02.17.17

Durbin: The American People Deserve An Investigation Of Trump’s Russian Connection Now

WASHINGTON—U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today spoke on the Senate floor about the immediate need for an investigation of the Russian connection to President Trump’s campaign and administration officials as new revelations pour out of the West Wing following the resignation of President Trump’s former National Security Advisor, Michael Flynn.
 
“The American people have a right to know what the Russians did, and they have a right to know if and when members of the Trump campaign or his close associates were engaged and involved in what President Trump has dismissed as a ruse.  Seventeen intelligence agencies don’t dismiss it,” said Durbin.  “We need an independent, transparent investigation of what happened.  We ought to say to this president, you may conceal your income tax returns, unlike any other presidential candidate in modern memory, but you cannot conceal from the American people the facts as to whether the Russians were attempting a cyber-attack on the United States during the course of our last election.  That’s too critical a question to ignore.”
 
Video of Durbin’s remarks on the Senate floor are available here.
 
Audio of Durbin’s remarks on the Senate floor is available here.
 
Footage of Durbin’s remarks on the Senate floor is available here for TV Stations.
 
In January, Durbin joined a group of 17 senators to introduce legislation to establish an independent commission to investigate Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election. In a speech at the Center for American Progress, Durbin repeated his call for the commission.  In January, Durbin also joined Senator John McCain (R-AZ), Chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, Senator Ben Cardin (D-MD), Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and others to introduce bipartisan, comprehensive sanctions legislation on Russia for their cyber intrusions, aggression, and destabilizing activities in the U.S. and around the world.