[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 19 (Monday, January 31, 2022)]
[Senate]
[Pages S395-S396]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


                           EXECUTIVE CALENDAR

  The PRESIDENT pro tempore. Under the previous order, the Senate will 
proceed to executive session to resume consideration of the following 
nomination, which the clerk will report.
  The legislative clerk read the nomination of Bridget Meehan Brennan, 
of Ohio, to be United States District Judge for the Northern District 
of Ohio.
  Ms. HIRONO. Mr. President, I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDENT pro tempore. The clerk will call the roll.
  The legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. LEAHY. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the order 
for the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER (Ms. Hirono). Without objection, it is so 
ordered.


                               January 6

  Mr. LEAHY. Madam President, I couldn't help but think today that the 
distinguished Presiding Officer and I both had the opportunity to be 
prosecutors. And I thought today about prosecutors--I listened to what 
former President Donald Trump said. I listened to him with horror and 
disbelief, especially when I saw it on television, and he was obviously 
reading his words off a teleprompter and knew exactly what he was 
saying.
  He basically said that if he was reelected, he would be inclined to 
give Presidential pardons to the people who stormed the U.S. Capitol a 
year ago, January 6--the people who came in here as insurrectionists; 
the people who came in here doing enormous damage and injuries; the 
people who caused many to die; the people who set up a gallows outside 
the Capitol with a noose on it with Vice President Pence's name on it, 
saying that if he is not willing to ignore the law and suddenly give 
the Presidency to Donald Trump, a man who had lost by millions of 
votes, this is what he deserved, the gallows.
  It is the sort of thing that if you saw it in a B-rated horror movie, 
you would say this is so unbelievable, but here it is real.
  You had people committing terrible crimes--destruction of property, 
injuries to people, trying to kill and eventually did kill police 
officers. I remember that day, and I am sure the Presiding Officer 
does, because we were all on the floor of the Senate as the Vice 
President was rushed off the dais where the Presiding Officer is right 
now and where I opened the U.S. Senate just minutes ago.
  And then, before we knew what was going on, we suddenly saw several 
other plainclothes police officers come in here and a big one in a 
uniform carrying a submachine gun with a vest that said ``POLICE.'' We 
were told we had to leave and go to the safe room and were escorted out 
by armed police

[[Page S396]]

officers. If it weren't for some of the brave operations of these 
officers, we had Members of both parties who could have been victims of 
the mob.
  And just minutes after we were escorted from here, this place was 
stormed by some who thought it was the House of Representatives. I 
mean, they just obviously had been inspired to come up here and storm 
the Capitol. They wanted the election turned over at the request of 
Donald Trump to give it to him even though he had lost. And I thought--
I never thought I would see something like this.
  I remember when I was a young law student at Georgetown Law School, I 
would come up here and sit in the Gallery and watch this place, this 
body, and watch both Republicans and Democrats debate everything from 
civil rights to voting rights and routine matters. I thought, ``What a 
place to be.'' These extraordinary Senators from both parties from all 
over the country speaking about the laws and the Constitution of our 
country.
  I remember, even after I went back to Vermont after I was practicing 
law and became a prosecutor, I thought of the days I was here with my 
parents and others just watching this body and how thrilled I was when 
I came here, thinking the U.S. Senate can and should be the conscience 
of the Nation. And then I looked on television and saw a man who was 
decisively defeated for reelection to the Presidency, saying to his 
followers: If I am elected President again, I can pardon all these 
criminals who came in here, these insurrectionists--people, actually, 
many whom it is very clear were encouraged to come here and storm the 
Capitol at his request.
  We are a nation of laws. We are not a nation of individuals; we are a 
nation of laws. And we survive as a nation and we excel as a nation if 
we follow the law, if all of us do. On the Senate floor, we can debate. 
Both parties can disagree on things, and we do often. I think we all 
believe in the fact that we have laws, and you must follow them.
  When I was a prosecutor, I thought, if somebody broke the law, there 
are consequences for it. I cannot imagine what it would have been like 
as a young prosecutor if I heard somebody running for high office in my 
State--in this case, a Governor--who said: Go ahead. Break every law 
you can to help me get elected because I will pardon you as soon as I 
get in there. I think I would be before a grand jury pretty quickly 
talking about that candidate. Yet that is what we see.
  How could anybody be so blinded to what this Nation is that they will 
ignore what this Nation is? How can anybody be so blinded to the laws 
of this country that they can ignore those laws? How can anybody be so 
blinded to our Constitution that they can ask people to violate the 
Constitution?
  ``Commit crimes in my name, and don't worry, I will take care of you. 
I will make sure you are pardoned.''
  This country has to get back to--Republicans and Democrats alike--
believing in the rule of law. Disagree if we want, disagree at the 
ballot box, but follow the law and stop giving the impression to the 
rest of the world that we are some kind of a pending dictatorship, 
where the law and the Constitution are set aside for the whim of 
whoever is elected.
  I will speak more on this at another time. I know the distinguished 
Presiding Officer has spoken out on this matter before. I greatly 
admire what she has said, and I will continue to speak out.
  I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  The legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. SCHUMER. I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum 
call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.