▶ 0:16:07Chair Grassley: Good morning. On today's agenda we have the nominations of brett shumate to serve as the assistant attorney general civil division and john eisenberg to serve as assistant attorney general for national security.
▶ 0:16:30Chair Grassley: I am pleased to support both and thank that they will be excellent in their role at the department of justice. This morning, I want to highlight several fbi emails that I am making public this very day. These emails show biden fbi agent planning and celebrating the indictment of trump advisor peter navarro in 2022.
▶ 0:16:58Chair Grassley: Upon receiving news of navarro's impending indictment, the former anti-trump fbi official timothy tebow replied "wow, great." when a criminal referral was issued for nelly orr, the fbi and doj did not press charges against her.
▶ 0:17:24Chair Grassley: As many of you know, she was a gps contractor involved in the fraudulent crossfire hurricane investigation against trump and her husband was an fbi agent who also worked against trump. She was accused of lying to congress.
▶ 0:17:48Chair Grassley: In the last several months I have released fbi emails about arctic frost, the fbi case against trump that became one of jack smith's cases. Through records that I have already made public, the investigation's political origins are firmly established.
▶ 0:18:14Chair Grassley: Anti-trump agent tebow and his merry band of partisans started the case. Many fbi agents are article frost also involved in the navarro case like -- my democratic colleagues have been warning us about the "weaponization" of the fbi and
▶ 0:18:45Chair Grassley: D.C. attorney's office under trump. They have repeatedly told us of the dangers of law enforcement being used against political enemies. Believe me, we republicans know because democrats are reading us pages from the biden playbook. Biden's doj, fbi, and D.C. U.S.
▶ 0:19:11Chair Grassley: Attorney's office where weaponized, politicized, and used to target and imprison political enemies. We know this thanks to historic, heroic whistleblowers. The biden doj and fbi did this even as according to the fbi's own statistics violent crime rose 4.5% in 2022.
▶ 0:19:44Chair Grassley: The D.C. U.S. attorney's office refused to process 2/3 of the criminals arrested in our nations capital that very same year. Instead of focusing on the rampant cases of murder and rape perpetrated against everyday americans, personnel in the washington field office of the fbi and the D.C. U.S. attorney's office obsessed over ways to target president trump and his allies.
▶ 0:20:14Chair Grassley: When article frost was open, thibault said, "the case will be prioritized over all others." when speaking about investigations, thibault commented, "it frankly took too long for us to open this." their conduct is disgraceful and un-american.
▶ 0:20:45Chair Grassley: Transparency brings accountability, which is why I am reiterating my request for attorney general bondi and director patel to produce all records related to this political rot. We find, in some instances, people who have been around the department of justice for decades, bureaucrats holding up some of this.
▶ 0:21:14Chair Grassley: This is why we need to have these top officials of bondi and patel to step in and make sure that everything that ought to be made public without question is made public.
▶ 0:21:30Sen. Durbin: Do you want to address the nomination of ed martin?
▶ 0:21:35Chair Grassley: I will comment on that after you get done.
▶ 0:21:38Sen. Durbin: Thank you, Mr. chairman. I appreciate this time. My understanding, there will be an official announcement by the chairman this morning, that we are not going to move forward on the martin nomination.
▶ 0:21:55Sen. Durbin: I had promised to vote, to ask for a vote in this committee today, but on the basis of the chairman's -- I hope it is my clear understanding that I won't make that move. A lot has happened since we last met here related to the nomination of ed martin.
▶ 0:22:16Sen. Durbin: The chairman submitted questions and I submitted questions, and we received responses in some instances by Mr. martin. We found it is virtually unprecedented in the history of the committee that I've served on for 20 years. Last friday we received responses from Mr. martin to the questions and it raised even more questions. Mr.
▶ 0:22:41Sen. Durbin: Martin made a number of false statements and contradictory statements that were easily disproven I the material that he himself disclosed in the senate judiciary questionnaire. It wasn't just my questions, but chairman grassley's questions as well. There is Mr. martin's relationship with timothy hale coosa nelly, a january 6 the writer and not see -- and nazi sympathizer.
▶ 0:23:11Sen. Durbin: He said, I am not close with him and otherwise I don't have a close, consistent interactions with him. That answer is contradicted by Mr. martin's own words and actions. Mr. martin interviewed Mr. hale- cusanelli five times in 2024 alone. In one interview Mr.
▶ 0:23:36Sen. Durbin: Martin said, tim hale is an extraordinary guy. I got to know him real well. I say we're friends. Over the past few years and in the last month since he has been out of jail. Mr. martin told chairman grassley and I, "I was not aware of Mr. hale-cusanelli comments and views until after Mr. martin presented Mr. hale-cusanelli with an award last july." Mr.
▶ 0:24:06Sen. Durbin: Martin told me that he hadn't seen photos of Mr. hale-cusanelli with a hitler mustache prior to the awards ceremony in response to a question that I asked. This is the awards ceremony where ed martin called hale-cusanelli an extraordinary man, an extraordinary leader. Mr. merton's own words in disclosures he provided to the committee contradict what he just said.
▶ 0:24:35Sen. Durbin: Just weeks before presenting this awards ceremony, Mr. martin excused hale-cusanelli dressing up like hitler as "goofing around." he claimed that he was big smeared by allegations of anti-semitism. Mr. martin himself has made a number of offensive comments. In 2022, he said, "president joe biden is a hit learned, and I'm not joking when I say that.
▶ 0:25:04Sen. Durbin: " in his podcast, Mr. martin said, you show me a jewish american who feels good about the democratic administration, and I will show you someone who is not really jewish." goofing around. In a letter sent to the committee early this week, 11 national jewish organizations representing more than one million members across the united states raised concerns about Mr.
▶ 0:25:31Sen. Durbin: Martin's nomination writing that his associations were "not only dangerous, but reveal a pattern of behavior that is incompatible with the responsibilities of the U.S. attorney, a role to uphold justice and protect all communities, including jewish americans, from hate and extremism." I've never questioned a member of this committee, nor will I on the issue of anti-semitism, but I know the chairman's position because the first hearing that we had under your new chairmanship was on the issue of
▶ 0:26:02Sen. Durbin: Anti-semitism and you made it clear that you wanted to focus on that hate crime and I'm glad that you did. Mr. martin wrote chairman grassley, "I do not condone violence against police and I respect and revere our policemen and policewomen around the nation." Mr. martin's own words contradict that assertion.
▶ 0:26:24Sen. Durbin: In august of 2023, he excused violence by january 6 rioters saying, "we have to have less judgment on somebody who hits a cop." let me repeat that. Mr.
▶ 0:26:38Sen. Durbin: Martin's own words in august of 2023, "we have to have less judgment on somebody who hits a cop." he continued, "I've seen people hit a cop and that doesn't make it the end of the world." he called january 6 rioters, including those who beat the police officers, "patriots and victims." he called prosecutors who handled the january 6 cases
▶ 0:27:09Sen. Durbin: "despicable and terrorists." I am alarmed by the vast number of items that Mr. martin omitted from his questionnaire. Approximately 1009 hundred writings or appearances that he was required to disclose he initially omitted at least 400 items, over 20% of the total. People make admissions. We have had some in the past. Nominees for U.S.
▶ 0:27:35Sen. Durbin: Attorney who have made four or three omissions. In that situation, with Mr. martin, 400 items were omitted. Since this committee met last week, a whole body of evidence has emerged on Mr. martin. "the washington post" uncovered nearly 150 appearances by Mr.
▶ 0:28:02Sen. Durbin: Martin on rt and sputnik, networks funded and directed by the russian government, all undisclosed by Mr. martin in response to this questionnaire.many as recently as last year, calling into question Mr. martin's claim in court "I've done my best to identify all responsive material." this week my stuff uncovered an event that Mr. martin should have disclosed.
▶ 0:28:31Sen. Durbin: He said, "you're not a racist if you don't like mexicans." I am appalled that anyone would make a statement like that and aspire to be the top U.S. attorney in the united states of america in this administration. Thank you for taking my concerns of this nomination seriously. Mr. martin has not taken our process and questionnaires seriously.
▶ 0:29:00Sen. Durbin: His record makes it clear that he doesn't have the temperament or judgment for this job. I look forward to debating it at the next senate meeting.
▶ 0:29:09Chair Grassley: We need everybody here, one of our members will be absent. I will call on people who want to say anything. I know some people wanted to speak after we voted. If you want to take the opportunity to do that, now would be helpful for efficient use of time. I will stand at ease, then.
▶ 0:29:57Chair Grassley: We are waiting for two members on our side.
▶ 0:30:33Chair Grassley: Our members are on their way.
▶ 0:32:30Chair Grassley: Just for information so I do not adjourn this meeting when people want to speak, are there people who want to speak after we have the vote? Then when we are done voting, we will adjourn the meeting. You asked what I just said?
▶ 0:33:01Chair Grassley: I was told that some people on this committee may want to speak after we vote and I want to make sure that I do not adjourn the meeting. I didn't get anyone saying that they wanted to speak. When we have the vote, I will adjourn the meeting. Is that ok, or did you want to speak?
▶ 0:33:27Chair Grassley: Well, you should be saying "praise the lord." >>
▶ 0:35:17Chair Grassley: Senator kennedy, you don't have a story for us? No? [laughter]
▶ 0:35:49Chair Grassley: On diane oz and -- on john eisenberg, call the roll. [clerk calling the roll]
▶ 0:36:36Chair Grassley: >> on this boat the ayes are 12.
▶ 0:36:43Chair Grassley: The nominee will be favorably reported. Please call brett shumate. >> I would like to have statements about each of the nominees places in the record.
▶ 0:36:57Chair Grassley: Without objection they will be placed in the record. [clerk calling the roll]
▶ 0:37:49Chair Grassley: >> on this boat >> on this bovot the ayes are 12 the nays r 10.
▶ 0:38:04Chair Grassley: Senator kennedy?
▶ 0:38:07Sen. Kennedy: Mr. chairman, I think that this is the first time that we have met as a committee since senator durbin announced that he was not going to run for reelection. I wanted to acknowledge that. And thank him for his years of service. I know it was a difficult decision.
▶ 0:38:30Chair Grassley: I haven't said anything about it, but I did tweet on the subject.
▶ 0:38:38Sen. Kennedy: Tweeting is better. He is what cool looks like. >> I really enjoyed working with senator durbin and we will miss him. He was one of the first people who befriended me when I joined the committee 14 years ago and we worked on a lot of legislation together and passed some good things. I appreciate your service.
▶ 0:39:03Sen. Kennedy: >> to join this parade, while senator kennedy chose to speak about senator durbin, and chairman grassley chose to tweet about senator durbin, I did a podcast about senator durbin. I apologized to him yesterday on the floor because I sang his praises in the podcast, which I'm sure will be used as ammunition for political attacks for his remaining tenure in the senate.
▶ 0:39:30Sen. Kennedy: He is a remarkably talented lawyer he and I have disagreed on many issues, but he is a formidable adversary. As I said on the podcast, he sounds quite reasonable at times, even when he is not. That is a compliment, of sorts. We will miss you. >> senator cruz, you are never in danger of that happening to you.
▶ 0:39:59Sen. Kennedy: [laughter] >> do you want to say anything?
▶ 0:40:05Chair Grassley: I said it all on twitter. [laughter] >> you could read us your tweet.
▶ 0:40:14Chair Grassley: I guess this is something that I neglected to say. This isn't about his retirement. This is about a subject that he brought up when he opened his comments. I'm going to wait until we get D.C. U.S. attorney put on the agenda. In the meantime, we've had people on our staff that have ha d more questions, and one to me personally.
▶ 0:40:42Chair Grassley: Also, I see from your statement that you've gone through all 500 questions that you have read through. I haven't done that yet. We will wait until we put it on the agenda. Another reason that I didn't say anything is I thought that our staff had worked this out ahead of time. I'm willing to say what I thought was publicly worked out at that time. I thank you for not bringing up the hearing it.
▶ 0:41:10Sen. Durbin: Thank, Mr. chairman.
▶ 0:41:12Chair Grassley: Meeting adjourned. [gavel falls]