WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senator Tom Udall issued the following statement after Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s public remarks regarding the Russia investigation:
“Today, Robert Mueller made two things crystal clear. First, a foreign adversary meddled in our presidential election with the express intention of tipping the scales to benefit the Trump campaign. Second, the special counsel was unable to charge the president with obstruction of justice solely due to Department of Justice policy -- not lack of evidence. These important conclusions from the special counsel’s report may have been obscured by the false narrative spun by the administration, but they are deeply troubling and merit strong congressional oversight.
“The facts are indisputable and they demand close attention from every American – and from Congress. Russian meddling in our elections, and the president’s attempts to interfere with the special counsel’s investigation into that meddling, represent a direct attack on our democratic process. And although department policy prohibited the special counsel from recommending criminal charges against a sitting president, his report has presented the American public with a strong body of evidence to suggest obstruction. Now, it falls to Congress to determine next steps.
“Congress must continue to follow the facts and conduct rigorous oversight over the Trump administration to ensure full transparency. Any attempts by President Trump to stonewall Congress or run out the clock on subpoenas are an attack on congressional authority and will not be tolerated. We are a coequal branch of government, and it is our constitutional duty to hold this president accountable. Just as importantly, we must stop turning a blind eye to blatant attempts to undermine our faith in democracy. It’s long past time that we enact strong measures to fix the cracks in our electoral system and strengthen election security, beginning with passing our For The People package. The strength of our democracy is at stake, and we must act now to restore public confidence in our system of government.”
###
