WASHINGTON – Today on the Senate floor, U.S. Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) discussed the Department of Justice’s decision to appoint former FBI Director Robert Mueller as special counsel to oversee the investigation into Russia’s alleged involvement in the U.S. elections. Excerpts of Sen. Cornyn’s remarks are below, and video of his remarks can be found here.

“Robert Mueller is perhaps the single-most qualified individual to lead such an investigation, in my view, and he's certainly independent. As a former F.B.I. Director, the longest-serving F.B.I. Director since J. Edgar Hoover, he, by any measure, has the experience and the credibility and the credentials to conduct a nonpartisan investigation and come to a conclusion based on the facts alone.”

“It's clear to me that Deputy Attorney General Rosenstein felt this was in the best interest of the Department of Justice and the country, and I trust his judgment on the matter.”

“I'll continue to work with my colleagues on the Senate Intelligence Committee on a broad, bipartisan basis to conduct the kind of investigation that is entirely appropriate so that we can get to the bottom of this matter and the American people, of course, deserve nothing less.”

Senator John Cornyn, a Republican from Texas, is a member of the Senate Finance, Intelligence, and Judiciary Commit