Democracy in America

Floor Speech

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Mr. SCHUMER. Madam President, the President of the United States swears an oath to protect and defend the Constitution, including bedrock principles like the rule of law and the sanctity of our elections. But nearly every day, President Trump ignores this fundamental responsibility and tramples on the values that have made our country the light of the world. No President has come close to defaming and trying to destroy the democratic values of this country. No President has come close--none.

This morning, for what seemed like the millionth time, the President angrily, wildly, and baselessly ranted about the special counsel's investigation. It doesn't matter to him that his claims have no basis. It doesn't matter to him that his words may degrade faith in our independent law enforcement agencies and the rule of law. He proceeds only according to self-interest. He is offended that someone might look into the fact that he did something wrong--this happens with every President--and he lashes out in ways that hurt our democracy permanently.

Just look at how over the past few weeks President Trump has tried to intimidate and bully election officials in Florida and Arizona with fantastical claims of voter fraud. It doesn't matter to him that there is no evidence to the charges. It doesn't matter to him that in both States--Arizona and Florida--Republican officials have said there is no fraud, debunking the President's claims. It doesn't matter to him that his claims erode faith in the integrity of our elections among a segment of his supporters. If the President thinks it will help him personally, he will say it.

One of the most recent examples of this just happened yesterday. The President keeps getting more and more absurd. He makes things up. He most recently claimed in an interview with the Daily Caller that ``illegal'' voters ``go to their car, put on a different hat, put on a different shirt, and vote again.''

Name one. Name a few. When did it happen and when? Or did you just read this on some rightwing, nasty, dishonest blog and just repeat it? Donald Trump, you are the President of the United States. Because you read something in a blog that has no basis in fact, you don't have the right to repeat it, if you are President and behaving Presidentially, and yet he does it over and over. It is the height of irresponsibility.

Since his first day in office, President Trump has made these ridiculous claims about voter fraud that even his sham voting commission, led by Kris Kobach, couldn't prove. The real disgrace is how low the President and some Republicans will stoop to prevent American citizens from exercising their right to vote and how far they will go to undermine faith in our democracy, even to the point of disenfranchising military voters--people who may be overseas defending our freedom, risking their lives, who want to vote--and if their ballots don't come in at exactly the right moment, they shouldn't be counted--disgraceful.

The tendency is to treat the President's words as an extension of our modern, partisan politics. Well, we have too much partisan politics, but the truth is that the President's blatant disregard for basic norms, constitutional constraints, and truth is unique to him. No President has come close to going as far to destroy democratic norms. He is doing severe and possibly irreparable damage to our democracy all to suit his goal and often, it seems, just his ego.

Democrats condemn this behavior, but where are our Republican friends? They should know better. They do know better. I hear the private chatter. The silence of the Republican majority as the President takes an ax to democratic norms will go down as one of the least bright moments in the history of the Republican Party. It will go down as one of the bad marks in the history of the Senate, and we don't hear a peep. Are our Republican colleagues afraid? Are they just being mercenary? After this last election, I wouldn't think that would be the case. Trump didn't lead them to overwhelming victory. When are we going to hear from them?

This is not an issue of partisanship. When a President, Democrat or Republican, does so much to destroy democratic norms and does so much to just make up things--like that people went into a car and put on a different hat to vote--where are our colleagues decrying this, at least saying that the President shouldn't do it? They are embracing a President whom they know has done so many bad things. I am not talking ideologically. I am talking about honor and respect for democracy. It is something they should not be proud of.

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