Sure that we have all the information necessary to move forward. I yield the floor. Objection. Mr. Menendez mr. President , i ask to speak for up to 15 minutes. The presiding officer without objection. Mr. Menendez we have heard some deeply disturbing revelations in recent days regarding President Trumps efforts to tie congressionally appropriated security funding for ukraine hostage to its governments willingness to investigate his political opponents here at home. The alleged threat by President Trump to withhold vital security funding from ukraine came out last week in press reports about a whistleblower complaint from a u. S. Intelligence official. These revelations suggest a gross abuse of power unlike anything ive ever seen during my 27 years working on u. S. Foreign policy. They also show donald trump once again welcoming a foreign power to influence our elections, this time using the power of the white house. As of today, the acting director of National Intelligence has refused to comply with the law that requires him to share this whistleblower complaint with congress. Yet that hasnt stopped multiple members of the president s inner circle from all but confirming that the president push ukraine president zelensky to open an investigation into former Vice President joe biden. Together they have engaged in a disturbing effort to convince the American People that this sort of behavior is somehow normal. First we watched the president s personal lawyer admit on cnn that he had raised the issue of investigating biden on the president s behalf. Then yesterday we saw secretary pompeo sink to a new low when he defended this behavior on national tv. And then it was the president himself who admitted it to reporters. The president himself. Im not sure what more evidence we need, folks. And where are my republican colleagues . Where are those supposed defenders of democracy and freedom . Where are the advocates for a strong relationship with ukraine . Theyre silent, mr. President. Shamefully silent. For more than two months, the president held up 391 million in urgently needed Security Assistance for ukraine, assistance that was appropriated by the senate with broad bipartisan support. Congress didnt pass this funding so that the president could sit on it. We didnt pass this funding so that the president could use it as leverage to get ukraine to investigate his political opponents. We passed this funding because ukraine needs our support against relentless russian aggression and because providing that support is in the interests of our own National Security goals. Certainly many of us were not surprised to see this Administration Delay assistance to ukraine, given the president s repeated cowering to moscow on the international stage. And yet for two months, we wondered exactly why this money was being withheld from ukraine. Now we know. The president withheld this money all in the hope that the Ukrainian Government would open a bogus investigation into Vice President bidens son. How is that not an abuse of power . How is that not an abuse of power . I welcome efforts in the house to fully investigate the role of the president s personal lawyer in pressuring a foreign country to investigate the family of a potential political opponent. I urge the senate to follow suit because a legitimate president would never allow his lawyer to override bipartisan support for the ukraine. A legitimate president would not let his personal lawyer compel foreign powers to interfere in our political process. A legitimate president would not withhold congressionally appropriated funding to ukraine to advance his reelection prospects. So today im calling for a series of measures to get to the bottom of this. First, i call upon the Inspector General of the state department to withhold the Security Assistance for ukraine. This review must include the extent to which the department was aware of or part of the decision to hold these funds and whether our foreign assistance laws were broken. The Inspector General must also examine whether the state department knew why the administration was withholding these funds and highlight any communications between the white house and the state department on this matter. Second, i call upon the state department to provide all details and records about any support in any form provided from the department of the president s personal lawyers efforts in ukraine. Likewise, we need to know about any briefings the president s personal lawyer provided to Department Personnel and his interactions with ukrainian officials. Third, i call on the office of management and budget to Tell Congress why it sat on ukraine Security Assistance for more than two months. It typically takes the o. M. B. Just five days to review notifications from the implementing agencies. To sit on a notification for more than two months is unorthodox, unprecedented, and unacceptable. Fourth, i call upon the Senate Committees on foreign relations, appropriations, armed services, and the select committee on intelligence to immediately hold hearings on the president s purported use of Security Assistance to pressure ukraine to open an investigation into a political opponent. I urge chairman risch to fulfill his commitment to hold a hearing on russia and markup on russia sanctions soon. If President Trump had used money to coerce another person to perform some corrupt action on his behalf, we would call it out for what it is extortion. Are we just going to let the president of the United States extort foreign leaders . Are we going to let him reshape American Foreign policy to advance his own personal goals and Political Goals . Is this not a gross abuse of president ial power . If not, then what is . These committees have a responsibility to ask these questions and they have a constitutional responsibility to do their job. The senate as a whole has an obligation to get to the bottom of this. Do my republican colleagues really think it is okay to ask a foreign power to pursue unfounded allegations against their political opponents . Is this the new normal . I hope not. This is behavior that we have never seen from an american president. Unfortunately, its behavior that fits into President Trumps broader pattern of surrender to his patrons in moscow. I wish i could say that extorting ukraine was the only way that donald trump corrupted our National Security over the course of this summer, but thats just not the case. Last month, President Trump also redirected funding for the European Deterrent Initiative to his ridiculous border wall. Funding for the European Deterrence Initiative helps our allies counter the kind of russianmaligned influence deployed by putin against our democracy in 2016. Its well by now known that President Trump was lying when he said that mexico would pay for the wall. To this day, he refuses to own up to this lie, so much so that he is willing to siphon dollars away from our military and abandon our most vital democratic allies in europe to pursue a medieval vanity project. It is yet another example of him selling out our National Security to curry favor with his political base. Over the past few weeks, my office has heard from several european embassies who are now Stuck Holding the bill for trumps wall. And while you wont hear it from them publicly because they, too, fear a backlash from this president , they are defended and angry by this decision. Its simply astounding. Were talking about the allies that america fought and died for in order to defend democracy, worked so hard to rebuild after world war ii and continue to protect during the cold war. Im sure the kremlin couldnt be happier. To putin, this must be a stroke of genius. Trump is killing two birds with one stone by redirecting these funds. Hes dividing us from our european allies in the face of russian aggression and dividing the American People with his politics of hate. Ive said it before and ill say it again. Investing in Donald Trumps candidacy was the best decision putin ever made. This patron at 1600 pennsylvania avenue will drop at nothing to repay the debt. Indeed, it might be the only debt Businessman Donald Trump has ever worked so hard to repay. My friends, weve witnessed a real summer of love between trump and putin. Consider the g7 meeting in france last month. So clearly was the United States not the leading voice at the table. So tragically have we lost the confidence of our closest allies. And so predictably about our president once again make an appeal on behalf of his patron in moscow, repeatedly calling for the expansion of the g7 to include russia. Sometimes i wonder does President Trump actually think that russia is a democracy . Does he think that the russian people live in freedom . Does he see russia as an advanced economy . Does he believe russia shares americas interest . I have to say little surprises me these days, but even i was taken back to see him blaming president obama for russias behavior on foreign soil, no less. There is only one country responsible for russias removal from the g8 in 2014 and that is russia. The Russian Federation was suspended from the g8 by its fellow countries because of its invasion and illegal occupation of crimea, the territory of the sovereign nation of ukraine. Five years later, more than 10,000 ukrainian patriots are dead. That is why russia does not belong in the g8. And what has the kremlin done since 2014 that could possibly justify an expansion of the g7 . Has it suspended its illegal occupation . Has it behaved like a responsible member of the International Community . Has it respected the sovereignty of other nations . The answers are no, no, and no. Lets review russias behavior since 2014. First and top of mind for many of us was russias sweeping and systematic interference in our 2016 president ial election on behalf of thencandidate donald trump, as documented in the special counsels sobering report. Mr. President , spreading propaganda, manipulating social media and spying on the American Election infrastructure is not the behavior of a g7 country. Second, with the kremlins chemical weapons attack on british soil, a blatant assassination attempt against a putin opponent and his daughter. One british citizen was killed and others required medical attention, and this is not an isolated case. Just last month, a russian citizen was gunned down at a park in berlin at the suspected hand of russian authorities. Mr. President , this is not the behavior of a g7 country. Third is the kremlins complicity in Bashar Assads war crimes in syria. An untold number of syrian civilians have been killed by russian air strikes long in support of assad. Those responsible should be tried in the haig on war crimes charges. This is not the behavior of a g7 country. Fourth, in recent weeks, Russian Forces have ramped up their pressure on the country of georgia. More than 11 years after russias invasion, the georgian people suffer under its ongoing aggression. That is not the behavior of a g7 country. Fifth is the recent russian crackdown on demonstrators exercising their basic political rights. Throughout the summer, putin oversaw the brutal beatings of children, women, and men and subjected everyday russian citizens to arbitrary arrests and detention. What was their plea . That they be able to register their own local candidates for their own local elections. Mr. President , the kremlins ongoing and too often violent oppression of the russian people is not the behavior of a g7 country. No country in the g7 acts this way. This behavior is destabilizing, it is aggressive, it is authoritarian, and it does not belong at the table of democracies. It is truly a disgrace that any american president would so easily discount all i just described to win favor. Of course these arent the only gifts bestowed by President Trump during the summer of love. Lets not forget how the president has delayed sanctions on turkey over its purchase of the russian s400 system. Through sanction acts or capsa in recent to russias attack on our elections in 2016. We have the sanctions for a reason. They advanced americas National Security interests. They starve the Russian Defense sector of muchneeded international business, and by not imposing them, this president is both failing to hold russia accountable and sending a dangerous message to other countries that they can buy russian weapon systems without consequence. From the moment we passed catsa, this administration has resisted every step of the way. So, mr. President , lets imagine for a moment what a legitimate american president , a president who is not a putin puppet would do in this situation. How would that person protect our country . First, a legitimate president would not endanger the relationship of the key ally in order to gain political advantage at home. They would show solidarity with our democratic allies by providing all appropriated Security Assistance to ukraine and funding for european efforts to counter russian aggression. Second, im sure that they would not welcome russia back into the g7. And third, they would impose caatsa sanctions on turkey and send a clear message to the world that the United States is serious about imposing pressure on the Russian Defense industry. So let me close. The United States of america must always stand on the side of democracy, human right, freedom and the rule of law. Thats why we must secure our elections from the threat of foreign interference at home and defense democracies in the face of russian aggression abroad. That is why we must demand that security funding appropriated by congress is actually delivered and that the sanctions we craft to counter our adversaries are imposed. And that is why we cannot be silent when american president extorts Foreign Countries into influencing our elections orwell comes an authoritarian strong mans return to the g7. I implore my colleagues to use the article 1 of the constitution powers we have to get to the bottom of these very issues and preserve the critical checks and balances we have in our nation. With that, mr. President , ifbi, Security Agency testify. , ifbi, this is just over two hours and ten minutes