Senate Majority Whip John Cornyn on Thursday objected to a bipartisan resolution that affirms Russian responsibility for the 2016 election interference and demands the notes from President Trump’s one-on-one conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
“The way to do our work is through bipartisan committee work, have the witnesses come and testify, ask them hard questions, and render our judgment,” Cornyn, a Texas Republican, said on the floor. “I think we should consider sanctions, not sort of Sense of the Senate resolution that ... [has] no deterrent effect.”
Cornyn spoke after Sens. Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., and Chris Coons, D-Del., offered the resolution as a rebuke of Trump’s failure to condemn Russian election interference and blame Putin for the poor state of U.S.-Russia relations. The resolution likewise called for the notes from Trump’s meeting and access to individuals — a potential reference to the president’s translator — who might be able to shed light on the conversation.
“We saw earlier this week in Helsinki what was truly an Orwellian moment,” Flake, one of Trump’s most aggressive Republican critics, said while introducing the resolution. “By choosing to reject object reality in Helsinki, the president let down the free world by giving aid and comfort to an enemy of democracy.”
Flake and Coons tried to bring up the resolution by unanimous consent, which requires unanimous agreement before it can get a vote.
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05.18.2025