March 25, 2019 - Issue: Vol. 165, No. 51 — Daily Edition116th Congress (2019 - 2020) - 1st Session

[Pages H2766-H2767]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                WE MUST STAND WITH OUR FRIENDS IN ISRAEL

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Kansas (Mr. Marshall) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. MARSHALL. Mr. Speaker, this past week, President Trump and 
Secretary Pompeo took a bold step to affirm Israel's sovereignty over 
the Golan Heights. I support this administration and our long-time 
friend and ally, Israel, in this fight to protect their homeland.
  I have stood on the mountains of the Golan where Abraham and his 
nephew Lot parted ways some 4,000 years ago. I could hear the cannons 
and the missiles and the tanks just miles away in war-stricken Syria. 
We learned how, in a matter of hours during the Yom Kippur war of 1974, 
Syrian forces overran the Golan, jeopardizing both Israeli and American 
security.
  This small range of mountains, less than 125 miles from Jerusalem, 
serves as a buffer from Israel and its many foes who desire nothing 
more than to wipe them off of the face of the Earth.
  From the 3rd millennium B.C., the occupants of the Golan Heights have 
included the Amorites, Arameans, Israelites, Assyrians, Babylonians, 
Persians, the Israelites again, Alexander the Great, and the Roman 
Empire. In later centuries, Christians crusaded, Mongols ruled, and the 
Ottomans conquered the land.

  Starting in 1885, Jewish families bought and lived on the land in the 
Golan Heights, and stayed there until 1920, when riots drove them out. 
For the next 40 years, the boundaries of this area were debated and 
defined by the French and the British.
  We all know the State of Israel was born in 1948, and the Golan was 
mutually shared with neighboring countries. This, however, led to 
constant raids and civil unrest in the region and debate over a scarce 
item in the area, water.
  Finally, in the 1960s, Syria ignored previous water agreements and 
attempted to divert water from Israel. This led to the armed War over 
Water, which was won by Israel in 1967, and pushed the Syrians out of 
the Golan, leaving Israel in control once again.
  This is where most leftist naysayers will begin their history, as if 
Israel had no claim to the land in the first place or as if it never 
had been contested.
  This matters for America for a variety of reasons. Set aside the fact 
that Israel is our most loyal and strategically vital ally in the 
Middle East. Let's look at Russia. Americans are rightly concerned 
about the cyber and geopolitical moves of that adversarial nation. The 
Golan, however, is an example of where those on the left are turning a 
blind eye.
  Since the time of Peter the Great and Catherine the Great, Russia has 
sought a warm-water port in the Mediterranean and to stake their claim 
to land south of the Black Sea. Not only does Syria provide them both, 
it also presents an opportunity for Russia and their ally Iran, as the 
leaders have said, to wipe Israel off the map.
  We cannot let this happen. We mustn't let this happen. We must 
continue to stand up to thugs like Putin and Assad, and with our 
friends in Israel.


                         There Was No Collusion

  Mr. MARSHALL. Mr. Speaker, no collusion, no collusion, no collusion.
  That is right. After 2 years, Mr. Speaker, let me say that again: 
there is no collusion.
  After 2 years and a cost of more than $25 million, that is $50,000 a 
day spent on this witch hunt of taxpayer money, there was no collusion.
  And indeed, there was no pot of gold at the end of the media's 
rainbow; nothing besides fool's gold yet again.
  Mr. Speaker, how can you spend $50,000 a day on an investigation?
  As I think back, I may have been the first person in the Chamber to 
call this investigation for what it was: a witch hunt.
  Now, I am not a lawyer, but Kansas common sense would suggest if 
there was no collusion, no corrupt intent by the President, and no 
crime committed, there would be absolutely no case for an obstruction 
of justice charge. But I am sure Kansas common sense is the last thing 
on the minds of some Members of Congress.
  So now, during every waking hour for 675 straight days, Democrats and 
the media have had a field day smearing the President, his friends, and 
his family.

[[Page H2767]]

  They have hired 19 lawyers, 40 FBI agents, and issued nearly 3,000 
subpoenas, all of which have further confirmed what we already knew 
before the investigation started: there was no collusion.

                              {time}  1215

  Importantly, Mueller confirmed that no one with the Trump campaign 
conspired or coordinated with the Russian Government. Additionally, we 
found out through this investigation the Russians made many attempts to 
offer to help the Trump campaign, and time and time again, the Trump 
team stood up and rejected Russia.
  I want the media, which spent thousands of hours painting a picture 
of collusion and conspiracy, to cover these Mueller findings that show 
the President stood firm against the Russian's multiple attempts. And I 
ask the Democrats, who misled the public for months, to come forward 
and speak the truth.
  Instead, what does the biased media and Democrats say in response to 
Mueller's verdict? Absolutely nothing. You could almost hear a pin drop 
as I walked through the Capitol today. It is so quiet. No Democrats are 
here today for morning-hour debate. What does that say?
  As I stand on the House floor today, I have one question for this 
Chamber and for this Nation: Can we please move on and work with our 
President, rather than against him, and focus on policy rather than 
fantasy?

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