[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 91 (Tuesday, May 25, 2021)]
[Senate]
[Pages S3385-S3386]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    NOMINATION OF KRISTEN M. CLARKE

  Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. President, a year ago today, on another front 
equally important, George Floyd was murdered in broad daylight by a 
police officer sworn to protect and serve. Our country was forever 
changed by the stomach-churning video of Derek Chauvin killing Mr. 
Floyd.
  It sparked a summer of protest unlike any we have seen in American 
history. Around the world, the name of George Floyd was chanted in 
Rome, Paris, and London, Amsterdam, Berlin, and Mexico City. As 
recently as this weekend, professional soccer players in the British 
Premier League knelt before the game in support of the global movement 
against racism touched off by George Floyd.
  This was not only a fight for justice for one man and his family, 
whom I have had the privilege to meet with, but a fight against the 
discrimination that Black men and women suffer at the hands of state 
power not just here in America but around the globe. It is a fight that 
continues today.
  Here in the Senate, we will continue that fight when we vote to 
confirm the first woman--the first Black woman--to ever lead the 
Justice Department's Civil Rights Division, which was created in 1957 
as the civil rights movement began to uphold the constitutional rights 
of all Americans but particularly the most vulnerable. When it comes to 
justice in policing, the criminal justice system, and at the ballot 
box, the Civil Rights Division is often the tip of the spear: 
conducting investigations of police departments with patterns or 
practices of constitutional violations and defending the fundamental 
voting rights of every American citizen.
  So, in a way, as we continue to pursue strong policing reform 
legislation, it is appropriate that we confirm Kristen Clarke--a proven 
civil rights leader--to the position of Assistant Attorney General, 
where she can continue the fight against bigotry in many ways. It is 
appropriate we do it today.
  Though my Republican colleagues have tried to twist her words to make 
her sound like some radical, Ms. Clarke is, in reality, a hugely 
accomplished civil rights attorney who has earned the respect of all 
sides. Much like her future colleague at the Justice Department, Vanita 
Gupta, Kristen Clarke has been endorsed by a wide range of law 
enforcement groups. The truth is, Ms. Clarke will make an exceptional 
leader of the Civil Rights Division.
  So, again, in a very significant way, as we continue to pursue strong 
policing reform legislation, the fight for racial justice by confirming 
Kristen Clarke on the anniversary of George Floyd's murder is 
particularly poignant and appropriate.
  Of course, Congress must also pursue strong legislation to end racial 
bias in

[[Page S3386]]

law enforcement. Senators Booker and Scott, as well as Representative 
Bass and others, have been working diligently behind the scenes to 
fashion such a bill on a bipartisan basis. That important work must 
continue as we strive to ensure George Floyd's tragic death will not be 
in vain.

                          ____________________