[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 37 (Wednesday, March 4, 2015)]
[Senate]
[Pages S1285-S1287]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
LYNCH NOMINATION
Mr. LEAHY. Mr. President, nearly 4 months ago--not 4 weeks ago but 4
months ago--President Obama announced his intention to nominate Loretta
Lynch to be our country's next Attorney General. I had the privilege of
attending that White House ceremony. In fact, I took this photograph at
the ceremony.
But as I took it, I was mostly moved by what Ms. Lynch explained. She
said she was excited about the challenge of becoming our Nation's chief
law enforcement officer. She noted with obvious admiration that the
Department of Justice is the only Cabinet Department named for an
ideal. Think of that. The Department of Justice. It is named for the
ideal of justice.
We know from Loretta Lynch's long public service career that she
aspires to make that ideal a reality. She will when she becomes
Attorney General of the United States. As U.S. Attorney for the Eastern
District of New York, she brought countless terrorists and cyber
criminals to justice. She obtained convictions against corrupt public
officials from both political parties. She fought tirelessly against
violent crime and financial fraud. Her record shows as Attorney General
she will effectively, fairly, and independently enforce the law.
As many people have said, she is a prosecutor's prosecutor. Her
record of accomplishment goes beyond just that. It goes to who she is
as a person. It is bolstered by the faith and values instilled in her
by her family. The Judiciary Committee was honored to have her proud
father, the Reverend Lorenzo Lynch, with us not only at both days of
the historic hearings in January, but also last Thursday as the
committee considered his daughter's historic nomination.
When Loretta Lynch was a young child, Reverend Lynch bravely opened
his church to students and others to organize lunch counter sit-ins in
North Carolina. He taught his only daughter that ``ideals are wonderful
things, but unless you can share them with others and make this world a
better place, they are just words.'' Every one of us who has ever been
in public service ought to listen to that. The fact that she has
dedicated the majority of her career to public service reaffirms that
she has lived those ideals of justice in the service of others.
Last week, the committee reported her nomination favorably with a
bipartisan vote. I wish the vote had been unanimous. I suspect that if
the President who nominated her had been a Republican, she would have
been confirmed by now. But in the sixth year of this administration,
perhaps there is no one who can be confirmed unanimously, because those
Republicans who are opposing Ms. Lynch are not doing so based on her
record. They are opposing her because they disagree with a decision
that President Obama made and that she played no part in. That is not
treating her fairly.
One need only look at her supporters to know how nonpartisan her
nomination really is. Louis Freeh, the former Director of the FBI and a
Federal judge, has written:
[I]n in my twenty-five years of public service--23 in the
Department of Justice--I cannot think of a more qualified
nominee to be America's chief law enforcement officer.
I know Judge Freeh very well. He is a man of total integrity. He
would not say this unless he strongly believed it.
The current New York Police Commissioner, who was appointed by a
Democrat, and a former New York Police Commissioner, appointed by a
Republican, both strongly support her nomination.
Even prominent Fox News hosts have praised Loretta Lynch's work as a
prosecutor. Bill O'Reilly has called her a hero for her prosecution of
a child rapist. Megyn Kelly, of Fox, has described Ms. Lynch as a
``straight shooter'' for her service as a Federal prosecutor,
especially for her crackdown on gang crime and terrorism.
Ms. Lynch also has broad support from law enforcement, fellow
prosecutors, civil rights groups, and numerous other prominent
individuals.
I ask unanimous consent to have a list of letters in support of her
nomination printed in the Record following my remarks.
Nobody else is seeking the floor. I ask unanimous consent to go
beyond the 10 minutes allotted, up to 3 extra minutes.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
Mr. LEAHY. In January, Ms. Lynch testified before the Senate
Judiciary Committee for nearly 8 hours. She has now responded to nearly
900 questions for the record. I have been here 40 years and I have a
hard time remembering somebody who has answered so many questions. The
witnesses invited by Republicans to speak on this, not a single one of
them actually opposed her nomination. In fact, I asked all of the
outside witnesses: If anybody here opposes her nomination, would you
please raise your hand. Nobody did.
Despite this, some voted no--some Republican Senators voted no on her
nomination in committee. Some of these Senators opposed her because she
would not renounce the President's Executive action to keep immigrant
families together. They are attacking her for this. They blame this on
her. But they fail to acknowledge that if the Republican leadership in
the House had just allowed a vote on the immigration reform that passed
the Senate, then the President would not have been compelled to act.
Very hard-working Republicans and Democrats came together in this
body to pass by a 2-to-1 margin an immigration bill. Most people felt
it would pass the House of Representatives had it been allowed to come
to a vote. But the Speaker determined not to let it come to a vote. You
cannot then say: We are not going to vote on anything, but, oh, by the
way, we are not going to let the President do what Presidents have
always done in the absence of legislation, take executive action.
Now we all agree that we have problems in our immigration system. We
all agree that we need legislation to fix it. The President is not
going to do that. Congress has to do it. We have to stand up and vote
for or against changes. But to blame the Attorney General nominee for
this is simply unfair. To blame her because the House of
Representatives will not vote on immigration is not fair. Ms. Lynch
played no part in the President's decision to set the prosecutorial
priorities of the administration.
As a Federal prosecutor in New York, no one has claimed that Ms.
Lynch has failed to enforce the law. There is no legitimate reason to
delay her vote any longer. In fact, there are a whole lot of people in
prison today who wish that she had not enforced the law. But if they
were guilty of crimes, she enforced it, whether Republicans,
Democrats--no matter who they were--and with quite a few terrorists--
she enforced the law. She put them in prison.
So we should examine Loretta Lynch's nomination based on her
[[Page S1286]]
record, her accomplishments, her extraordinary character. I call on the
Republican Leader to schedule an immediate vote on Loretta Lynch's
confirmation. Vote yes or vote no. But this confirmation has been
pending for 116 days--116 days. We have had several breaks--some of our
constituents call them vacations--during that time. Let's take a day or
so and vote on her.
Let's not deprive the American people of even one more day of having
Loretta Lynch as their Attorney General. Let's vote to confirm this
superb woman, this superb nominee for Attorney General, this nominee
who believes that justice is an ideal, that all of us, no matter what
our political party, should ascribe to.
I told her father how moved I was to watch his pride as she was
before our committee for confirmation, I said, the pride was well
earned because of the example he set to her as a child, to face up to
all obstacles and overcome them. Well, let's not have the Senate set an
obstacle that she cannot overcome. Let's have a vote. Let's put her in
there as Attorney General, for the good of the country, not of any
political party, but for the good of the country.
This is not the Attorney General of the President. This is not the
Attorney General of the Members of this body. This is the Attorney
General of the United States. It is the Attorney General for 300
million Americans. Let's give 300 million Americans the Attorney
General they deserve.
I yield the floor.
There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in
the Record, as follows:
Letters Received in Support of Loretta Lynch's Attorney General
Nomination
CURRENT & FORMER ELECTED OFFICIALS
The Honorable John Lewis (GA-5); The Honorable Kathleen
Rice (NY-4), former District Attorney for Nassau County;
Durham County, NC, Board of Commissioners; Martin County, NC,
Board of Commissioners; John Sexton, President of New York
University, Former Chairman of the New York Federal Reserve;
The Honorable Marcia Fudge (OH-11)
Two letters from the 46 members of the Congressional Black
Caucus: The Honorable Alma Adams (NC-12); The Honorable Karen
Bass (CA-37); The Honorable Joyce Beatty (OH-03); The
Honorable Sanford D. Bishop, Jr. (GA-02); The Honorable Cory
Booker (D-NJ); The Honorable Corrine Brown (FL-05); The
Honorable G.K. Butterfield (NC-01); The Honorable Andre
Carson (IN-07); The Honorable Yvette D. Clarke (NY-09); The
Honorable Wm. Lacy Clay (MO-01); The Honorable Emanuel
Cleaver, II (MO-05); The Honorable James E. Clyburn (SC-06);
The Honorable Bonnie Watson Coleman (NJ-12); The Honorable
John Conyers, Jr. (MI-13); The Honorable Elijah E. Cummings
(MD-07); The Honorable Danny K. Davis (IL-07); The Honorable
Donna F. Edwards (MD-04); The Honorable Keith Ellison (MN-
05); The Honorable Chaka Fattah (PA-02); The Honorable Marcia
L. Fudge (OH-11); The Honorable Al Green (TX-09); The
Honorable Alcee L. Hastings (FL-20); The Honorable Sheila
Jackson Lee (TX-18); The Honorable Hakeem Jeffries (NY-08);
The Honorable Eddie Bernice Johnson (TX-30); The Honorable
Hank Johnson (GA-04); The Honorable Robin Kelly (IL-02); The
Honorable Brenda Lawrence (MI-14); The Honorable Barbara Lee
(CA-13); The Honorable John Lewis (GA-05); The Honorable Mia
Love (UT-04); The Honorable Gregory W. Meeks (NY-06); The
Honorable Gwen Moore (WI-04); The Honorable Eleanor Holmes
Norton (DC); The Honorable Donald M. Payne, Jr. (NJ-10); The
Honorable Stacey Plaskett (VI); The Honorable Charles B.
Rangel (NY-13); The Honorable Cedric Richmond (LA-02); The
Honorable Bobby L. Rush (IL-01); The Honorable David Scott
(GA-13); The Honorable Robert C. ``Bobby'' Scott (VA-03); The
Honorable Terri A. Sewell (AL-07); The Honorable Bennie
Thompson (MS-02); The Honorable Marc Veasey (TX-33); The
Honorable Maxine Waters (CA-43); The Honorable Frederica
Wilson (FL-24)
CURRENT & FORMER LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICIALS
Louis Freeh, former FBI Director, Chairman Emeritus of
Pepper Hamilton; William Bratton, Police Commissioner of New
York City; Kevin O'Connor, former Associate Attorney General
at the U.S. DOJ in the Bush administration, current VP of
Global Ethics and Compliance for United Technologies; Joseph
Guccione, former U.S. Marshal for SDNY and current Managing
Director for FGIS; John Gilbride, former Special Agent for
DEA's NY Office and current Global Head of Financial
Intelligence for Morgan Stanley; Larry Thompson, Former VP of
Government Affairs and General Counsel of PepsiCo, Deputy
U.S. Attorney General, and U.S. Attorney for Georgia; Jamie
Gorelick, Former Deputy U.S. Attorney General; Bart Schwartz,
Chairman of Guidepoint Solutions and former Chief of the
Criminal Division for the SDNY United States Attorney's
office; Brian Parr, Chief Security Officer of Citigroup and
former Special Agent in Charge of the United States Secret
Service, New York Field Office.
4 Former EDNY U.S. Attorneys: Andrew J. Maloney; Zachary W.
Carter; Alan Vinegrad; Benton Campbell; 13 Former EDNY
Assistant U.S. Attorneys: Stanley N. Alpert; Jodi L. Avergun;
Robert L. Begleiter; Jason Brown; Eric O. Corngold; Matthew
E. Fishbein; J. Cristopher Jensen; Katya Jestin; Gregory J.
O'Connell; Patricia A. Pileggi; David A. Pitofsky; Lauren J.
Resnick; George A. Stamboulidis.
25 Former U.S. Attorneys from both Republican and
Democratic administrations: David B. Barlow, United States
Attorney, D. UT (2011-2014); Wayne A. Budd, United States
Attorney, D. MA (1989-1992); Mark T. Calloway, United States
Attorney, W.D. NC (1994-2001); Paul K. Charlton, United
States Attorney, D. AZ (2001-2007); Paul E. Coggins, United
States Attorney, N.D. TX (1993-2001); Robert C. Corrente,
United States Attorney, D. RI (2004-2009); E. Bart Daniel,
United States Attorney, D. SC (1989-1992); Richard H. Deane,
Jr., United States Attorney, N.D. GA (1998-2001); Patrick J.
Fitzgerald, United States Attorney, N.D. IL (2001-2012);
Thomas B. Heffelfinger, United States Attorney, D. MN (2001-
2006); Walter C. Holton, United States Attorney, M.D. NC
(1994-2001); G. Douglas Jones, United States Attorney, N.D.
AL (1997-2001); Scott R. Lassar, United States Attorney, N.D.
IL (1997-2001); Matthew D. Orwig, United States Attorney,
E.D. TX (2001-2007); Deborah Rhodes, United States Attorney,
S.D. AL (2005-2009); Jose de Jesus Rivera, United States
Attorney, D. AZ (1998-2001); Richard B. Roper, United States
Attorney, N.D. TX (2004-2009); Richard A. Rossman, United
States Attorney, E.D. MI (1980-1981); Jack W. Selden, United
States Attorney, N.D. AL (1992-1993); Donald K. Stern, United
States Attorney, D. MA (1993-2001); Charles J. Stevens,
United States Attorney, E.D. CA (1993-1997); Jeffrey A.
Taylor, United States Attorney, D. DC (2006-2009); Gregory A.
Vega, United States Attorney, S.D. CA (1999-2001); Kenneth L.
Wainstein, United States Attorney, D. DC (2004-2006); Joseph
D. Whitley, United States Attorney, N.D. GA (1990-1993), M.D.
GA (1981-1986).
LAW ENFORCEMENT & CRIMINAL JUSTICE ORGANIZATIONS
National District Attorneys Association (NDAA); National
Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives (NOBLE);
Major Cities Chief's Association (MCCA); Federal Law
Enforcement Officers Association; National Black Prosecutors
Association; Women in Law Empowerment Forum; Association of
Prosecuting Attorneys; FBI Agents Association; Women in
Federal Law Enforcement (WIFLE); International Association of
Chiefs of Police (IACP).
CIVIL RIGHTS ORGANIZATIONS
Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights; National
Urban League; National Women's Law Center; YWCA; Alliance for
Justice; People for the American Way; NAACP Legal Defense &
Education Fund, Inc.; National Immigration Law Center (NILC);
Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law; Human Rights
Campaign; American Federation of Labor and Congress of
Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO); Legal Momentum: Women's
Legal Defense and Education Fund.
OTHERS
14 Former Presidents of the New York City Bar Association:
Michael A. Cardozo; Michael A. Cooper; Louis A. Craco, Sr.;
Evan A. Davis; Carey R. Dunne; John D. Feerick; Conrad K.
Harper; Patricia M. Hynes; The Honorable Barry Kamins; Robert
M. Kaufman; Bettina B. Plevan; The Honorable E. Leo Milonas;
Barbara Paul Robinson; Samuel W. Seymour.
13 Current and Former Presidents of the Federal Bar
Council: Robert J. Anello (2012-2014); Robert J. Giuffra, Jr.
(2008-2010); Bernard W. Nussbaum (1990-1992); Joan G. Wexler
(2004-2006); Mark C. Zauderer (2006-2008); Steven M. Edwards
(1998-2000); Vilia B. Hayes (2014-Present); Bettina B. Plevan
(1996-1998); Frank H. Wohl (2010-2012); Robert B. Fiske, Jr.
(1982-1984); John J. Kenney (1994-1996); The Honorable Gerald
Walpin (2002-2004); George B. Yankwitt (1992-1994).
44 Partners at Hogan Lovells: Stephen J. Immelt, CEO; J.
Warren Gorrell, Jr., CEO Emeritus; Dennis H. Tracey, Head of
U.S. Litigation; Stuart M. Altman; Robert B. Buehler; Ty
Cobb; Steven M. Edwards; Scott Friedman; David J. Hensler;
Robert F. Leibenluft; Sanford Litvack; Janet L. McDavid;
Joseph R. Rackman; George A. Salter; Michael J. Shepard;
Peter S. Spivack; Mark J. Weinstein; Peter R. Bisio;
Claudette M. Christian; Robert B. Duncan; Ira M. Feinberg;
Mark D. Gately; Craig A. Hoover; Adam K. Levin; Eric J.
Lobenfeld; Martin Michaelson; Barbara M. Roth; Lee Samuelson;
Ira S. Sheinfeld; Catherine E. Stetson; David F. Wertheimer;
Stanley J. Brown; Arlene L. Chow; David Dunn; Amy Bowerman
Freed; Maureen A. Hanlon; Mitch Lazris; Carol A. Licko;
Mitchell R. Lubart; Peter J. Pettibone; Corey W. Roush;
Allison J. Schoenthal; Frank T. Spano; Michael C. Theis.
11 Former Presidents of the New York County Lawyers'
Association (NYCLA): Arthur Norman Field (1990-1992); Klaus
Eppler (1995-1996); John J. Kenney (1996-1997); Rosalind S.
Fink (1997-1998); Stephen D. Hoffman (1998-2000); Craig A.
Landy (2000-2002); Catherine A. Christian (2007-2008); Ann B.
Lesk (2008-2010); James B. Kobak Jr (2010-2011); Stewart D.
Aaron (2011-2013); Barbara Moses (2013-2014).
[[Page S1287]]
28 African American AmLaw partners and Fortune 500 general
counsels: Benjamin F. Wilson, Managing Principal, Beveridge &
Diamond, P.C.; John E. Page, Vice President, General Counsel
and Secretary, Golden State Foods Corporation; Frederick R.
Nance, Partner, Squire Patton Boggs LLP; Kevin J. Armstrong,
General Counsel, DST Brokerage Solutions LLC; Anthony T.
Pierce, D.C. Managing Partner, Akin Gump Stauss Hauer & Feld
LLP; April Miller Boise, Vice President, General Counsel &
Corp. Secretary, Veyance Technologies, Inc.; Kwamina Thomas
Williford, Partner, Holland & Knight; Michael Parham, Sr.
Vice President and General Counsel, RealNetworks, Inc.; Grace
E. Speights, D.C. Co-Managing Partner, Morgan, Lewis &
Bockius LLP; Gail D. Hasbrouck, SVP, General Counsel &
Corporate Secretary, Advocate Health Care; John W. Daniels,
Jr., Chairman Emeritus, Quarles & Brady LLP; Christopher P.
Reynolds, General Counsel and Chief Legal Officer, Toyota
North America; Ava E. Lias-Booker, Baltimore Managing
Partner, McGuire Woods; Kevin J. Armstrong, General Counsel,
DST Brokerage Solutions LLC; Dave Carothers, Managing
Partner, Carothers DiSante & Freudenberger LLP; Philip G.
Hampton, II, D.C. Administrative Partner, Haynes and Boone,
LLP; Maurice A. Watson, Chairman, Husch Blackwell LLP; Dennis
Archer, Chairman Emeritus, Dickinson Wright, PLLC; Erek L.
Barron, Counsel, Whiteford Taylor & Preston; W. Anthony
Jenkins, Member, Dickinson Wright, PLLC; Frank P. Scruggs,
Partner, Berger Singerman LLP; Paul W. Sweeney, L.A.
Administrative Partner, K&L Gates; Paul Lancaster Adams,
Partner, Ogletree, Deakins, Nash, Smoak & Stewart; Sherrie L.
Farrell, Member, Dykema; Richard H. Deane, Jr., Atlanta
Partner-in-Charge, Jones Day; Bernard Gugar, SVP & General
Counsel, Harpo, Inc.; Damario Solomon-Simmons, Managing
Partner, SolomonSimmmonsSharrock & Associates; Steven Wright,
Boston Executive Partner, Holland & Knight.
Audrey Strauss, EVP and Chief Legal Officer for ALCOA; Sara
Moss, EVP and General Counsel for Estee Lauder Companies;
National Conference of Women's Bar Associations; Women's Bar
Association of DC; National Bar Association; Peter Walsh,
Senior Deputy General Counsel for UnitedHealth Group;
National Association of Women Lawyers; Constance Patillo;
Frank Brown, Dean Emeritus at UNC-Chapel Hill; Tyrone Dash,
Deacon at White Rock Baptist Church; National Association of
Social Workers.
Mr. LEAHY. I suggest the absence of a quorum.
The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Toomey). The clerk will call the roll.
The bill clerk proceeded to call the roll.
Mr. HATCH. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for
the quorum call be rescinded.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
____________________