[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 161 (2015), Part 3]
[Senate]
[Pages 3208-3211]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                            LYNCH NOMINATION

  Mr. LEAHY. Mr. President, nearly 4 months ago--not 4 weeks ago but 4 
months ago--President Obama announced his intention to nominate Loretta 
Lynch to be our country's next Attorney General. I had the privilege of 
attending that White House ceremony. In fact, I took this photograph at 
the ceremony.
  But as I took it, I was mostly moved by what Ms. Lynch explained. She 
said she was excited about the challenge of becoming our Nation's chief 
law enforcement officer. She noted with obvious admiration that the 
Department of Justice is the only Cabinet Department named for an 
ideal. Think of that. The Department of Justice. It is named for the 
ideal of justice.
  We know from Loretta Lynch's long public service career that she 
aspires to make that ideal a reality. She will when she becomes 
Attorney General of the United States. As U.S. Attorney for the Eastern 
District of New York, she brought countless terrorists and cyber 
criminals to justice. She obtained convictions against corrupt public 
officials from both political parties. She fought tirelessly against 
violent crime and financial fraud. Her record shows as Attorney General 
she will effectively, fairly, and independently enforce the law.
  As many people have said, she is a prosecutor's prosecutor. Her 
record of accomplishment goes beyond just that.

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It goes to who she is as a person. It is bolstered by the faith and 
values instilled in her by her family. The Judiciary Committee was 
honored to have her proud father, the Reverend Lorenzo Lynch, with us 
not only at both days of the historic hearings in January, but also 
last Thursday as the committee considered his daughter's historic 
nomination.
  When Loretta Lynch was a young child, Reverend Lynch bravely opened 
his church to students and others to organize lunch counter sit-ins in 
North Carolina. He taught his only daughter that ``ideals are wonderful 
things, but unless you can share them with others and make this world a 
better place, they are just words.'' Every one of us who has ever been 
in public service ought to listen to that. The fact that she has 
dedicated the majority of her career to public service reaffirms that 
she has lived those ideals of justice in the service of others.
  Last week, the committee reported her nomination favorably with a 
bipartisan vote. I wish the vote had been unanimous. I suspect that if 
the President who nominated her had been a Republican, she would have 
been confirmed by now. But in the sixth year of this administration, 
perhaps there is no one who can be confirmed unanimously, because those 
Republicans who are opposing Ms. Lynch are not doing so based on her 
record. They are opposing her because they disagree with a decision 
that President Obama made and that she played no part in. That is not 
treating her fairly.
  One need only look at her supporters to know how nonpartisan her 
nomination really is. Louis Freeh, the former Director of the FBI and a 
Federal judge, has written:

       [I]n in my twenty-five years of public service--23 in the 
     Department of Justice--I cannot think of a more qualified 
     nominee to be America's chief law enforcement officer.

  I know Judge Freeh very well. He is a man of total integrity. He 
would not say this unless he strongly believed it.
  The current New York Police Commissioner, who was appointed by a 
Democrat, and a former New York Police Commissioner, appointed by a 
Republican, both strongly support her nomination.
  Even prominent Fox News hosts have praised Loretta Lynch's work as a 
prosecutor. Bill O'Reilly has called her a hero for her prosecution of 
a child rapist. Megyn Kelly, of Fox, has described Ms. Lynch as a 
``straight shooter'' for her service as a Federal prosecutor, 
especially for her crackdown on gang crime and terrorism.
  Ms. Lynch also has broad support from law enforcement, fellow 
prosecutors, civil rights groups, and numerous other prominent 
individuals.
  I ask unanimous consent to have a list of letters in support of her 
nomination printed in the Record following my remarks.
  Nobody else is seeking the floor. I ask unanimous consent to go 
beyond the 10 minutes allotted, up to 3 extra minutes.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  Mr. LEAHY. In January, Ms. Lynch testified before the Senate 
Judiciary Committee for nearly 8 hours. She has now responded to nearly 
900 questions for the record. I have been here 40 years and I have a 
hard time remembering somebody who has answered so many questions. The 
witnesses invited by Republicans to speak on this, not a single one of 
them actually opposed her nomination. In fact, I asked all of the 
outside witnesses: If anybody here opposes her nomination, would you 
please raise your hand. Nobody did.
  Despite this, some voted no--some Republican Senators voted no on her 
nomination in committee. Some of these Senators opposed her because she 
would not renounce the President's Executive action to keep immigrant 
families together. They are attacking her for this. They blame this on 
her. But they fail to acknowledge that if the Republican leadership in 
the House had just allowed a vote on the immigration reform that passed 
the Senate, then the President would not have been compelled to act.
  Very hard-working Republicans and Democrats came together in this 
body to pass by a 2-to-1 margin an immigration bill. Most people felt 
it would pass the House of Representatives had it been allowed to come 
to a vote. But the Speaker determined not to let it come to a vote. You 
cannot then say: We are not going to vote on anything, but, oh, by the 
way, we are not going to let the President do what Presidents have 
always done in the absence of legislation, take executive action.
  Now we all agree that we have problems in our immigration system. We 
all agree that we need legislation to fix it. The President is not 
going to do that. Congress has to do it. We have to stand up and vote 
for or against changes. But to blame the Attorney General nominee for 
this is simply unfair. To blame her because the House of 
Representatives will not vote on immigration is not fair. Ms. Lynch 
played no part in the President's decision to set the prosecutorial 
priorities of the administration.
  As a Federal prosecutor in New York, no one has claimed that Ms. 
Lynch has failed to enforce the law. There is no legitimate reason to 
delay her vote any longer. In fact, there are a whole lot of people in 
prison today who wish that she had not enforced the law. But if they 
were guilty of crimes, she enforced it, whether Republicans, 
Democrats--no matter who they were--and with quite a few terrorists--
she enforced the law. She put them in prison.
  So we should examine Loretta Lynch's nomination based on her record, 
her accomplishments, her extraordinary character. I call on the 
Republican Leader to schedule an immediate vote on Loretta Lynch's 
confirmation. Vote yes or vote no. But this confirmation has been 
pending for 116 days--116 days. We have had several breaks--some of our 
constituents call them vacations--during that time. Let's take a day or 
so and vote on her.
  Let's not deprive the American people of even one more day of having 
Loretta Lynch as their Attorney General. Let's vote to confirm this 
superb woman, this superb nominee for Attorney General, this nominee 
who believes that justice is an ideal, that all of us, no matter what 
our political party, should ascribe to.
  I told her father how moved I was to watch his pride as she was 
before our committee for confirmation, I said, the pride was well 
earned because of the example he set to her as a child, to face up to 
all obstacles and overcome them. Well, let's not have the Senate set an 
obstacle that she cannot overcome. Let's have a vote. Let's put her in 
there as Attorney General, for the good of the country, not of any 
political party, but for the good of the country.
  This is not the Attorney General of the President. This is not the 
Attorney General of the Members of this body. This is the Attorney 
General of the United States. It is the Attorney General for 300 
million Americans. Let's give 300 million Americans the Attorney 
General they deserve.
  I yield the floor.
  There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in 
the Record, as follows:

    Letters Received in Support of Loretta Lynch's Attorney General 
                               Nomination


                   CURRENT & FORMER ELECTED OFFICIALS

       The Honorable John Lewis (GA-5); The Honorable Kathleen 
     Rice (NY-4), former District Attorney for Nassau County; 
     Durham County, NC, Board of Commissioners; Martin County, NC, 
     Board of Commissioners; John Sexton, President of New York 
     University, Former Chairman of the New York Federal Reserve; 
     The Honorable Marcia Fudge (OH-11)
       Two letters from the 46 members of the Congressional Black 
     Caucus: The Honorable Alma Adams (NC-12); The Honorable Karen 
     Bass (CA-37); The Honorable Joyce Beatty (OH-03); The 
     Honorable Sanford D. Bishop, Jr. (GA-02); The Honorable Cory 
     Booker (D-NJ); The Honorable Corrine Brown (FL-05); The 
     Honorable G.K. Butterfield (NC-01); The Honorable Andre 
     Carson (IN-07); The Honorable Yvette D. Clarke (NY-09); The 
     Honorable Wm. Lacy Clay (MO-01); The Honorable Emanuel 
     Cleaver, II (MO-05); The Honorable James E. Clyburn (SC-06); 
     The Honorable Bonnie Watson Coleman (NJ-12); The Honorable 
     John Conyers, Jr. (MI-13); The Honorable Elijah E. Cummings 
     (MD-07); The Honorable Danny K. Davis (IL-07); The Honorable 
     Donna F. Edwards (MD-04); The Honorable Keith Ellison (MN-
     05); The Honorable Chaka Fattah (PA-02); The Honorable Marcia 
     L. Fudge (OH-11); The Honorable Al Green (TX-09); The 
     Honorable Alcee L. Hastings (FL-20); The Honorable Sheila 
     Jackson

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     Lee (TX-18); The Honorable Hakeem Jeffries (NY-08); The 
     Honorable Eddie Bernice Johnson (TX-30); The Honorable Hank 
     Johnson (GA-04); The Honorable Robin Kelly (IL-02); The 
     Honorable Brenda Lawrence (MI-14); The Honorable Barbara Lee 
     (CA-13); The Honorable John Lewis (GA-05); The Honorable Mia 
     Love (UT-04); The Honorable Gregory W. Meeks (NY-06); The 
     Honorable Gwen Moore (WI-04); The Honorable Eleanor Holmes 
     Norton (DC); The Honorable Donald M. Payne, Jr. (NJ-10); The 
     Honorable Stacey Plaskett (VI); The Honorable Charles B. 
     Rangel (NY-13); The Honorable Cedric Richmond (LA-02); The 
     Honorable Bobby L. Rush (IL-01); The Honorable David Scott 
     (GA-13); The Honorable Robert C. ``Bobby'' Scott (VA-03); The 
     Honorable Terri A. Sewell (AL-07); The Honorable Bennie 
     Thompson (MS-02); The Honorable Marc Veasey (TX-33); The 
     Honorable Maxine Waters (CA-43); The Honorable Frederica 
     Wilson (FL-24)


               CURRENT & FORMER LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICIALS

       Louis Freeh, former FBI Director, Chairman Emeritus of 
     Pepper Hamilton; William Bratton, Police Commissioner of New 
     York City; Kevin O'Connor, former Associate Attorney General 
     at the U.S. DOJ in the Bush administration, current VP of 
     Global Ethics and Compliance for United Technologies; Joseph 
     Guccione, former U.S. Marshal for SDNY and current Managing 
     Director for FGIS; John Gilbride, former Special Agent for 
     DEA's NY Office and current Global Head of Financial 
     Intelligence for Morgan Stanley; Larry Thompson, Former VP of 
     Government Affairs and General Counsel of PepsiCo, Deputy 
     U.S. Attorney General, and U.S. Attorney for Georgia; Jamie 
     Gorelick, Former Deputy U.S. Attorney General; Bart Schwartz, 
     Chairman of Guidepoint Solutions and former Chief of the 
     Criminal Division for the SDNY United States Attorney's 
     office; Brian Parr, Chief Security Officer of Citigroup and 
     former Special Agent in Charge of the United States Secret 
     Service, New York Field Office.
       4 Former EDNY U.S. Attorneys: Andrew J. Maloney; Zachary W. 
     Carter; Alan Vinegrad; Benton Campbell; 13 Former EDNY 
     Assistant U.S. Attorneys: Stanley N. Alpert; Jodi L. Avergun; 
     Robert L. Begleiter; Jason Brown; Eric O. Corngold; Matthew 
     E. Fishbein; J. Cristopher Jensen; Katya Jestin; Gregory J. 
     O'Connell; Patricia A. Pileggi; David A. Pitofsky; Lauren J. 
     Resnick; George A. Stamboulidis.
       25 Former U.S. Attorneys from both Republican and 
     Democratic administrations: David B. Barlow, United States 
     Attorney, D. UT (2011-2014); Wayne A. Budd, United States 
     Attorney, D. MA (1989-1992); Mark T. Calloway, United States 
     Attorney, W.D. NC (1994-2001); Paul K. Charlton, United 
     States Attorney, D. AZ (2001-2007); Paul E. Coggins, United 
     States Attorney, N.D. TX (1993-2001); Robert C. Corrente, 
     United States Attorney, D. RI (2004-2009); E. Bart Daniel, 
     United States Attorney, D. SC (1989-1992); Richard H. Deane, 
     Jr., United States Attorney, N.D. GA (1998-2001); Patrick J. 
     Fitzgerald, United States Attorney, N.D. IL (2001-2012); 
     Thomas B. Heffelfinger, United States Attorney, D. MN (2001-
     2006); Walter C. Holton, United States Attorney, M.D. NC 
     (1994-2001); G. Douglas Jones, United States Attorney, N.D. 
     AL (1997-2001); Scott R. Lassar, United States Attorney, N.D. 
     IL (1997-2001); Matthew D. Orwig, United States Attorney, 
     E.D. TX (2001-2007); Deborah Rhodes, United States Attorney, 
     S.D. AL (2005-2009); Jose de Jesus Rivera, United States 
     Attorney, D. AZ (1998-2001); Richard B. Roper, United States 
     Attorney, N.D. TX (2004-2009); Richard A. Rossman, United 
     States Attorney, E.D. MI (1980-1981); Jack W. Selden, United 
     States Attorney, N.D. AL (1992-1993); Donald K. Stern, United 
     States Attorney, D. MA (1993-2001); Charles J. Stevens, 
     United States Attorney, E.D. CA (1993-1997); Jeffrey A. 
     Taylor, United States Attorney, D. DC (2006-2009); Gregory A. 
     Vega, United States Attorney, S.D. CA (1999-2001); Kenneth L. 
     Wainstein, United States Attorney, D. DC (2004-2006); Joseph 
     D. Whitley, United States Attorney, N.D. GA (1990-1993), M.D. 
     GA (1981-1986).


            LAW ENFORCEMENT & CRIMINAL JUSTICE ORGANIZATIONS

       National District Attorneys Association (NDAA); National 
     Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives (NOBLE); 
     Major Cities Chief's Association (MCCA); Federal Law 
     Enforcement Officers Association; National Black Prosecutors 
     Association; Women in Law Empowerment Forum; Association of 
     Prosecuting Attorneys; FBI Agents Association; Women in 
     Federal Law Enforcement (WIFLE); International Association of 
     Chiefs of Police (IACP).


                       CIVIL RIGHTS ORGANIZATIONS

       Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights; National 
     Urban League; National Women's Law Center; YWCA; Alliance for 
     Justice; People for the American Way; NAACP Legal Defense & 
     Education Fund, Inc.; National Immigration Law Center (NILC); 
     Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law; Human Rights 
     Campaign; American Federation of Labor and Congress of 
     Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO); Legal Momentum: Women's 
     Legal Defense and Education Fund.


                                 OTHERS

       14 Former Presidents of the New York City Bar Association: 
     Michael A. Cardozo; Michael A. Cooper; Louis A. Craco, Sr.; 
     Evan A. Davis; Carey R. Dunne; John D. Feerick; Conrad K. 
     Harper; Patricia M. Hynes; The Honorable Barry Kamins; Robert 
     M. Kaufman; Bettina B. Plevan; The Honorable E. Leo Milonas; 
     Barbara Paul Robinson; Samuel W. Seymour.
       13 Current and Former Presidents of the Federal Bar 
     Council: Robert J. Anello (2012-2014); Robert J. Giuffra, Jr. 
     (2008-2010); Bernard W. Nussbaum (1990-1992); Joan G. Wexler 
     (2004-2006); Mark C. Zauderer (2006-2008); Steven M. Edwards 
     (1998-2000); Vilia B. Hayes (2014-Present); Bettina B. Plevan 
     (1996-1998); Frank H. Wohl (2010-2012); Robert B. Fiske, Jr. 
     (1982-1984); John J. Kenney (1994-1996); The Honorable Gerald 
     Walpin (2002-2004); George B. Yankwitt (1992-1994).
       44 Partners at Hogan Lovells: Stephen J. Immelt, CEO; J. 
     Warren Gorrell, Jr., CEO Emeritus; Dennis H. Tracey, Head of 
     U.S. Litigation; Stuart M. Altman; Robert B. Buehler; Ty 
     Cobb; Steven M. Edwards; Scott Friedman; David J. Hensler; 
     Robert F. Leibenluft; Sanford Litvack; Janet L. McDavid; 
     Joseph R. Rackman; George A. Salter; Michael J. Shepard; 
     Peter S. Spivack; Mark J. Weinstein; Peter R. Bisio; 
     Claudette M. Christian; Robert B. Duncan; Ira M. Feinberg; 
     Mark D. Gately; Craig A. Hoover; Adam K. Levin; Eric J. 
     Lobenfeld; Martin Michaelson; Barbara M. Roth; Lee Samuelson; 
     Ira S. Sheinfeld; Catherine E. Stetson; David F. Wertheimer; 
     Stanley J. Brown; Arlene L. Chow; David Dunn; Amy Bowerman 
     Freed; Maureen A. Hanlon; Mitch Lazris; Carol A. Licko; 
     Mitchell R. Lubart; Peter J. Pettibone; Corey W. Roush; 
     Allison J. Schoenthal; Frank T. Spano; Michael C. Theis.
       11 Former Presidents of the New York County Lawyers' 
     Association (NYCLA): Arthur Norman Field (1990-1992); Klaus 
     Eppler (1995-1996); John J. Kenney (1996-1997); Rosalind S. 
     Fink (1997-1998); Stephen D. Hoffman (1998-2000); Craig A. 
     Landy (2000-2002); Catherine A. Christian (2007-2008); Ann B. 
     Lesk (2008-2010); James B. Kobak Jr (2010-2011); Stewart D. 
     Aaron (2011-2013); Barbara Moses (2013-2014).
       28 African American AmLaw partners and Fortune 500 general 
     counsels: Benjamin F. Wilson, Managing Principal, Beveridge & 
     Diamond, P.C.; John E. Page, Vice President, General Counsel 
     and Secretary, Golden State Foods Corporation; Frederick R. 
     Nance, Partner, Squire Patton Boggs LLP; Kevin J. Armstrong, 
     General Counsel, DST Brokerage Solutions LLC; Anthony T. 
     Pierce, D.C. Managing Partner, Akin Gump Stauss Hauer & Feld 
     LLP; April Miller Boise, Vice President, General Counsel & 
     Corp. Secretary, Veyance Technologies, Inc.; Kwamina Thomas 
     Williford, Partner, Holland & Knight; Michael Parham, Sr. 
     Vice President and General Counsel, RealNetworks, Inc.; Grace 
     E. Speights, D.C. Co-Managing Partner, Morgan, Lewis & 
     Bockius LLP; Gail D. Hasbrouck, SVP, General Counsel & 
     Corporate Secretary, Advocate Health Care; John W. Daniels, 
     Jr., Chairman Emeritus, Quarles & Brady LLP; Christopher P. 
     Reynolds, General Counsel and Chief Legal Officer, Toyota 
     North America; Ava E. Lias-Booker, Baltimore Managing 
     Partner, McGuire Woods; Kevin J. Armstrong, General Counsel, 
     DST Brokerage Solutions LLC; Dave Carothers, Managing 
     Partner, Carothers DiSante & Freudenberger LLP; Philip G. 
     Hampton II, D.C. Administrative Partner, Haynes and Boone, 
     LLP; Maurice A. Watson, Chairman, Husch Blackwell LLP; Dennis 
     Archer, Chairman Emeritus, Dickinson Wright, PLLC; Erek L. 
     Barron, Counsel, Whiteford Taylor & Preston; W. Anthony 
     Jenkins, Member, Dickinson Wright, PLLC; Frank P. Scruggs, 
     Partner, Berger Singerman LLP; Paul W. Sweeney, L.A. 
     Administrative Partner, K&L Gates; Paul Lancaster Adams, 
     Partner, Ogletree, Deakins, Nash, Smoak & Stewart; Sherrie L. 
     Farrell, Member, Dykema; Richard H. Deane, Jr., Atlanta 
     Partner-in-Charge, Jones Day; Bernard Gugar, SVP & General 
     Counsel, Harpo, Inc.; Damario Solomon-Simmons, Managing 
     Partner, SolomonSimmmonsSharrock & Associates; Steven Wright, 
     Boston Executive Partner, Holland & Knight.
       Audrey Strauss, EVP and Chief Legal Officer for ALCOA; Sara 
     Moss, EVP and General Counsel for Estee Lauder Companies; 
     National Conference of Women's Bar Associations; Women's Bar 
     Association of DC; National Bar Association; Peter Walsh, 
     Senior Deputy General Counsel for UnitedHealth Group; 
     National Association of Women Lawyers; Constance Patillo; 
     Frank Brown, Dean Emeritus at UNC-Chapel Hill; Tyrone Dash, 
     Deacon at White Rock Baptist Church; National Association of 
     Social Workers.

  Mr. LEAHY. I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Toomey). The clerk will call the roll.
  The bill clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. HATCH. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for 
the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.

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