Sen. Coons bill to end student loan tax penalty for families suffering from child’s death or permanent disability passed into law

WASHINGTON, D.C. – In late December, Congress passed a bipartisan bill introduced by U.S. Senators Chris Coons (D-Del.), Angus King (I-Maine), and Rob Portman (R-Ohio) to eliminate a tax penalty on student loans that are forgiven due to death or permanent disability. President Trump signed the bill into law just before the new year.

While the federal government forgives certain federal student loans in the case of the death or disability of the borrower, the IRS treats this cancelled debt as income, which can result in tens of thousands of dollars in immediate tax liability. The Stop Taxing Death and Disability Act eliminates this unfair tax. The tax on discharged loans is not only an unnecessary tax, but it also prevents the Department of Education from streamlining the loan forgiveness process.

“I’m pleased that the bipartisan Stop Taxing Death and Disability Act was enacted into law. Taxing Americans who are grieving the death of a child or adjusting to a life-changing permanent disability is simply unconscionable,” said Senator Coons. “We forgive these student loans because that’s the right thing to do as a country.  Requiring these Americans to pay a surprise tax on student loan forgiveness serves no public policy purpose whatsoever.”

The federal government authorizes the forgiveness of certain federal loans in the case of the death or total and permanent disability of the borrower.

• Student loan discharge for death.  Congress has acknowledged the tragic circumstances of when a parent loses a child by authorizing the Department of Education to forgive outstanding federal student loans that a parent borrowed on behalf of their child prior to their child’s death. Many private lenders also discharge student loans that are co-signed by a parent if their child dies.
• Student loan discharge for disability.  Each year, thousands of Americans, including veterans, develop disabilities or chronic health conditions so severe that they are determined by the federal government to be totally and permanently disabled. In recognition of the tremendous burden of their disabilities, Congress authorized the Department of Education to forgive outstanding federal student loans held by these Americans. Many private lenders also discharge student loans as a result of total and permanent disability. 

Despite these provisions, individuals who suffer great personal loss or severe injury are often shocked to learn that the IRS requires them to pay income tax on the amount of student loans forgiven by the federal government and private lenders. A one-time discharge can result in tens of thousands of dollars in immediate tax liability.

The Stop Taxing Death and Disability Act:

• Exempts from income tax federal and private student loans that are discharged due to the death of a child or total and permanent disability. Congress already exempts certain discharged federal student loans from income taxes. Under Section 108(f) of the Internal Revenue Code, public sector employees, including teachers, public defenders and librarians, who meet length of service requirements, are exempt from paying income tax on discharged loans. The Higher Education Act also provides for the tax-exempt forgiveness of student loans due to the closure of a borrower’s school. This bill simply adds federal and private student loan discharges as a result of death or total and permanent disability to the existing list of tax-exempt discharges.

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Sens. Coons, Tillis issue joint statement on protests in Iran

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Chris Coons (D-DE) and Thom Tillis (R-NC), co-chairs of the Senate Human Rights Caucus, issued the following joint statement on the continued protests in Iran:

“The Iranian people are bravely and peacefully taking to the streets to voice their rejection of a regime that has oppressed them and denied their basic human rights. The bipartisan Senate Human Rights Caucus stands in solidarity with the demands of the Iranian protestors and urges the Administration and Congress to continue supporting human rights in Iran.”

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Carper, Coons’ Judicial Candidates Nominated for U.S. District Court Bench

WILMINGTON, DE – Today, the White House announced that Maryellen Noreika and Colm F. Connolly, who were recommended by U.S. Senators Tom Carper and Chris Coons (both D-Del.) for judgeships on the U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware, will be nominated for the bench. Ms. Maryellen Noreika and Mr. Colm Connolly, both of Wilmington, will be nominated for the two judicial vacancies created when Judge Sue L. Robinson (now retired) and Judge Gregory M. Sleet took senior status.

“Delaware’s courts are renowned for their judges’ expertise. Maryellen Noreika and Colm Connolly are two highly-respected, sought-after attorneys who have displayed a vast knowledge of the law and a thorough understanding of the courts during their extensive careers working in the Delaware judicial system,” said Senator Carper. “Now that the White House has put forth their nominees, I hope we can swiftly move through the Senate confirmation process so that Delaware’s courts are running at full strength once again.”

“I’m pleased that the White House consulted with Senator Carper and me and accepted our recommendations for the U.S. District Court bench. I am also grateful for our Judicial Nominating Committee’s hard work in evaluating several excellent candidates.” said Senator Coons, a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee. “Colm Connolly and Maryellen Noreika are seasoned attorneys, with impressive trial skills, deep experience in federal practice, and profound respect for the law. I am confident that they will both be capable jurists, and I look forward to their confirmation hearings.”

Ms. Noreika has practiced law in Delaware for nearly 24 years at Morris, Nichols, Arsht & Tunnell LLP, in Wilmington, where she is a partner and represents plaintiffs, defendants, individuals, and companies large and small. She began her career litigating corporate and commercial disputes, and later focused on intellectual property matters and complex litigation in federal courts. Ms. Noreika has been appointed to multiple advisory committees assisting the court and has served as a mentor for young attorneys in a federal judges training program. She has a B.S. in Biology from Lehigh University, an M.S. in Biology from Colombia University and a J.D. from University of Pittsburgh.

Mr. Connolly has been a partner with Morgan, Lewis & Bockius, LLP, in Wilmington where he is a member of the litigation and intellectual property groups. He was a United States Attorney from 2001 to 2009, during which he established the Delaware Anti-Terrorism Advisory Council consisting of 25 federal, state and local law enforcement agencies to coordinate training and the collection and dissemination of intelligence information. Connolly was previously a partner at Morris, Nichols, Arsht & Tunnell, LLP. He has a B.A. in Liberal Studies from the University of Notre Dame, an M.S. in Political Philosophy from the London School of Economics and a J.D. from Duke University School of Law

Sens. Coons, Graham, Reps. Luján, Wilson introduce bipartisan, bicameral bill to help drive investment in new energy technologies

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Chris Coons (D-Del.) and Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) and U.S. Representatives Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.) and Joe Wilson (R-S.C.) today introduced bipartisan, bicameral legislation to establish a nonprofit foundation for the U.S. Department of Energy that would channel private-sector investments and accelerate the commercialization of innovative technologies in energy.

Research and development (R&D) drives innovation and accounts for nearly 7% of the United States real GDP growth. However, recent declines in research funding have jeopardized U.S. economic competitiveness. For example, from 2008 to 2013, venture capital funding in energy startups fell by 60% and resulted in a steep decline in the development of these important startup companies. Unlike other sectors, the energy sector has several unique challenges to innovation including requiring high capital needs, long development times, the need to overcome incumbent technologies, and operating within a shifting regulatory environment. Addressing these challenges requires partnerships with government, industry, startups, and outside funding organizations.

This bill establishes a nonprofit foundation to engage with the private sector to raise funds that support the creation, development, and commercialization of innovative technologies that address tomorrow’s energy challenges.

“The IMPACT for Energy Act would bolster efforts to support private-sector investment, accelerate commercialization by facilitating public-private partnerships and prize competitions, and would serve as an agent in convening industry leaders and other stakeholders to collaborate, share ideas, and solve some of your most complex and challenging problems,” said Senator Coons. “I am proud to introduce this bill with Senator Graham and my co-authors in the House that helps drive innovation in the energy sector and helps bring the next generation of energy technologies.”

“Investing in research and development – particularly as it pertains to energy – is a wise move. The IMPACT for Energy Act would allow the Department of Energy to partner with the private sector, creating a unique opportunity for innovation. I was proud to work with my long-time friend and colleague Congressman Joe Wilson from South Carolina, along with Senator Coons, and Congressman Luján, on this important legislation,” said Senator Graham.  “Our bill will help foster new ideas and partnerships to keep America on the cutting edge of economic and technological developments.”

“The non-profit foundation created by this bill will serve as the ideal framework to organize, connect, and coordinate a diverse group of partners from government, industry and the venture capital sectors,”said Congressman Luján.  “Similar foundations at the National Institutes of Health, the Centers for Disease Control, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture have all demonstrated that they can raise tens of millions of private sector dollars towards cutting-edge research and innovation. This foundation will complement and enhance the agency’s mission, leverage the work of our national laboratories and enable new products and services to come to market more quickly.”

“The IMPACT for Energy Act will provide a great opportunity to work towards solving our nation’s complex energy needs. This bill will help channel private sector investment and aid in the development of meaningful technologies that can grow our economy and create jobs,” said Congressman Joe Wilson. “I am grateful to have the opportunity to work on this important bipartisan, bicameral legislation with my colleague in the House, Congressman Ben Ray Luján, and my colleagues in the Senate, Senator Chris Coons and fellow South Carolinian Senator Lindsey Graham.”

The Increasing and Mobilizing Partnerships to Achieve Commercialization of Technologies (IMPACT) for Energy Act would:

• Support private-sector investment.  Provides a mechanism to channel private-sector investment into commercializing energy technology. 
• Accelerate commercialization.  Facilitates public-private partnerships and encourages new ideas such as increased regional economic development and prize competitions.
• Convene industry leaders.  Supports events, briefings, and symposia to create a forum for stakeholders to share ideas and collaborate on complex energy problems.  

The bill text can be found here. A one-pager on the bill can be found here.

Supportive quotes for the IMPACT for Energy Act can be found here. 

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[VIDEO] Sen. Coons on the tax bill: “This is a huge giveaway to the very wealthiest Americans and the most profitable corporations”

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.) yesterday joined CNN’s Wolf Blitzer to discuss the GOP tax bill. 

“The problem with that is, who’s going to end up paying for these tax cuts? The way it’s structured, taxes will go up on many of the middle class…and more importantly, right up-front, Republicans said, it was their intention to cut Medicare and Medicaid in order to pay for these tax cuts.”

“My hope is that corporations will use those newfound profits or repatriated profits to invest in hiring people and in capital equipment, but there’s no indication that they will. Most will, instead, do stock buybacks or provide dividends or boosts to their senior management. I do think we could have structured this build differently, so that some of the new corporate revenue would end up being invested in infrastructure or being spent more likely on hiring people and on capital. But this is just a straight corporate rate cut and corporate leaders and corporate shareholders will do with it what they will.”

Full audio and video available here. 

Excerpts from the interview:

Senator Coons on the House revote: Well, I expect every Democrat in the Senate will vote against this tax package. Both because of the process that got us here and because of the result and the likely impact on the American people. This did not have to be a one-party-only bill. I worked hard across the aisle to propose alternative paths that would have led us to a significant middle-class tax cut, the sort of thing the president ran on, but that is not what this bill is. This is a huge giveaway to the very wealthiest Americans and the most profitable corporations. I think there’s no doubt that it specifically benefits real estate investors and those who earn their income from real estate. And in many cases, the modest tax cuts for the middle class are temporary and the big tax cuts for shareholders of corporations and for the wealthiest families, those will go on long-term.

More on the tax bill: And, as I’ve said both at home and here, the problem with that is, who’s going to end up paying for these tax cuts? The way it’s structured, taxes will go up on many of the middle class after five years and more importantly, right up-front, Republicans said, it was their intention to cut Medicare and Medicaid in order to pay for these tax cuts. We’ve already got House Republican leadership talking about entitlement cuts in the coming year, in order to be sort of their next step towards fiscal sanity. I did work hard with Republicans, those who were concerned about the debt and deficit to propose an alternative path that wouldn’t have cost $1.5 trillion. But ultimately, this turned into a straight party line vote. 

Senator Coons on the impact on Delaware corporations: Well, my hope is that corporations will use those newfound profits or repatriated profits to invest in hiring people and in capital equipment, but there’s no indication that they will. Most will, instead, do stock buybacks or provide dividends or boosts to their senior management. I do think we could have structured this build differently, so that some of the new corporate revenue would end up being invested in infrastructure or being spent more likely on hiring people and on capital. But this is just a straight corporate rate cut and corporate leaders and corporate shareholders will do with it what they will.

More on the tax bill: That’s right, there will be more money flooding into corporations and into the wealthiest families in the United States. And I can only hope that they will make up some of the projected drop in charitable giving and some of the projected needs that we have in terms of increasing skills, investment in infrastructure, and investment in capital equipment. That would be a good outcome. And frankly, I don’t hope that this fails. I hope that this succeeds. And that surprisingly, we’ll see 4.5% growth in the next couple of years. But as you said in the opening to this section, most Americans who have been polled on this bill oppose it and most economists who have studied it think it will simply add to the deficit and debt. 

Senator Coons on the impact on his constituents:  Well, it is true that those who have 401(k)s have already benefited from the rise in the stock market. It is unusual to do a tax cut of this size and this breadth at a time of near full employment and record corporate profits. Typically, a big tax cut like this is done in order to strengthen economy that is failing, not to add on top of it. But if that’s what happens, that the total capital markets, the equity markets go up, then it should benefit those who have got 401(k)s, that’s right.

Senator Coons on the impact of the bill on 2018 elections: Well, it depends how the average American feels about this bill once they really learn all the details and all the different provisions. It was rushed through in a process that made it hard to really follow what was ultimately in the bill, once voted on by the Senate, and what was in the bill when it came back from conference. Most surveys that I’ve seen nationally, suggest that a majority of Americans dislike this bill, and they believe that it is designed to benefit the wealthiest. That it will benefit Donald Trump, President Trump, personally. And that it will benefit corporations, but not the middle class, which is what President Trump campaigned on. We’ll have to see. We’ll see the actual impacts and then the American people will judge for themselves.

Senator Coons on President Trump: I don’t know. I hope that he will. President Trump, when he announced that he was going to end the DACA — the deferred program, said that he wanted to see some bipartisan legislation to address it. And there have been diligent efforts by a bipartisan group of senators to try to come to a consensus bill that would put in statute, in law, the protection that the DACA beneficiaries, about 800,000 of them, previously enjoyed. We’ve got a lot of other end-of-year issues here that haven’t yet been resolved. We have about 9 million children who benefit from the Children’s Health Insurance Program. That ran out three months ago and states are going to have to begin shut down health care benefits through that program. Community Health Center funding has run out. That’s also something that needs to be extended. And there’s a program that helps our intelligence community, the FISA program, that also runs out at the end of this calendar year. There’s a lot on our agenda here, wolf, that hasn’t been dealt with, and as we get to the end of this calendar year, there is a risk that a miscalculation or a failure to negotiate in good faith between the parties could lead to a government shutdown, which I think would be a big mistake.  

Senator Coons on whether this will all be passed between now and the end of the year: What I’m expecting is that we will, instead, have a clean extension of the current spending bill until January. And by the end of January, that whole package we just talked through will get taken up, negotiated and passed. 

Senator Coons on President Trump’s national security strategy: That’s the real challenge of the president’s remarks yesterday. There was a real tension between the national security strategy document that was released, which I have not read in full. I’ve only gotten an executive summary of it, and the remarks that President Trump made in releasing it. He made remarks that were very — much more campaign-like, more typical of his nationalistic and isolationist stance during the campaign. But it’s really at difference and variants with what was released in print. The national security strategy in print recognizes that Russia is an adversary, an aggressive form power, and has interfered in a number of elections across democracies, including our own.  President Trump has not said that. That is not something he has said as a major challenge in the US/Russia relationship. The national security strategy also, for example, talks about China as a revisionist power that is seeking to grow its influence in the indo pacific at our expense. Yet one of Trump’s first steps was to withdraw from the transpacific partnership, which was principally designed in order to strengthen the United States’ role in the pacific and to diminish China’s future opportunities for trade. So, there’s a number of ways in which the rhetoric doesn’t meet the reality. It is my hope that the printed security strategy reflects the direction that the Trump administration will go.

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Sens. Coons, Tillis statement on Reuters journalists arrested in Burma

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Chris Coons (D-Del.) and Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), co-chairs of the Senate Human Rights Caucus, released the following statement about the Reuters journalists who were arrested in Burma on Tuesday. 

“As co-chairs of the Senate Human Rights Caucus, we are gravely concerned about the arrests of two Reuters journalists, Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo, in Burma who were writing stories about the crisis in Rakhine State following the military’s brutal crackdown on the Rohingya. We join the U.S. Embassy in Burma in calling for the Burmese government to explain the arrests and allow access to the journalists. Freedom of the press is a fundamental democratic value and critical to ensuring accountability for violence against the Rohingya. We urge the Burmese government to respect press freedom and protect all journalists instead of preventing them from accurately reporting facts on the ground and bringing atrocities to light.”

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Sens. Coons, Blunt, co-chairs of the Law Enforcement Caucus, thank the Capitol Police for their service

WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senators Chris Coons (D-Del.) and Roy Blunt (R-Mo.), co-chairs of the Senate Law Enforcement Caucus, hosted a holiday event to thank the Capitol Police for their service.

“The openness and accessibility of the U.S. Congress is a hallmark of our democracy – and a testament to the efforts of the Capitol Police. Their hard work and professionalism are exceptional, and I greatly appreciated this opportunity to thank the members of the Capitol Police for their service,” said Senator Coons. “My co-chair, Senator Blunt, and I are extremely pleased that the Senate Law Enforcement Caucus now has twenty-six members, which is representative of the fact that Senators from both parties share a deep admiration and gratitude for the work of the Capitol Police.”

“The U.S. Capitol Police work tirelessly to keep members, staff, and visitors safe,” said Senator Blunt. “During the holiday season, many officers will sacrifice time with their loved ones to fulfill their duties, and we are extremely grateful to them and their families for their service. I’m glad to join Senator Coons, co-chair of the Law Enforcement Caucus, in expressing our appreciation for the men and women of the U.S. Capitol Police force, and for all of our law enforcement personnel across the country.”

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[VIDEO]: Sen. Coons discusses Delaware opioid crisis in Judiciary Committee hearing

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.), a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today questioned witnesses in a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing entitled, “Oversight of the Ensuring Patient Access and Effective Drug Enforcement Act.” The purpose of the hearing was to examine the effectiveness of the Ensuring Patient Access and Effective Drug Enforcement Act, passed in 2016, and potential unintended consequences.

“Delaware, under the leadership of our Attorney General, Matt Denn, recently enacted new regulations that allow prescribers to better monitor each opioid prescription and limit an adult from receiving a first-time prescription for more than seven days, except under exceptional circumstances. That’s led to a 12% decrease in the number of opioid prescriptions just since April 1. Shouldn’t we be looking at some of the positive, innovative work that’s being done in states like Delaware?”

Full and audio available here. 

Excerpts from Senator Coons’ Q&A are below:

Senator Coons: Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I’d like to ask the committee and I’d like to, on behalf of all of us on the committee, thank those of you on the panel who have testified today. The ongoing opioid addiction crisis is something that has harmed every single community, has affected every state. Just my small state of Delaware lost more than 300 people who died in drug overdoses last year, and what we are trying to do is strike the right balance between making sure that people who suffer from persistent and chronic pain, like Ms. Chambers, can get access to appropriately prescribed and managed opioids and those who are abusing or misusing them are appropriately held to account. So, striking that balance is the purpose of our hearing here today, and I’d appreciate a few pointed answers to some simple, hopefully pointed questions. To Attorney General Frosh, Delaware, under the leadership of our Attorney General, Matt Denn, recently enacted new regulations that allow prescribers to better monitor each opioid prescription and limit an adult from receiving a first-time prescription for more than seven days, except under exceptional circumstances. That’s led to a 12% decrease in the number of opioid prescriptions just since April 1. Shouldn’t we be looking at some of the positive, innovative work that’s being done in states like Delaware?

Attorney General Frosh, State of Maryland: Yes, absolutely. A number of states have prescription drug monitoring programs, they can be extraordinarily effective. Despite the fact that laws like those have been enacted in Delaware and across the country, we still have this tidal wave of opioids washing across, and those are important steps forward, but we have a lot of work that remains to be done. 

Senator Coons: So, help me, Attorney General Frosh, Dr. Catizone, if you would, the DEA’s use of immediate suspension orders has dropped, but other enforcement tools like orders to show cause have increased. Are these other tools sufficient to combat the misuse or mis-prescription of opioids? 

Attorney General Frosh, State of Maryland: I don’t think they are. I mean, and you only have to look through results to come to that conclusion. DEA has essentially had the same tools for four decades, and they have not been sufficient to overcome the wave of opioids that has washed across the country, so I would say not. Now, the prescription I would give is holistic: we not only need effective law enforcement, interdiction of illegal supply, but we also need treatment, we need prescription drug monitoring, we don’t have nearly enough treatment beds in our country, and we’re not making forward progress. We are making progress, but it’s incremental. It needs to be much more rapid. 

Senator Coons: I agree. Dr. Catizone, what else do you think DEA should do or what else can we do as a committee and a society to address the significant problem of opioid addiction? 

Dr. Carmen Catizone: I think the answer is the balance that you spoke about. We need to have a balance between access of effective law enforcement, and to the prior question, we haven’t had time to analyze the data the committee presented today, but if you look at the overview, the DEA has taken action in other areas to compensate for the inability or their concern about trying to take an ISO. So, there has to be some balance there as well. ISOs should be restricted the most serious, egregious cases, where the patients are going to be killed. If that pharmacy, that distributor, that doctor continues to operate. In those cases, the standard worked, you saw by the data the amount of times the ISOs were used was very limited. So, we think restoring or eliminating that data, that new standard, is a means that would give the DEA that important tool back to use that in very limited, but very serious situations.  

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ICYMI: Sen. Coons, Rep. Sewell op-ed on key Alabama Court nominee Brett Talley

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.), a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and Representative Terri Sewell (D-Ala.) today published an op-ed on the nomination of Brett Talley for a lifetime seat on the federal district court in Alabama.

The Hill: Senate must reject Brett Talley’s nomination for federal district court in Alabama

By Chris Coons and Terri Sewell

It’s no secret that Americans all over the country are watching Alabama this week. The candidacy of former Alabama judge Roy Moore for the vacant U.S. Senate seat, particularly in light of appalling allegations raised by several women, has made the state the epicenter for our national conversations about not just politics, but race, the rule of law, and even basic morality.

But the Senate is quietly considering another critical issue that impacts Alabama and the rest of the country too: the nomination of a 36-year-old man named Brett Talley for a lifetime seat on the federal district court in Alabama.  

As a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee and Alabama’s only member of the Congressional Black Caucus, we are deeply concerned – disturbed even – by the prospect of Mr. Talley becoming a federal judge in Alabama, and we believe all Americans should be, too.

First, the context and history of the seat Mr. Talley is nominated for in the Middle District of Alabama is critical to understanding why his potential confirmation could be so damaging.

The Middle District of Alabama has played a central role in our nation’s progress on civil rights over the past half century.  For example, it was a decision from the Middle District of Alabama that allowed Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s marchers to continue their journey to Montgomery.  It was a decision from the Middle District of Alabama that declared Montgomery’s segregated buses unconstitutional following the boycotts galvanized by Rosa Parks’ arrest.  The Middle District of Alabama ruled that African American men and women must be allowed to serve on Alabama juries, struck down Alabama’s poll tax, and mandated integration of public schools.

It is within this context and history that we must view the nomination of Mr. Talley, whose background and lack of experience are, frankly, shocking. 

Mr. Talley’s behavior and history outside of the courtroom paints a portrait of someone almost uniquely unfit to serve as a federal judge in Alabama.  Thousands of Internet posts and comments – which Mr. Talley failed to even disclose – reveal a prejudice that has no place in the nation’s judiciary.

The full column is available here.

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[VIDEO] Sen. Coons on Pres. Trump: “We are seeing more and more evidence that would lead to an obstruction charge.”

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.), a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, yesterday joined CNN’s Jake Tapper to discuss former National Security Advisor Michael Flynn, Donald Trump, Jr., and President Trump. 

“This is just another example of a whole series of inappropriate conversations and actions by former National Security Advisor, General Mike Flynn, and helps explain why he might be cooperating with Mueller’s investigation. I assume that Mueller was able to reveal a whole series of inappropriate actions and statements by General Flynn and that would have put him in significant legal risk and, as a result, he is cooperating,” said Senator Coons. “But, it’s a reminder that other individuals with whom Flynn was communicating in the transition team, on Inauguration Day in the new Trump administration, were already taking really striking steps given that the reason for the sanctions against Russia were because of Russia’s illegal annexation of Crimea and, in part, Russia’s interference in our elections in 2016.” 

Full audio and video available here.

Excerpts from the interview:

Senator Coons on Flynn’s comment on Russian sanctions: Well, this is just another example of a whole series of inappropriate conversations and actions by former National Security Advisor, General Mike Flynn, and helps explain why he might be cooperating with Mueller’s investigation. I assume that Mueller was able to reveal a whole series of inappropriate actions and statements by General Flynn and that would have put him in significant legal risk and, as a result, he is cooperating. But, it’s a reminder that other individuals with whom Flynn was communicating in the transition team, on Inauguration Day in the new Trump administration, were already taking really striking steps given that the reason for the sanctions against Russia were because of Russia’s illegal annexation of Crimea and, in part, Russia’s interference in our elections in 2016.

More on Flynn: The two aren’t mutually exclusive. Sadly, what seemed to be a pattern with General Flynn was that he was both advancing a partisan political interest in his role on the Trump campaign and continuing to advance his own personal enrichment as someone who was representing Turkey or representing groups from Ukraine, groups aligned with Russia’s interests. So, the idea that he could have been advancing both an enrichment goal and a narrow or partisan goal, it seems to me they’re not in conflict.

Senator Coons on Trump, Jr.: Well, Donald Trump, Jr., was a participant in a very important meeting in Trump Tower, it’s important to get clarity on what was the foundation for that meeting, why was it taken, what were the questions asked and what information was reported back up to President Trump if any. So, those are just a few of the questions I would expect might have been asked today in front of the House Intelligence Committee.  

Senator Coons on obstruction of justice: Well, that’s a legal conclusion I don’t think we have yet fully reached, but the evidence supporting an obstruction of justice claim just keeps building up. I’ll remind you, it was recently that there was public reporting that, in the past couple of months, President Trump personally reached out to Senator McConnell, to Senator Burr, to Senator Blunt, urging them to wrap up the Russia investigation early. This just follows a pattern that goes back to his early days of meeting with FBI Director Jim Comey, seeking some commitment of personal loyalty and asking him to go easy on Mike Flynn, former National Security Advisor. So, I do think we are seeing more and more evidence that would lead to an obstruction charge. I also think there was a striking development this week in that President Trump’s own lawyers are now making the argument that the President can’t commit obstruction of justice because he is in charge of all law enforcement. That is not a tenable argument. We would no longer have rule of law in this country if the President were utterly unrestrained to interfere in any way he chose in an investigation. 

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