[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 60 (Tuesday, April 19, 2016)]
[Senate]
[Pages S2132-S2133]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  OKLAHOMA CITY BOMBING ANNIVERSARY AND NOMINATION OF MERRICK GARLAND

  Mr. REID. Mr. President, 21 years ago today, in Oklahoma City at 9:02 
a.m. Oklahoma City time, Timothy McVeigh detonated a bomb at the 
Federal building in Oklahoma City, killing 168 innocent people, and 19 
of them were children who were there with their parents on business the 
family had. This was a work day, and Timothy McVeigh detonated that 
huge explosion. People could see the smoke from miles and miles away. 
It was the deadliest terrorist attack on American soil before 9/11.
  I think we can all see--I know I can see in my mind's eye the images 
that were on television and the huge Federal building destroyed. It had 
been ripped in half. I recall, as I am sure people within the sound of 
my voice recall, the images of chaos: bloody, disoriented victims 
trying to determine if they were alive, if they had their arms, if they 
had their legs, if they had their mind, if they had their eyes. As soon 
as they got that straightened out, they started desperately trying to 
find and assist the injured.
  This was a heart-wrenching day for our Nation. People watched the 
aftermath and wanted to help in any way they could.
  One of those eager to help was a lawyer from the Department of 
Justice named Merrick Garland. His boss at the time was a well-known 
political figure, Deputy Attorney General Jamie Gorelick. She explained 
Garland's desire to go to Oklahoma City and help with the 
investigation. She said:

       Both of us had kids about the ages of the kids in the day 
     care center [in Washington]. We were just sick to our 
     stomachs. And Merrick said, ``I need to go.''

  Merrick Garland went home that evening knowing that he would be gone 
for a while. He kissed his wife and his children, and he arrived in 
Oklahoma City less than 48 hours later.
  At this time, Garland was a seasoned Federal prosecutor, having 
served as U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia prior to taking a 
senior role in the Department of Justice. Those who knew him recall how 
competent he was. Having done some criminal defense work in my past, I 
know how difficult it is for somebody trying to defend somebody when 
you come up against a prosecutor with the reputation of Garland. They 
have a way about them to make the case simple in the minds of a judge 
and jury, even though there could be a very complicated set of 
facts. Those who worked with him recall him as unwavering in his 
commitment to the law. He followed the law. He followed procedure. He 
was guided by an acute sense of fairness. The New York Times reported:

       Former colleagues also recalled that Mr. Garland insisted 
     on doing the investigation by the book, like obtaining 
     subpoenas even when phone and truck rental companies 
     volunteered to simply hand over the evidence, to avoid any 
     future trial problems. He also made sure there was a 
     prosecutor responsible for keeping relatives and victims 
     informed about the case as it developed.

  In speech after speech, the senior Senator from Iowa has insisted 
that a nominee to the Supreme Court should be ``supreme,'' should be 
someone who--and I quote him--``adheres to the Constitution and the 
rule of law and decides cases based on wherever the text takes him or 
her.''
  Merrick Garland is the person the senior Senator from Iowa described. 
With an entire nation wanting justice served immediately to those 
responsible for the bombing, Garland and his team refused to take 
shortcuts. They did it the right way. They did it the Garland way. They 
adhered to the law every step of the way.

[[Page S2133]]

  So impressive was Mr. Garland throughout the investigation and 
prosecution, that Steven Jones, the attorney for Timothy McVeigh--
listen to this. Here is what the attorney for McVeigh said about 
Merrick Garland.

       Personally he's above reproach. He has integrity. He has 
     the skills.

  Merrick Garland was also devoted to the victims and their families. 
Claudia Denny was the mother of children in the building's daycare 
center. Her children were critically injured, but they survived. They 
are alive. This is what she said of Merrick Garland:

       Early on we got invited to the U.S. attorney's office. They 
     wanted all of our concerns, and I think Judge Garland set 
     that up where we all got our voice heard.

  The Oklahoma City prosecution ended with convictions and guilty pleas 
for all who were involved. To this day, Oklahomans still revere Merrick 
Garland for his good work. Frank Keating, the Governor of Oklahoma at 
the time of the attack, has been outspoken in his praise of Judge 
Garland. He told NPR recently:

       People don't understand when they're eating a good dinner 
     on Friday night, there is a chef in the kitchen that did it. 
     And in the case of what we saw after April 19, there was a 
     chef in the kitchen that did it, and it was Merrick Garland.

  The junior Senator from Oklahoma recently praised Judge Garland 
saying, ``I do plan to meet with Merrick Garland in my office in the 
weeks ahead to say thank you for what he did for Oklahoma during the 
bombing trial.
  But that is as far as Senator Lankford has said he will go. He has 
made it clear that he will do nothing to help Garland get a hearing or 
a vote.
  Following his work in the Oklahoma City case, Merrick Garland 
continued to work on other notable criminal cases. He oversaw the 
prosecution of the Unabomber, Ted Kaczynski, this evil man who is now 
in prison. Garland ran the investigation on the Atlanta Olympics 
bombing. He then went on to serve with distinction on the DC Circuit 
Court of Appeals, where he now serves as the chief judge.
  Supreme Court Justice John Roberts once said of Garland's judicial 
expertise: ``Anytime Judge Garland disagrees, you know you are in a 
difficult area.'' It is time for Republicans to allow the American 
people to see Merrick Garland themselves, not have me talking about him 
but see him for themselves. This is a super star. This is somebody who 
should be on the Court. Republicans should allow the American people to 
see this man for what the people of Oklahoma and litigants in the 
courtrooms have known for many years: This is a special man.
  Last year, as part of the 20th anniversary of the Oklahoma City 
attack, Judge Garland and some of his fellow prosecutors were awarded 
the Reflections of Hope Award by the Oklahoma City National Memorial. 
The honor is awarded to those who exemplify the belief that ``hope can 
survive and blossom amidst the tragedy and chaos.''
  That is the hope Merrick Garland brought to Oklahoma in the aftermath 
of that vicious day. We are reminded of Judge Garland's contributions 
in securing justice in Oklahoma City and wherever he has gone. He is a 
brilliant man. He is academically brilliant. He is a man who was not 
given anything on a silver platter. In my meeting with him, I asked him 
how he handled the situation at Harvard. It is an expensive place. He 
said: Well, among other things, I sold my comic book collection.
  Now, that does not sound like much to most people. But those coins, 
for example, that my little brother--we are separated by 22 months--has 
been collecting since he was a little boy mean a lot to him. Most of 
them are not worth too much. Some of them are.
  Merrick Garland collected comic books. One of my best friend's sons 
collects comic books. It is something they do. It meant a lot to him. 
He had to get rid of them to get through college. He has inspired those 
around him through his hard work and commitment and fairness always. 
That is why it is so disappointing that Republicans are denying this 
man the common decency of a hearing so the American people can see him.
  Why not let Merrick Garland speak for himself at a hearing? Why not 
let him make his own case to the American people and their elected 
Senators? There is no excuse to delay his nomination any longer. Senate 
Republicans should give Merrick Garland the hearings and the vote he 
deserves. Republicans need to simply do their job.

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