{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.coons.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/video-sen-coons-on-boente-resignation-it-makes-me-concerned-about-robert-mueller", "[VIDEO] Sen. Coons on Boente resignation: “It makes me concerned about Robert Mueller”", "2017-11-08", "2017", "2017-11", "Democrat", "House", "DE", "Christopher Coons", "C001088", "www.coons.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "11.08.17\n\t\t\t [VIDEO] Sen. Coons on Boente resignation: \u201cIt makes me concerned about Robert Mueller\u201d \n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t \n\t\n\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n        \n\t\t\t\t Sen. Coons on yesterday\u2019s election: \u201cIt will make it clear to the president or at least members of his team that if they don't begin some real outreach to Democrats on tax reform and other priorities they have, they will not get their legislative agenda through.\u201d\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t WASHINGTON \u2013 This morning, U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.), a member of the Senate Judiciary and Foreign Relations Committees, joined MSNBC\u2019s Morning Joe to discuss yesterday\u2019s election results, the latest on tax reform, and the resignation of Dana Boente.\u00a0\r\n\u201cI just was troubled that\u00a0immediately following the\u00a0release of indictments given\u00a0reporting that has suggested Mr.\u00a0Boente was running a fairly\u00a0active component of the Mueller\u00a0investigation that he was fairly\u00a0abruptly asked to resign,\u201d said Senator Coons.\u00a0\u201cI just wanted to ask some questions\u00a0about the timing given the troubling pattern of the\u00a0president's personal\u00a0intervention by interviewing\u00a0candidates for U.S. Attorneys in\u00a0several key jurisdictions and\u00a0given everything else going on,\u00a0it makes me concerned about Robert Mueller and his security.\u00a0Dana Boente would have been the\u00a0fourth in succession in the\u00a0Department of Justice.\u00a0I think it's an important feat\u00a0and an important role that he played that\u00a0deserves some oversight.\u201d\r\nVideo and audio available here.\r\nExcerpts from the interview:\r\nSenator Coons on Trump\u2019s trip to Asia: I\u2019m encouraged by the tone and tenor of the trip, obviously the self-promotion notwithstanding to have President Trump move towards a more diplomatic tone after some early bluster. Now that we have prepositioned three aircraft carrier groups, personnel, and material in the region, I think that President Trump is striking the right balance between having previously being overly threatening and now pursuing diplomatic alternatives \u2013 there has to be an off-ramp for North Korea to consider taking, he\u2019s going to have to be strong with Xi Jinping the next couple of days\u2014that\u2019s going to be crucial\u2014but all of us worry about our security and the human consequences and a potential confrontation going wrong have to be encouraged by President Trump\u2019s tone.\u00a0\r\nSenator Coons on last night\u2019s election: I think that's right, that's\u00a0a great question.\u00a0There is a lot of attention paid\u00a0to the big wins in Virginia and\u00a0New Jersey, just across the\u00a0Pennsylvania state line for me\u00a0are a series of counties,\u00a0so-called \u201ccollar counties\u201d of\u00a0Philadelphia, where at the county\u00a0level there were big wins for\u00a0Democrats in Bucks county, in\u00a0Delaware county, in Chester\u00a0county, Pennsylvania, there has\u00a0never been a county elected\u00a0Democrat since the 1700s and\u00a0Democrats swept the county\u00a0offices that were up for election.\u00a0What does that mean?\u00a0I think it means members of the\u00a0House that represent the\u00a0suburban districts who are Republicans will have to begin\u00a0moving towards the middle.\u00a0I think it will make it clear to\u00a0the president or at least\u00a0members of his team that if they\u00a0don't begin some real outreach to\u00a0Democrats on tax reform and\u00a0other priorities they have, they will not\u00a0get their legislative agenda\u00a0through.\u00a0I think the president slowing a\u00a0sideways grenade back at\u00a0Ed Gillespie after his loss last\u00a0night isn't very encouraging for\u00a0Republican electeds like Susan\u00a0Collins who I think will now\u00a0look forward and say their path\u00a0towards legislative success will\u00a0rely on working across the aisle\u00a0here in Congress rather than\u00a0counting on President Trump to\u00a0necessarily lead them forward as\u00a0a coherent party.\u00a0 More on elections: Well the Democratic senators who are\u00a0incumbents up for election this\u00a0time in the five states are\u00a0referencing states like Indiana,\u00a0North Dakota, Montana, Missouri,\u00a0West Virginia are terrific,\u00a0active, engaged, local\u00a0campaigners, they're very\u00a0authentic people.\u00a0They connect well in their home\u00a0states.\u00a0I'd say to them, avoid letting\u00a0your campaign be nationalized.\u00a0Don't really make this about\u00a0Democrats versus Republicans,\u00a0make it about you, your\u00a0leadership, and your capabilities.\u00a0These are folks willing to meet\u00a0with President Trump to consider\u00a0working with him across the\u00a0aisle where it makes sense, but\u00a0they've also stood firm in\u00a0sticking to core principles on\u00a0things like defending the ACA\u00a0and access to good, quality health care for folks in\u00a0their states.\u00a0We had a meeting with a group.\u00a0There were about 12 Democratic\u00a0senators yesterday evening who\u00a0met with Gary Cohn, the chief\u00a0economic adviser to President\u00a0Trump.\u00a0The president called in from\u00a0Asia.\u00a0I think it's important that these Democrats running for reelection in deeply red states show\u00a0that they continue to try to legislate\u00a0responsibly across the aisle.\u00a0 More on the Cohn meeting: The president said a number\u00a0of things and I, frankly,\u00a0just appreciated the opportunity to\u00a0sit down with some of his chief\u00a0advisers and that he took the\u00a0time from his trip to Asia to\u00a0call in.\u00a0It was an interesting\u00a0conversation.\u00a0He touched on a number of\u00a0different topics, but if there\u00a0was one theme from our side, it\u00a0was we should have been included\u00a0and consulted earlier.\u00a0We've got ideas, we want to work\u00a0across the aisle to strengthen\u00a0the middle class, to support\u00a0manufacturing, to make our\u00a0country more competitive and the\u00a0folks on the other side of the\u00a0table, including the president\u00a0calling in from Asia said, just\u00a0wait, you will see a different\u00a0tax bill in the Senate than the\u00a0House, we're at the beginning of\u00a0a process, not at the end.\u00a0 Senator Coons on Boente: Well, Dana Boente is a career\u00a0federal prosecutor who was not just\u00a0running the Eastern District of\u00a0Virginia but the acting head of\u00a0the national security division\u00a0in the Department of Justice.\u00a0I just was troubled that\u00a0immediately following the\u00a0release of indictments given\u00a0reporting that had suggested Mr.\u00a0Boente was running a fairly\u00a0active component of the Mueller\u00a0investigation that he was fairly\u00a0abruptly asked to resign.\u00a0I just wanted to ask some questions\u00a0about the timing given the troubling pattern of the\u00a0president's personal\u00a0intervention by interviewing\u00a0candidates for U.S. Attorneys in\u00a0several key jurisdictions and\u00a0given everything else going on,\u00a0it makes me concerned about Robert Mueller and his security.\u00a0Dana Boente would have been the\u00a0fourth in succession in the\u00a0Department of Justice.\u00a0I think it's an important feat\u00a0and an important role that he played that\u00a0deserves some oversight.\u00a0\r\n###\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t Press Contact \n\t\t\t\tSean Coit at 202-224-5042 or\u00a0Sean_Coit@coons.senate.gov\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t  \n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t \n\t\t\n\t\t\tPrint\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tEmail\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\tTweet\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t \n\t\n\t\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n    \n\t\n\t\n    \n    \n    \n    \t\n    \t\n\t    \t  \n\t\t    \n\t\t    \n\t\t    \tPrevious Article", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": 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