Gnr the 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 came out last week on press reports about a whistleblower complaint from a u. S. Intelligence official. The revelations suggest a gross abuse of power unlike anything ive ever seen during my 27 years working on u. S. Foreign policy. They also showed donald trump once again welcoming a power to influence our elections this time using the power of the white house. They have refused to comply with the law that requires them to share the whistleblower complaint with congress. Yet that hasnt stopped multiple members of the president s inner circle from all but confirming the president pushed the ukrainian president to open an investigation into the former Vice President. The sort of behavior is somehow normal. First we watched him admit that he raised the issue with investigating biden on his behalf. Then it was the president himself but admitted it to the reporters. Rethe president himself. Im not sure what evidence we need. Where are the advocates of the relationship with ukraine, they are silent, mr. President. Shamefully silent. For more than two months, the president held up 391 million in urgently needed Security Assistance for ukraine. We didnt pass this to use it as leverage to get ukraine to investigate the political opponents. It is against the relentless aggression and because providing that support is in the interest of the National Security goals. Manyra of us were not surprisedo see this administration deeply the assistance given the president s repeated 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 at this money on the hope that the Ukrainian Government would open a bogus investigation to the Vice President son. How is that not an abuse of power. I welcome efforts in the house that investigate the role of the president s personal lawyer. Its for the opponent and i urge the senate to follow suit because the legitimate president with better allow his lawyer to override bipartisan support for the ukraine. A legitimate president would inflict this personal control foreign powers to interview in the interfere in the process. The president wouldnt withhold congressional appropriate funding to ukraine to advance the election prospects. So, today i am calling for asu series of measures to get to the bottom of this. First, i call upon the Inspector General of the state department to review the withholding of Security Assistance for ukraine. This must include the extent to which the department was aware or part of and the decision to withhold the funds and whether the laws were broken. The Inspector General must also examine whether the state department knew why the administration was withholding these funds and highlight any communication between the white house and the state department on this matter. Second, i called upon the state department to detail all of the records about any support in any form provided for the personal lawyers efforts in ukraine. Likewise, we need to know about any briefings that we are reported to the personnel on his interactions with ukrainian officials. Third; the office of management and budget to talk to i congress by the Security Assistance has been more than two months. It typically take them just five days to review the notifications from the implementing agencies. It is unorthodox and unprecedented and unacceptable. I call upon the kennedys and the Foreign RelationsArmed Services and 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 the political opponents. I urge the churning to fulfill the commitment of holding russia, the markup on the sanctions andnd if they used moy to coerce another person to perform somen corrupt action on his behalf, we would call it out for what it is, extortion. It out are we just going to let the president of the United States extort foreign leaders or reshape the Foreign Policy to advance hiswn own personal goals is this not a gross abuse of president ial power these committees have the responsibility to ask these questions and a constitutional responsibility to do their job. The senate as a whole has an obligation to get to the bottom of this. For my republican colleagues, do they really think that its okay to ask a foreign power for the unfounded allegations against a political opponent come is this the new normal, i hope not. This is the behavior we havent ehseen from the american president. Unfortunately, it is the broader pattern of surrender to his patrons in moscow. Ouwish i could see that extra to ukraine is the only way donald trump corrupted the security but this isnt the case. For the funding for the detoured initiative to his ridiculous portable, funding for the Deterrence Initiative helps our allies counter the kind of influence deployed by putin against democracy in 2016. It k is known President Trump ws lying when he said mexico would pay for the wall. To this day, he refused to own up to this lie, so much so that hes willing to fight the dollars away from the military and abandon the most vital allies of europe to pursue the medieval vanity project. Another example of the National Security declaring favor for the politicall base. They are now Stuck Holding the bill and while you wont hear it from them publicly, they are offended and angry by this decision. Its simply astounding. We are talking about the allies that america fought and died for in order for our democracy to work so hard to rebuild after urworld war ii and continue to protect during the cold war. Im sure that the kremlin couldnt be happier. This must be a stroke of genius. Killing two birds with one stone by redirecting the funds. Hes dividing us from our european allies for the face of russian aggression and dividing the American People with the politics. Ive said it before and i will say it again. Investing in Donald Trumps was the best decision to attend ever made. 1600 pennsylvania avenue was taught nothing to repay the debt and edith might be the only effect that Businessman Donald Trump has never worked so hard to repay. My friends, we have what is a summer of love between trump and putin. It is with the United States voice at the table, so tragically have we lost the confidence of our closest allies and so predictably did our president once again make an appeal on behalf of the patron in moscow repeatedly calling for the expansion to include russia. Sometimes i wonder does he actuallysi think that russia isa democracy . Does he think that they live in freedom but you see it as an advanced economy and that they share the interest . I have to say little surprises me theseut days but for the behavior on foreign soil no less there is only one country responsible for the removal from the g8 in 2014 and that is russia. The Russian Federation was suspended b by the low countries because of its invasion and illegal occupation ofig crania. Five years later more than 10,0010,000 patrons are dead ant is why they do not belong. What has the kremlin done that could possibly objectify the expansion of the g7 summit has it defended its illegalal occupation, hasnt behaved like a responsible member of the community and has a respected the sovereigntit respectedthe s, the answer is no, no and no. Letss review the behavior since 2014. First, for many of us it was the sweeping systematic interference in our 2016 president ial election on behalf of then candidate donald trump and as this is documented in the special counsels sobering report. Spreading propaganda, manipulating the social media and spying on the American Election infrastructure is not the behavior of the country. Second, with a 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. Last month, a russian citizen was gunned down in a park in berlin. At the suspected and russian authorities. Mr. President , this is not the behavior of a g7 country. Third is the complicity o of bechard alassads war crimes in this area and wee are told the numbers have been killed by a sob. Su of those should be tried on war crimes charges. This is not the behavior of a g7 country. Fourth, the Russian Forces ramped up georgia and more than 11 years of the invasion, the jordan people suffer on earth its ongoing aggression. That is not the behavior of the g7 country. The reason that they were exercising their basic political rights. Putin oversaw the brutal beatings of children, women and men and subjected the citizens to arbitrary arrests and detention. Of course by President Trump during the summer. Its not how the s president has delayed sanctions on turkey over the purchase of s400 system. Congress passed the sanctions under americas adversary through sanction acts in response to russias attack in 2016 prewe have the sanctions anfor reason. They advance americas National Security interest. By not imposing them, this president is failing to help russia accountable and sending a dangerous message to other countries that they can buy russian Weapons Systems withouta consequences. This administration has resisted every step of the way. Si mr. President , to imagine what a legitimate american president , a president who is not a pollutant puppet would do in the situation. How would the protector country . First a legitimate president would not endanger the relationship with the key ally to gain political advantage home. And with solidarity the alleys nt providing appropriate securities. Im sure they would not welcome russian back into the g summit. And third they would impose 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. Let meta close, the united stats of america must always stand on the side of democracy of human rights, freedom and the rule of law. That is why we must secure our elections from foreignss interference of home and defense democracies in the face of russian aggressor abroad. Thats why we must demand security of funding appropriated by congress is actually delivered in the sanctions that we encounter in our adversaries are imposed and we cannot be silent when american president pours Foreign Countries into our elections and welcomes a return to the g7. I implore my colleague to use the article one of the constitution powers that we have to get to the bottom of these very issues and preserve the critical checks and balances that we have in our nation. I yield the floor. Acting director of national telogen, Joseph Maguire testifies thursday before the House Select Intelligence Committee on the handling of a whistler complaint. Involving President Trump. 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