[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 183 (Tuesday, October 19, 2021)]
[Senate]
[Pages S7038-S7039]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                                Protests

  Mr. President, now on another matter, last week, Washington, DC, was 
again the site of illegal political violence from the radical left. A 
mob of environmental extremists set upon the Department of the 
Interior. They shoved through blocked doors. They hurt the police and 
security personnel who tried to hold the line. These radicals put one 
law enforcement officer actually in the hospital.
  Political violence and attacks on government buildings are flatout 
wrong no matter who is perpetrating them or what they claim to believe. 
That is why it is puzzling that last week's incidents attracted so 
little attention and condemnation. The White House was directly asked 
about the day's demonstrations just a few hours after the violence and 
the break-in occurred. Instead of condemning the radicals, the Biden 
administration actually praised them--praised them.
  The White House Press Secretary was asked about the protests multiple 
hours after the violence and the break-in and said--this is a direct 
quote--``Of course we're listening to advocates and people who have 
been elevating the issue of climate for decades. They have important 
voices.''
  So that is how the Biden administration officially described the 
demonstrators who put a cop in the hospital--``important voices.'' This 
is just absurd. But those weren't just regrettable comments; they 
capture the politicized and selective approach to law enforcement that 
increasingly defines the Democratic Party.
  Last year, our Nation saw a 30-percent jump in homicides--the biggest 
jump in the murder rate in modern history; the worst spike in the 
homicide rate in modern American history. The head of the National 
Center for Health Statistics says it was the worst increase in more 
than 100 years, since at

[[Page S7039]]

least 1905. Actually, he went on to say that even 1905 wasn't 
comparable because that was likely a clerical matter. So the experts 
don't really know the last time the murder rate shot up this much, but 
we know it was before the average American family had electricity or 
indoor plumbing. That was a long time ago.
  Responding to this terrible trend should be very simple. It should be 
a no-brainer for elected officials at every level: more and better 
resources for more and better policing for more and better community 
safety.
  Instead, liberal local officials across the country from city halls 
and city councils to right here in Congress have gotten caught up in 
the radicalism of ``defund the police.''
  As one leftwing House Member put it, ``Not only do we need to 
disinvest from police . . . we need to completely dismantle''--
``dismantle''--her local police department.'' That was a Member of the 
Congress.
  Another declared, ``Policing in our country is inherently and 
intentionally racist.''
  One news story from last weekend reported that ``a crowd of 100 
people wreaked havoc in downtown Portland, Oregon, this week--smashing 
storefront windows, lighting dumpsters on fire and causing at least 
$500,000 in damage--but police officers didn't stop them. Portland 
Police Bureau officials say that's because of legislation passed by 
Oregon lawmakers this year, which restricts the tools they can use to 
confront people vandalizing buildings and causing mayhem.'' So 
apparently it is OK in Portland to do those kinds of things because of 
legislation they passed out in Oregon.
  While all of this is percolating, what is the Department of Justice 
focused on?
  Where is the Attorney General training his firepower?
  Well, here is the answer: Two weeks ago, Attorney General Garland 
published a special memorandum directing Federal law to focus 
specifically on parents who are dissatisfied with ``woke'' school 
boards and far-left indoctrination. You get the picture here.
  The worst spike in the murder rate in over a century and the Attorney 
General wants main justice laser-focused on--listen to this--parents 
who are asking questions about their kids' curriculum. It is beyond 
parody.
  To be perfectly clear, I never offered anything but condemnation for 
violence and threats in the political square, but local law enforcement 
is fully capable of handling isolated incidents where crimes are 
committed. There is absolutely no reason--none--for Attorney General 
Garland to pull this J. Edgar Hoover act on American parents. But these 
strange and warped priorities are defining the Biden administration's 
approach: soft on crime; heavy on indulging far-left fads.
  Currently deadlocked in the Judiciary Committee is the nomination of 
Rachael Rollins, a would-be U.S. Attorney who has a national reputation 
for being soft on crime during her time as a prosecutor. In her current 
role as district attorney, the nominee has said that prosecutors in her 
jurisdiction should--listen to this--decline to prosecute a whole 
laundry list of crimes--just decline to prosecute them. From 
shoplifting to trespassing, to drug possession with the intent to 
distribute, Ms. Rollins wants her county to be a place where these 
crimes get free passes.
  And the Biden administration rewards this with a big promotion?
  Mr. President, support for equal justice, support for law 
enforcement, and support for the innocent people they protect go hand 
in hand. It is time for the Biden administration to get serious about 
the rule of law.
  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The majority whip.
  Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent to speak as if in 
morning business.
  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. Without objection, it is so 
ordered.