republican--is leading an investigation into a foreign adversary's attack on our last election. This isn't about relitigating that election. It isn't about partisan politics. It is about protecting our democracy. As my colleague Senator Flake said, it is about protecting what defines us as a democracy. Yet our President is now in a position easily to interfere with or even end the Mueller investigation. Compounding that threat is the person who has been appointed as the Acting Attorney General, Matthew Whitaker. I have separate concerns about Mr.…”