[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 69 (Wednesday, April 27, 2022)]
[Senate]
[Pages S2175-S2176]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


                           EXECUTIVE CALENDAR

  Mr. BROWN. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent--I appreciate 
Senator Cotton joining me on the floor and his work with Senator 
McConnell on this.
  I ask unanimous consent that the Senate consider the following 
nominations en bloc: Calendar Nos. 660, 661, 663, 739, 740, 741, 742, 
804, 805, and 859; that the Senate vote on the nominations en bloc 
without intervening action or debate; the motions to reconsider be 
considered made and laid upon the table with no intervening action or 
debate; that any statements related to the nominations be printed in 
the Record; and that the President be immediately notified of the 
Senate's action.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there objection?
  The Senator from Arkansas.
  Mr. COTTON. Reserving the right to object, I want to say a few words 
about this matter.

[[Page S2176]]

  Two months ago, I sent a letter to the Attorney General demanding 
answers why the Department of Justice was hanging out to dry four 
deputy U.S. marshals who had bravely defended the Portland courthouse 
against leftwing street militias in the summer of 2020. Those marshals 
are now facing civil litigation, but the Department is refusing to 
defend them in court, putting them at risk of bankruptcy, and perhaps 
most alarming of all, it won't even tell them why.
  Now, the Department still hasn't provided definitive answers; and 
after I raised this alarm, they took another step and put the marshals 
on limited duty, telling them that after 20 months of active 
unrestricted duty they are now under investigation for the events in 
Portland. That is despite the fact that they received an award for 
their actions in Portland, received outstanding and excellent 
performance evaluations for 2020, and were, again, deployed to some of 
the most dangerous and high-risk missions that our law enforcement 
officers can undertake.
  Call me crazy, but I have to say this seems like a case of potential 
retaliation. But it does, in a way, give the marshals the information 
we were seeking to help them understand their status. I also understand 
that at least one marshal has filed a complaint for retaliation against 
Vanita Gupta, the Assistant Attorney General.
  The facts will come out one way or another. My message to the 
Department of Justice today is this: You will be held accountable for 
your actions against these law enforcement officers if they are 
inappropriate or even unlawful. If not this year, it will happen next 
year because I also want to add that yesterday, I and several of my 
colleagues, including the Judiciary Committee's ranking member Senator 
Grassley and the former Judiciary Committee chairman, Senator Graham, 
sent a letter to the Department about this investigation. We intend to 
get to the bottom of it, and we are committed to an oversight 
investigation in the 118th Congress if one doesn't occur in this 
Congress.
  I have also spoken to our Republican colleagues on the House 
Judiciary Committee who have today issued a request to the Department 
of Justice to preserve documents in this matter.
  Now that I am confident the Department will receive the oversight 
that it deserves in this matter, I will no longer object to these 
nominees. Therefore, given these developments in this matter, I will 
withdraw my objection to the confirmation of today's nominees.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The question is, Will the Senate advise and consent to the following 
nominations en bloc: Ryan K. Buchanan, of Georgia, to be United States 
Attorney for the Northern District of Georgia for the term of four 
years; Jason M. Frierson, of Nevada, to be United States Attorney for 
the District of Nevada for the term of four years; Mark A. Totten, of 
Michigan, to be United States Attorney for the Western District of 
Michigan for the term of four years; Marisa T. Darden, of Ohio, to be 
United States Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio for the term 
of four years; Delia L. Smith, of the Virgin Islands, to be United 
States Attorney for the District of the Virgin Islands for the term of 
four years; Eddie M. Frizell, of Minnesota, to be United States Marshal 
for the District of Minnesota for the term of four years; LaDon A. 
Reynolds, of Illinois, to be United States Marshal for the Northern 
District of Illinois for the term of four years; Trina A. Higgins, of 
Utah, to be United States Attorney for the District of Utah for the 
term of four years; Jane E. Young, of New Hampshire, to be United 
States Attorney for the District of New Hampshire for the term of four 
years; and Vanessa Roberts Avery, of Connecticut, to be United States 
Attorney for the District of Connecticut for the term of four years?
  The nominations were confirmed en bloc.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The senior Senator from Ohio.