Bill Keating

How about our request for diplomatic cables regarding the COVID-19 virus, what about those documents?

What is the total number of documents at our request related to security threats against Ambassador Masha Yovanovitch?

How many documents did the Department produce pursuant to a subpoena issued around the delay in arms production for Ukraine, suffering under Russian aggression?

How about our request into the intelligence surrounding nuclear, biological, and chemical weapons, how many documents were produced at our request?

How many documents has the State Department produced in response to this committee's questions into the President's communications with Vladimir Putin?

The State Department told us it had spent $8.1 million on this department since it was established.

Intelligence needs calling out the people that are attacking our democracy in a very clear and unambiguous way, particularly Russia.

The idea of public trust as fundamental to democracy and that is where transparency, that is where suppression of our intelligence information, perhaps with our allied but even at home, is such a disturbing development.

We have seen Germany step up. Whether it is reacting to the poisoning by Putin of Navalny, we have seen them take an increasing leadership role.

It might be good to make people aware of that history. It is part of our history. It is not that unusual.

Now some of those other countries probably need to send observers to us.

Public trust in elections is so important to securing democracy.

The U.S. is not setting a very good example like we have in the past.

Thank you for bringing up Turkey where journalists are being detained and where you are seeing the free press truly inhibited in trying to speak out.

What we need is the entire world, basically, of the free world with one voice, and some of the voices are not as loud as they could be.

The pandemic has already caused too much pain and suffering, and the United States' like-minded allies and partners must work together to ensure our shared democratic values and rule of law are not another casualty of this virus.

However, we must ensure these restrictions on civil and political rights are not abused by the governments looking to consolidate power.

I hope to hear more from all the witnesses today on how we in Congress can support the democratic aspirations of the people of Belarus.

As for Russia, the United States must ensure there is no question in Vladimir Putin's mind that a Russian military invasion of Belarus would be met with severe consequence.

Those sanctions must remain on the table until at least two conditions are met: all of those unjustly detained are released...

We must support the Belarusian people as they assert their right to chart their own destiny.

We are all watching with great concern the government's actions and with the support of the Belarusian people.

I think that was going to happen all along. I think this election, even though it took place, they were going to do it anyway.

The idea of the rapid response to this is critical, and that came through in our other hearing.

The House Foreign Affairs will come to order.