These are chilling reminders that Congress needs to act.

This bipartisan bill has been endorsed by Mothers Against Drunk Driving, and I hope this committee will consider it soon.

I commend my colleagues from the Helsinki Commission, including Co-Chairman Wicker, for their service in leadership roles.

As my colleagues, Senators Wicker and Cardin, wrote in the Woodrow Wilson Quarterly last fall, the OSCE's mission is as important as ever.

I congratulate Slovakia on the election of your new president, Zuzana Caputova on Saturday.

The fundamental purpose of the pardon power is to ensure fairness and proportionality in our criminal justice system and to provide a check against miscarriages of justice.

Since Watergate, it has been clear that the President can't abuse his powers to place himself above the law.

President Trump then issued a pardon to pardon Sheriff Arpaio of contempt and to take away the court's ability to enforce its orders.

Thank you, Madam Chair, and Merritt's mother.

Before I recognize the chair for his statement, I do want to mention that President Obama, in my opinion, didn't give enough pardons, or commutations, to people with drug cases.

And is it possible that there is something in there that might amount to a coverup of knowledge of what the Russians were doing which would not amount to a conspiracy?