▶ 0:00:47>> prison time for a man found guilty of a robbery of a business he managed. >> we will break down the latest development connected to the jeffrey epstein case. >> flash floods in the future, montgomery county on addressing risks. >> it's expensive. >> how suburban kids are removing barriers from the sport of swimming. >> this is cbs news on the hour, sponsored by progressive insurance. >> I am deborah rodriguez.
▶ 0:18:39>> good morning. We will vote on kurt alme, jeanine pirro, lesley murphy. I think they are highly qualified nominees.
▶ 0:19:02I thank senator klobuchar, senator smith, senator kaine and senator warner for working to select qualified nominees. Their efforts are a testament to the way this process should work. I look forward to supporting them and encourage my colleagues to do the same. We will also have the following three bills listed to be voted on. 1023, the trace act.
▶ 0:19:341020 nine, the opioid overdose data collection enhancement act. And thirdly, the acronym that we call the child act of 2025. The three bills are part of a bipartisan effort, tackling crime and protecting vulnerable populations.
▶ 0:19:59Each equips law enforcement and other decision-makers with critical information, either about the last known locations for missing persons, hotspots for drug overdoses, or criminal background of contractors responsible for taking care of children.
▶ 0:20:23I want to thank ranking member durbin and his entire staff for working with me to put together this agenda. I would also like to thank the members of the committee for collaborating on these public safety bills. Before we get to the agenda, I would like to say a few words about last week's meeting and to share my perspective.
▶ 0:20:55Chair Grassley: At the beginning of last week's markup, I announced, and I will quote myself "if we have not voted before 1030, I plan to call a vote on all nominations at that time." if people wish to speak after that time, I will stay as long as needed for their remarks.
▶ 0:21:25Chair Grassley: I set this time for last week's vote because of conflicts, including a markup in another very important committee. I think for most people, that was the appropriations committee. My intention was to allow all of my colleagues to give their remarks, either before the vote or after the vote.
▶ 0:21:52Chair Grassley: So, then you can see why I promised, at the very beginning of the meeting, to stay as long as necessary, so everyone, both republicans and democrats, could be heard on their nominations -- on the nominations. My colleagues did not take me up on the offer. Instead, I was surprised with a motion that was not on the agenda, and not previewed in advance of the meeting.
▶ 0:22:19Chair Grassley: And when I tried to call the vote, some of my colleagues accused me of not allowing them to speak and they left the room, instead of allowing the vote to proceed and then taking as much time as they needed afterwards as I said -- I promised them I would do, to say everything they wanted to say on the nominees.
▶ 0:22:44Chair Grassley: This may have been the result of miscommunicated intentions between our sides. But, this isn't a good way for the committee to operate and it is not how I like to have things work in this committee. Since last week's meeting, my staff has had a productive conversation with the democratic staff. We heard each other's concerns.
▶ 0:23:15Chair Grassley: And I believe we both agree that we want the committee to run well. And that is definitely better than last week. I think we can work together to make sure this happens. For those who have not read them , under the senate rules, the chairman can end debate with a majority vote or a majority present committee.
▶ 0:23:43Chair Grassley: As has been used by both sides on multiple occasions. And is always -- it's always controversial when that vote would be put forth. We can argue about whether this instance or that instance was justified or not. But, I don't think that would be productive.
▶ 0:24:02Chair Grassley: It is unsurprising that republicans and democrats both tend to think that, in our separate ways, that we are justified, when our side takes that procedure. Of forcing the vote. The important point is, I agree that this shouldn't be a common practice.
▶ 0:24:26Chair Grassley: And I don't intend to use it unless the consideration of a nominee is being unfairly obstructed. So, moving forward, I will work with the ranking member to ensure that we allocate sufficient time for debate. I will ask the ranking member to work with me to ensure that we can navigate the senate calendar and the senate to our rule, to ensure that we can vote on nominees when they are on the agenda.
▶ 0:24:58Chair Grassley: As chairman, I try to be fair to all members of the committee, even during controversial nominations. We have plenty of them and have had plenty of them as well. In february, during a markup on director patel of the fbi, I held the meeting open and sat here in silence for an extended period of time, as a courtesy, as an exam as an e example to senator schiff so that he could arrive
▶ 0:25:30Chair Grassley: In time to speak. I look forward to the ranking member and my colleagues to ensure that we can allow for robust debate in the committee while also ensuring nominees receive the vote when they are ready for consideration by the committee. Senator durbin?
▶ 0:25:50Sen. Durbin: Thanks, Mr. chair. I want to acknowledge a member of my staff who is leaving. She's served in my staff for over four years, personal office committee. Worn many hats including serving as a professional staff member and nominations clerk. She has excelled in every role. Early on in her time with us, she worked on justice ketanji brown jackson's confirmation hearing.
▶ 0:26:20Sen. Durbin: If you are a federal judge has come before us in the past year, it is safe to say she played a key role in your confirmation. She works on protecting reproductive rights, an issue that she is passionate about. Although she's leaving D.C., she's not going too far. Next month, she will begin law school at the university of virginia. Please join me in thanking y please join me in thanking her for her service.
▶ 0:26:52Sen. Durbin: [applause] thanks, Mr. chairman for your statement. We were surprised by the amount of time we were given to discuss the 10 nominees. I remember you expressing that you did say you wanted to call the roll at 10:30. You made that point early on. I didn't know if that was a hard and fast rule but you did say I will acknowledge -- say it, I will acknowledge that point.
▶ 0:27:20Sen. Durbin: The precedent for cutting off debate and overwriting committee rules by majority was established by three republican chairman, chairman hatch who, in 2003 who cut off two judicial nominees. Your self in 2018. Chairman graham, who in 2019, cut off debate on a partisan immigration bill and cut off debate on amy coney barrett's nomination to the supreme court.
▶ 0:27:50Sen. Durbin: I believe what happened last week was different from what I did in 2023 when I cut off debate on two district court nominees. In that case, the nominees were in the markup for the fourth time. They had already had nearly two hours of debate on the nominees and every member of the committee had an opportunity to speak. In fact, we had already voted on them.
▶ 0:28:11Sen. Durbin: The only reason we came back was one of our members from minnesota stepped off the floor at an inopportune moment and then came back on the floor to try to vote in person and we were not certain that would stand up to the test on whether it was a valid roll call we started over. During my four years as chair of this coming he, I have provided members on both sides of the aisle with ample time to debate before calling votes. The bottom line is this.
▶ 0:28:40Sen. Durbin: The senate parliamentarian has been clear that a chair can override. Both are public in and democratic chairs have done that in the past. -- republican and democratic chairs have done that in the past. This committee has a long history of robust debate. I appreciate your comments about trying to recognize that precedent. I understand our staffs have sat down in a peaceful way and talk this over.
▶ 0:29:07Sen. Durbin: I am looking forward to respecting the fact that we all have busy schedules that we still have ample time to debate these lifetime appointments, because it is an important part of our responsibility. I will withhold my statement, so that we can move on.
▶ 0:29:24Chair Grassley: Now, if I could explain proceeding today. My agreement with minority will first -- for all U.S. attorneys except for pirro. After a voice vote, I will open the floor for debate on the nomination of jeanine pirro, before her rollcall vote. After the pirro vote, we will proceed to the bills.
▶ 0:29:56Chair Grassley: So, we will now voice -- >> Mr. chairman?
▶ 0:29:59Sen. Booker: May I say something about the comments and the rancor of the chair on that matter?
▶ 0:30:13Chair Grassley: I hope you can do it quickly.
▶ 0:30:15Sen. Booker: Both of you said you have done a handful of times and it was not relished whether it was a republican or democratic majority. But the sentence that was said I both you and the ranking member was that you can end debate with a majority vote. I think what I said to you in a private conversation that I appreciate and what I want to say here is that's not how it was done last week. We didn't have a vote.
▶ 0:30:45Sen. Booker: And that's what I was asking for, time and time again, during that episode. So, clearly, I know the rules. Clearly, I have checked with the parliamentarian. We can override the rules of the many but there should be a vote. You began to call a vote but then you were cut off by staff and then we pushed the vote through.
▶ 0:31:08Sen. Booker: The reason why it upsets me so much is because the debate was on a judge from my state, on the third circuit. We have created a climate in this country that is deepening and deepening a reflexive tribalism, where people are not interested in listening to the facts anymore, listening to each other. Tribalism kills curiosity.
▶ 0:31:32Sen. Booker: Kills the will to listen with an open heart or open mind, to your opposition, even if you disagree with them or think you will disagree with them. That is something that this committee, I think, needs to foster.
▶ 0:31:47Sen. Booker: I am very troubled this last month, because I have seen people who want to come forward with things on this nominee, but they are so terrified of being docs or targeted -- doxxed or targeted or worse. The rising tide of hate, both of our parties have seen this.
▶ 0:32:15Sen. Booker: Judges in my district that are taking extra steps to protect themselves. The climate is getting so, so bad. I want to say to my colleagues on the other side of the aisle that this culture of fear is affecting our ability to deliberate and do our job. A whistleblower came to this commit he with information that was disregarded. There is another person that has come forward to me, through their attorneys.
▶ 0:32:43Sen. Booker: So, I ask my colleagues, if you believe, do you believe that a nominee who is not truthful under oath before this committee should not be confirmed? Do you believe that a nominee that comes before this committee that is not forthcoming and truthful should be confirmed? Do you believe that understanding the intent of a question requires the nominee to answer honestly and not try to evade the question because they understand the intent of the question?
▶ 0:33:08Sen. Booker: If you believe these things, since we can't have debate here but before this person comes to the floor, on the record, I want to invite people to come to talk to me and I will provide you with substantive information that should have been discussed in this hearing that clearly is not. Clearly, we can't have debate.
▶ 0:33:25Sen. Booker: But, we have substantive information, relative to the truthfulness of this nominee and I'm hoping more of my colleagues, in this climate of fear and intimidation and rust votes, would want to know the truth -- rushed votes would want to know the truth before the final vote.
▶ 0:33:42Chair Grassley: To respond to you, you and I had a private conversation and I'm not going to say anything you said what it was a fruitful conversation, as far as I'm concerned after our last meeting. But, remember one of the things I told you was that we had this conflict with other committees. And remember, that I told you that you have to have 100 senators together to solve this country's problems.
▶ 0:34:12Chair Grassley: There's enough work for an individual senator to do seven days a week if he wants to. But you are never going to solve this country's problems working 2.5 days a week like we did under schumer and now under trump. We have to get this back on a five-day work week. Monday through friday, like it was the first 25 years that I served in the united states senate. We started at 10:00 on monday and went until 4:00 on friday.
▶ 0:34:43Chair Grassley: Then you don't have to have all of these meetings coming on a thursday afternoon or a thursday morning, because you have more days to do it. I always had an agreement with senator hatch, when he was chairman of the finance committee and I was chairman of this committee, that we wouldn't be having our meetings on the same day, because we worked it out.
▶ 0:35:13Chair Grassley: That was still a very short week. But if we put in more time here, we wouldn't have to have these meetings all going at the same time. So, why don't you talk to schumer and I will talk to thune about working a five day week?
▶ 0:35:27Sen. Booker: I've only had 14 years here, you are one of the best people I've had to work with. As last week's proceedings were going on, I feel like I know you and I appreciate what you've said and I agree with you 100% and I especially like when chuck grassley gets cantankerous because that's the best chuck grassley.
▶ 0:35:51Sen. Booker: I just want to say I'm not arguing with any of that and I appreciate -- I'm simply saying I feel like -- it is killing me that on this nominee, there is evidence that the nominee misled the committee and we have not -- I have not even gotten the chance to get my colleagues to listen to the evidence and that's what frustrates me. Sir, I cannot tell you, I appreciated our private conversation and the 14 years we've had working together and I'm hoping that we can do a better job moving forward.
▶ 0:36:20Chair Grassley: I'm hoping that we can move the way I suggested. I will let anybody debate all they want to about jeanine pirro. But now we have moved to unblock votes by voice on kurt alme, nicholas chase, leslie wood murphy -- lesley wood murphy, kurt rosen -- daniel rosen and
▶ 0:36:54Chair Grassley: Kurt wall.
▶ 0:36:56Sen. Booker: Mr. chair, can I be recorded as a note? I would like to be recorded as a no. >> I would like to be recorded as a no on kurt alme and kurt wall.
▶ 0:37:14Chair Grassley: Just on specific ones? >> yes.
▶ 0:37:18Chair Grassley: Booker is on all of them, right? >> and I would like to be no on all of them.
▶ 0:37:26Chair Grassley: Ok. >> I would like to be recorded as a no on kurt alme, wesley murphy, kurt wall and nicholas chase. -- lesley murphy, kurt wall and nicholas chase. >> I would like to give a statement on my nominee.
▶ 0:37:45Chair Grassley: On all of them, senator schiff?
▶ 0:37:49Sen. Schiff: On individual once. If this is an appropriate time or after senator klobuchar.
▶ 0:37:57Sen. Klobuchar: I have submitted our blue slips on daniel rosen. He was recommended by a nominations committee, formed by congressman emmer, composed of attorneys, former judges in our state and he came highly recommended by that committee. He's a navy veteran and graduate of the university of minnesota law school. He's practice law in our state for over 30 years. He's been an active member of our legal community and has an extensive pro bono practice.
▶ 0:38:27Sen. Klobuchar: The U.S. attorney's office in our state has been one of the premier U.S. attorneys offices in the country, second-biggest white collar case in the country, they prosecuted pre-they have been instrument in combating violent crime, dismantling street kings and combating human trafficking and taking fentanyl off our streets. The office is currently leading the effort to bring the assassin in the horrific shootings, the murders of my friend, the state legislature, to justice. Mr.
▶ 0:38:55Sen. Klobuchar: Rosen has committed to us that he will continue the office's tradition of excellence.
▶ 0:39:00Chair Grassley: We will go to debate on pero. >> Mr. chairman?
▶ 0:39:05Chair Grassley: Just a minute. Senator schiff, you wanted to express a vote?
▶ 0:39:10Sen. Schiff: I would like to be recorded as a no on kurt alme, nicholas chase, lesley murphy and a no on kurt wall.
▶ 0:39:24Chair Grassley: Thank you. You will be recorded.
▶ 0:39:27Sen. Schiff: Thank you.
▶ 0:39:30Chair Grassley: You are on pero, right? -- pirro, right? >> did anyone receive recognition?
▶ 0:39:48Chair Grassley: >> [indiscernible] none of you are representing districts.
▶ 0:40:09Chair Grassley: Go ahead, senator durbin.
▶ 0:40:12Sen. Durbin: Ms. pirro is the latest trump loyalist to be nominated following ed martin's withdrawal. She has shown for decades that she prioritizes her relationship with donald trump, our president, over almost anything else. She initially condemned the january 6 rioters and then did an about-face. In january 20 25, she called january 6 rioters the hostages.
▶ 0:40:44Sen. Durbin: , the rioters. She said henrique should not be subject to such a long prison term. A judge found henrique terrio's actions lead to 200 men amped up for battle and circling the U.S. capitol. After he was released, terrio said success will be retribution. He then posted a video of himself, stalking officers who defended the U.S.
▶ 0:41:14Sen. Durbin: Capitol on january 6. Ms. pirro has argued the prosecutors handling january 6 cases should be prosecuted themselves. And now that she is nominated to lead the office where many of those prosecutors, if they have not been fired, will still work, when asked whether january 6 rioters were convicted of violent assaults on U.S.
▶ 0:41:33Sen. Durbin: Police officers, should have been given full and unconditional pardon, she implausibly said she was not aware that they were given full and unconditional pardons. The facts show otherwise. At least 169 january 6 rioters were convicted of assaulting police officers.
▶ 0:41:58Sen. Durbin: Here she is, defending the rioters who attacked the police, who protected all of us today to come to this building and meet peaceably. Here she is, saying that those who are attacking police were hostages and mistreated. And she apparently favors the policy of firing the prosecutors who went after the rioters, the prosecutors!
▶ 0:42:22Sen. Durbin: When I met with her last week, I asked if she always accepted the assignments given to her by supervisors, when she was an assistant district attorney. As expected, she said yes. But, when I asked her whether it was appropriate to terminate prosecutors in her office or their work on january 6, she refused to answer. She claimed she had not fired anybody. Weeks ago, since Ms. pirro became interim euros attorney, -- U.S.
▶ 0:42:50Sen. Durbin: Attorney, three prosecutors including the leader of the capital sanction were fired by the justice department. It's hard to believe that Mr. had no knowledge of these terminations. I'm concerned she's willing to ignore the constitution, when justifying the unlawful actions of the president. When discussing the administration's deporting immigrants, she said the for the men met says nothing about illegals. So, cut the crap. As Ms.
▶ 0:43:19Sen. Durbin: Pirro knows full well, the fifth amendment applies to everyone present in the united states when it says no person shall deprived of life, liberty and property without due process. Ms. pirro's devotion to the president also extends to perpetuate and the big lie, she still will not answer the question, who won the election of 2020. She repeated falsehoods about the 2020 election. Leading to fox news claims.
▶ 0:43:52Sen. Durbin: It was Ms. pirro who falsely claimed that dominion voting systems started in venezuela with cuban money. That the company had software backdoor to flip boats around. Her loyalty to the president extends to attacking lawmakers who are not fully in line with the maga agenda, including many members on both sides of the aisle. She will prioritize president trump's agenda, not the rule of law and norton the constitution.
▶ 0:44:22Sen. Durbin: Trump is using the constitution to protect his allies and go after his enemies and missed pirro would be a willing accomplice in weaponizing the justice system. I will give her credit, she asked for an appointment to come and see me. We did meet and I credit her with that. I suspect she will be approved by this committee. I will try to work with her. She has many positive things in her background.
▶ 0:44:48Sen. Durbin: But, the particular elements that I just laid out cannot be explained and I don't believe justify her having this important position. So I will vote against her nomination.
▶ 0:44:57Chair Grassley: Before I call on senator coons, I will put a statement on the record. My own statement on the record. So, without objection, it happens to be in support of pirro. >> I will put my statement on the record as well for my reasons to objecting to jeanine pirro, as well as my statement I was unable to make last week. >> Mr.
▶ 0:45:24Chair Grassley: Chairman, I defer to senator hirono and then would like to make my statement.
▶ 0:45:30Sen. Hirono: I thank senator coons for the courtesy of allowing me to go first. Ms. pirro is a fox news media personality. She does not have the professional qualifications or the prosecutorial ethics to serve as a U.S. attorney for the district of columbia. In fact, she seems to have no concept of ethics at all.
▶ 0:45:56Sen. Hirono: For starters, she perpetuated misinformation and lies about the 2020 presidential election. She was also formerly the subject of a federal investigation into a legal wiretapping -- illegal wiretapping over her attempts to get a former police commissioner to bug her then husband's vote to catch him cheating. Pretty bizarre. Later, Ms.
▶ 0:46:22Sen. Hirono: Pirro personally lobbied president trump to pardon her ex-husband for his multiple convictions of tax fraud and tax evasion. And he did so. This is a man who was federally investigated for having leaked information from the prosecutor's office, Ms. pirro led to the mob. She was confirmed as -- if she is confirmed as the U.S.
▶ 0:46:50Sen. Hirono: Attorney for the district of columbia, she will prioritize politics over justice for the people. This is not someone who cares about crimes or sexual assault or sexual harassment. She's criticized me for questioning nominees about sexual misconduct, stating that it is an issue that "doesn't really matter." Ms.
▶ 0:47:10Sen. Hirono: Pirro is someone who cares about political revenge, threatening to not just fire a , but prosecute fbi for doing their jobs. She has demonstrated unwavering loyalty to president trump. If confirmed, we can expect that she will misuse the U.S.
▶ 0:47:39Sen. Hirono: Attorney's office, to go after president trump's political enemies, for these serious concerns, I oppose her nomination.
▶ 0:47:49Chair Grassley: Senator coons?
▶ 0:47:53Sen. Coombs: I strongly oppose --
▶ 0:48:03Sen. Coombs: I strongly oppose -- the U.S. attorney D.C. is the only U.S. attorney not scrutinized by home state senators or, apparently, the senate judiciary committee. She is not a serious nominee. She's not practiced law in decades, although she sometimes pertains to be an attorney on tv and wants to lead what is one of the most important U.S. attorney offices in our nation.
▶ 0:48:28Sen. Coombs: She called the january 6 insurrection us and prisoners for their actions hostages. And she now wants to supervise the same prosecutors. I asked how they could trust her. We should bring jeanine pirro in for a hearing so she can address these controversial statement because she never got a nomination hearing. I want to speak briefly to amil beauvais's nomination.
▶ 0:49:01Sen. Coombs: The state of delaware is in the third circuit court of appeals. I served as a clerk in the third circuit court of appeals. Most of us were here on january 6 and fled for our lives as insurrectionists attempted to stop the peaceful transition of power and nearly succeeded. Hundreds of insurrectionists were charged and convicted for assaulting police officers that day. Mr.
▶ 0:49:30Sen. Coombs: Beauvais used to agree and supervised some of the january 6 cases himself. President trump pardoned all of the january 6 cases and then he changed course per he worked with ed martin to fire the january 6 line prosecutors. He demanded the names of the agents who worked on the january 6 cases.
▶ 0:49:53Sen. Coombs: This is a shameful flip-flop that makes it clear he's willing to do whatever is asked of him, including attacks on law officers being disregarded. His response to your questions for the record, Mr. chair, condemned violence against law enforcement. But then said that some of the U.S. attorneys who prosecuted those violent insurrectionists were just as bad. Calling them equally on acceptable. A remarkable statement, equating those who attack law enforcement with those who took those criminals to court and got them convicted, simply doing their jobs.
▶ 0:50:24Sen. Coombs: As prosecutors. I care deeply about this nomination. The person who fills this seat will hear cases brought by delaware ian's. -- delawareans. I'm not sure that my constituents will get a fair shake. I urge my college to reject this nomination.
▶ 0:50:44Chair Grassley: Senator padilla and then senator schiff.
▶ 0:50:49Sen. Padilla: This is the largest U.S. attorney's district in the country. U.S. attorney is responsible for thousands of criminal cases and thousands of civil cases, often extremely complicated ones. And who is before us for consideration to put in this position of overseeing the largest federal law enforcement in the country?
▶ 0:51:18Sen. Padilla: A television personality, who has not litigated in more than 20 years. An attorney who has not admitted to the D.C. bar and who, before becoming interim U.S. attorney had not practiced federal court in the district of columbia or elsewhere. These are serious law enforcement jobs. Not patronage positions to be handed out to president trump's qualified friends and allies to say thank you for their loyalty.
▶ 0:51:49Sen. Padilla: But it seems to be how this is being treated. Her lack of relevant experience does not even touch on Ms. pirro's outrageously disqualifying past statements. Some of my colleagues have hit on a lot of these. I will have it just a few. She referred to the january 6 rioters who were convicted as hostages. And called for investigation into the january 6 prosecutors.
▶ 0:52:14Sen. Padilla: As ranking member of the rules committee, I have concerns about her work on the ongoing january 6 litigation. I remind my colleagues at her predecessor, ed martin, argued the federal government should refund restitution payments made by some of the convicted january 6 rioters. These refunds come straight from the money given to the architect of the U.S. capitol, for the nearly $3 million in damage the insurrectionists cause.
▶ 0:52:44Sen. Padilla: She has publicly attacked members of this committee by name on multiple occasions. Including calling one and "demon rat." she's attacked republicans who dare speak out against donald trump ricci has advocated for the rest of fbi and doj investigators she did not agree with, saying they should "not just be fired but taken out in handcuffs." she's been taken off the air by her own network for refusing to
▶ 0:53:17Sen. Padilla: Stop peddling lies about the 21 election. And for and-- 2020 election and for repeatedly making racist, islamophobia comments. Her fox news 2020 election coverage resulted in a $787.5 million settlement for deformation of dominion voting systems as she lied about the security of our election systems.
▶ 0:53:45Sen. Padilla: And after everything I have just described, which is just the tip of the iceberg of Ms. pirro's record, I can't believe we are actually having a vote on the nomination. She may belong on fox news but she does not belong in a federal law enforcement role. Sen. senator schiff --
▶ 0:54:05Chair Grassley: Senator schiff and then senator blumenthal. >> reject her, reject her. Questionable accountability.
▶ 0:54:27Chair Grassley: Now, senator schiff.
▶ 0:54:29Sen. Schiff: Thank you, Mr. chairman. It has certainly come to all of our attention that the bench is held in a lower regard today than probably at any time in our lifetimes. There is a lot of reasons why that is the case.
▶ 0:54:49Sen. Schiff: I think it is all the more incumbent, given the lack of confidence, that we really carefully examine each of the nominees that come before this committee and ask ourselves the question, with this contribute to the solution and increase confidence or will it contribute to the problem?
▶ 0:55:07Sen. Schiff: And it seems to me that too many of the nominees we have examined like amil beauvais will only bring further discredit and a lack of public confidence in the judiciary. Is it really likely that members of the public, for example, are going to have confidence in decisions that a U.S.
▶ 0:55:26Sen. Schiff: Attorney, in this case, pirro, are being made on a truly nonpartisan and partial basis? We will face the same problem in the bench at the justice department and we are. She may be a capable fox news commentator. That should not be the criteria that we are using.
▶ 0:55:58Sen. Schiff: I spent almost six years in the U.S. attorney's in los angeles. I vetted the work that was done in the justice department, at least I have in the past. I have the most profound concerns over what the deferment is doing now. The extraordinary breaches of every policy of the department on both sides of the aisle.
▶ 0:56:19Sen. Schiff: The dis-mission of corruption cases because -- I don't know where this is heading but putting pirro in this position of responsibility will just contribute to the problem.
▶ 0:56:38Sen. Schiff: If you look at what those who know her best had to say about her, as my colleagues pointed out, fox had to pay dominion $787 million for defaming that voting system.
▶ 0:56:53Sen. Schiff: And after reviewing one of pirro's monologues, fox news executive jerry adam andrews emailed network executives that her monologue was rife with conspiracies and bs. Even her own people on fox thought she could not be trusted to be on tv. On their own network.
▶ 0:57:23Sen. Schiff: And after the show was briefly taken off the air, fox news produced producer justin wells described they took her off because she was crazy! Optics are bad, but she's crazy! Her own executive producer described her as nuts.
▶ 0:57:44Sen. Schiff: Are we going to put somebody that even fox, I'm not a particular fan of fox, but even fox thought was crazy, nuts and could not be trusted on live television, we will trust her with the lives and liberty of the people in the district of columbia? Her confirmation is only going to add to the lack of public confidence in the justice department.
▶ 0:58:10Sen. Schiff: I asked her in my questions for the record if she stood by these comments she made, that her own executive thought were nuts and crazy and not worthy of being on television and she would not respond. That should give us a lot of pause about putting someone in a responsibility like that. I would just appeal that, when it comes to the justice department and the bench, that we raise the bar a little.
▶ 0:58:41Sen. Schiff: Let's not put people on the bench who are encouraging justice department lawyers to say f you to the court. Pour lying so badly on national tv that they cost their own network hundreds of millions of dollars. We can do better than that and I would hope and urge that we will and urge a no vote on Ms. pirro.
▶ 0:59:07Sen. Schiff: >> let me build on what my colleague, senator schiff, has said so well. What ought to concern us on this committee. -- >> [indiscernible]
▶ 0:59:25Sen. Blumenthal: What should concern us on this committee, we have a proud tradition of responsibly scrutinizing nominees for united states attorney positions and judgeship .
▶ 0:59:48Sen. Blumenthal: It's what we don't know about these nominees and what we haven't had the opportunity to ask, such as the questions for the record that jeanine pirro has refused to answer, we should be having a hearing with her, asking her why she was regarded as "crazy?" asking why she advocated that the prosecutors of the january 6 cases be investigated.
▶ 1:00:19Sen. Blumenthal: I just want to say word about the men and women who come today, every day in the united states department of justice. I was a united states attorney for the district of connecticut, as a number of us have been prosecutors in the federal system, I was also a state attorney general. They come to work every day, seeking justice. They have an ether those. And tradition. -- an ethos and tradition.
▶ 1:00:59Sen. Blumenthal: Who has responsibility for prosecuting federal crimes that affect the whole nation to say that the ones to be investigated and prosecuted are the assistant U.S.
▶ 1:01:13Sen. Blumenthal: Attorneys who brought criminal charges against the january 6 rioters, I think betrays the entire ethos and norms of the department of justice. It undermines, literally, justice in the united states.
▶ 1:01:36Sen. Blumenthal: She should be asked what she meant when she was asked on a radio show, by a guest who said january 6 prosecutors should be "criminally investigated," and she said "I absolutely agree with that." she has failed to disavow that position.
▶ 1:01:58Sen. Blumenthal: She has failed to answer questions we have posed and written requests and information to her about remarks that she has made in the past. We need to do our job here, Mr. chairman. We have a responsibility to scrutinize those kinds of responses and to have her testify. Likewise, with Mr. beauvais, a lot more unanswered questions.
▶ 1:02:29Sen. Blumenthal: I submitted yesterday, a letter to the attorney general, pam bondi, asking for results of the investigation done of a case, supervised pie Mr. beauvais, finding very serious wrongdoing -- by Mr. beauvais, finding very serious wrongdoing by some of his subordinates and perhaps holding him responsible for it. We have had no access to it. He ought to be asked about it.
▶ 1:02:57Sen. Blumenthal: Likewise, the whistleblower who came forward and others who have indicated they have information, ought to be questioned by us, in public, under oath. We have a job to do here. We should do our job. We should scrutinize these nominees with the kind of fairness, but also intensity, that is part of our mandate.
▶ 1:03:27Sen. Blumenthal: Because, the judgeships are lifetime and the prosecutors are enormously powerful. I always felt that the most important decisions I made as a prosecutor were whether to charge someone, because charges can follow people throughout their lives, impact them financially and reputation only -- reputationally preach she will command an office of hundreds of attorneys who will be bringing charges and perhaps
▶ 1:04:08Sen. Blumenthal: Devastating people's lives. I think we ought to be delving into their backgrounds by continuing our fact-finding in this committee, rather than going forward with her, today.
▶ 1:04:21Chair Grassley: Senator booker.
▶ 1:04:33Sen. Booker: I believe I'm the only one of the 100 senators who was born in the district of club you. -- columbia. -- I feel very deeply that washington, D.C. should be a state. They literally have -- four other states have similar populations.
▶ 1:04:59Sen. Booker: We had a revolution in this country for this idea that we should have no taxation without representation. They have no senator. They have no one to speak up for their values, no one to work in a cooperative fashion to make sure the people in some of the most important positions in their community actually reflect that community.
▶ 1:05:23Sen. Booker: To me, this is yet another deep insult to the dignity and the decency of the people of washington, D.C. it is deeply offensive to the people who have called this place home for generations. We should have extra care for this population, when it comes to positions like this.
▶ 1:05:48Sen. Booker: We, as a body, should, in the spirit of our founding documents and our founding ideals, should really think twice before we push someone on this population that is so violative of this population's interests. This candidate, this nominee, we have heard from my colleagues all the ways in which this person has not earned this position.
▶ 1:06:18Sen. Booker: We have an obligation, spelled out clearly in the article one branch of our constitution that we should advise and consent. This, to me, is insulting to a population that deserves much better from this body and I am sorry that we are moving forward. >> we need a federal prosecutor who will keep us safe. [indiscernible]
▶ 1:06:53Chair Grassley: We will now turn to the nomination of jeanine pirro. What's wrong? I want to introduce into the record, in support of pirro from the national fraternal order of police, they praise Ms.
▶ 1:07:22Chair Grassley: Pirro for "passion for seeking justice for victims, which was a cornerstone of her prosecutorial career. " she has been further praised -- >> reject jeanine pirro. [indiscernible] she is unsafe for our community.
▶ 1:07:51Chair Grassley: She has been widely praised for her work against domestic abusers and sexual abusers. Without objection, that will be put in. The clerk will call the role. >> Mr. lee. >> aye. >> aye. >> Ms. blackburn. >> aye. >> Mr. smith.
▶ 1:08:22Chair Grassley: >> aye. >> aye by proxy. >> no. >> Mr. whitehouse. >> no by proxy. >> no by proxy. >> Mr. blumenthal. >> no. >> Ms. hirono? >> no by proxy. >> Mr. booker. >> no. >> Mr. shift.
▶ 1:08:54Chair Grassley: -- Mr. schiff. >> no. >> chair grassley? >> aye.
▶ 1:09:09Chair Grassley: The nominee will be favorably reported, 12-10. First up on the legislative agenda is the trace act. This bill is sponsored by tillis, padilla, blumenthal.
▶ 1:09:28Chair Grassley: It directs the attorney general to include data in the national missing and unidentified persons system, that indicates if the last known location of a missing person was on the federal land or territorial waters of the united states.
▶ 1:09:47Chair Grassley: I understand that there is a manager's amendment, oll 25998, which I will call up and without objection will be adopted. Any objection? No objection heard. If any of the bill's sponsors would like to speak on the bill at this point, I will pause for debate.
▶ 1:10:14Chair Grassley: >> just briefly, I want to thank senator padilla and senator blumenthal for being an original cosponsor. Is passed unanimously under the last congress. We are resubmitting it hopefully -- hoping that we will get it to the president's desk. I will submit my formal comments for the record. >> I support this package.
▶ 1:10:48Chair Grassley: -- will extend important protections to ensure that all individuals with unsupervised access to children are embedded --
▶ 1:10:57Chair Grassley: Those in favor of 1038 say aye. >> aye.
▶ 1:11:08Chair Grassley: Those against it say no. The ayes have it. The next bill is 1098, called the opioid overdose data collection enhancement act. This is my bill with senator klobuchar.
▶ 1:11:28Chair Grassley: Our bill provides funding to track drug overdoses so that resources like nor can -- narcan are not wasted and distribute it to areas where they are really needed. If any of the bills sponsors would like to say a few words, now is the time to do it. I don't see any requests. Senator blumenthal?
▶ 1:11:52Sen. Blumenthal: I asked to be added as a cosponsor -- ask to be added as a cosponsor to this bill. And I just want to clarify that I was a no on all of the U.S. attorneys. Just to clarify the record.
▶ 1:12:13Chair Grassley: I assume the clerk heard that. You will be so reported and you will be a cosponsor. Those in favor of 1098 say aye.
▶ 1:12:25Sen. Booker: Mr. grassley, I'm sorry, I was trying to be recognized. I want to express frustration that the doj is scraping back money from some states. I made this point multiple times but it is very frustrating to me that my state is being denied these type of grants. While other states are.
▶ 1:12:49Sen. Booker: We are seeing a big frustration across new jersey, that very thoughtful grants that could be saving lives and being substantively helpful are being denied. And, with that frustration, I want to call up an amendment. I would like to call up my amendment number all 25698. Mr.
▶ 1:13:18Sen. Booker: Chairman, this amendment would allow s 1098 to take effect on the date when the attorney general makes public all unclassified files, flight logs, correspondence and evidence related to jeffrey epstein, glen maxwell and their -- ghalisne maxwell and their associates. We know -- has lied one way or another.
▶ 1:13:48Sen. Booker: Attorney general bondi said there was a truck load of evidence from the epstein files and epstein list, leading people to believe there was criminal activity they had evidence of. We found out yesterday the president has been mentioned several times in the epstein files and he was briefed on it in may, when he said he was not told that. Then, in july, suddenly the doj and fbi said there was nothing additional to disclose. So, what's the lie?
▶ 1:14:17Sen. Booker: That there are truckloads of evidence and this doj is protecting those associates with this horrific crime? That Mr. bovee -- this is simply asking for disclosure and transparency and I would like to offer that amendment. >> Mr. chair, down here. I don't know the details of the judiciary rules but is it an order for a member to interrupt the chair when he's in the middle of calling a vote?
▶ 1:14:47Chair Grassley: I will have to ask -- >> thank, Mr. chairman.
▶ 1:14:54Chair Grassley: I will have to ask my lawyers on that point. It's up to the chairman but I'm not going to pick a fight with booker. >> thank, Mr. chairman. I call up a second-degree amendment to senator booker's amendment.
▶ 1:15:17Chair Grassley: This has to do with the death penalty as an aggravating factor for illegal aliens who commit a homicide in the united states while illegally in the country. I find it astonishing that our colleagues are more interested in the crimes of a dead man than they are in addressing the real problems that affect the public safety of american citizens on a daily basis.
▶ 1:15:44Chair Grassley: And, virtually all of which virtually all of which flow from the biden administration as we discussed in a subcommittee hearing a couple of days ago, there are more than 200,000 illegal aliens under final orders of deportation who have exhausted all of their remedies under the law and who have either committed crimes or are charged with crimes.
▶ 1:16:09Chair Grassley: And yet we hear from our colleagues here, these are just gardeners or housekeepers or people who are innocent other than having committed the crime of illegally entering the country.
▶ 1:16:23Chair Grassley: But to our colleagues, the intrigue and details of the epstein case are a great distraction from the issues that make a meaningful difference in the lives of ordinary americans and what I thought we were here to actually serve, which is their interest. What do the american people really care about?
▶ 1:16:51Chair Grassley: That president trump is doing exactly what he promised and what he campaigned on from the moment he took to the campaign trail and has followed through and now he is in office. Let's talk about how president trump has kept his promise when it comes to making our community safer by securing the border and enforcing our immigration laws.
▶ 1:17:16Chair Grassley: He promised to restore america's standing in the world and president trump has kept his promise by making his tax cuts per minutes through the big beautiful bill to trade deals that put america first and stop unfair competition by our adversaries, helped lower inflation, lower gas prices, lower food prices. President trump is delivering on the pocketbook issues that virtually all americans care about. Let me turn to national security and public safety.
▶ 1:17:46Chair Grassley: He promised to secure the border. Promise made, promise kept. He promised to restore the rule of law and enforce the laws on the books. A promise being kept every day by our men and women in blue, our immigration officers and law enforcement in the field.
▶ 1:18:05Chair Grassley: This last hearing I held a hearing on president biden's open border policies that have led to our country being flooded by millions of illegal aliens including terrorists and gang members and people who commit heinous crimes against innocent american citizens like lake in riley.
▶ 1:18:27Chair Grassley: We heard stories of two angel moms, tammy nobles and marie vegas, both of who have to live every day with the horrendous murders of their loved ones. They had a few simple questions for us and for law enforcement during the biden administration. Why didn't the biden administration do anything to stop criminals from coming into the country?
▶ 1:18:54Chair Grassley: Why didn't president biden remove the worst criminal aliens that were already in the united states and who kept committing crimes, not just once, not just twice, but multiple crimes against innocent americans. Why aren't congressional democrats were concerned about -- more concerned about keeping our communities safe than they are about distractions like the salacious details with regard to a dead man, jeffrey epstein.
▶ 1:19:30Chair Grassley: As Ms. vegas told us, no mother should have to bury her child before she dies and certainly not because he or she was killed by an illegal alien who should have never been here in the united states in the first place. Yet my colleagues insist there is nothing to see here and that the real crime is president trump being in office and enforcing the law. They lost the election fair and square. President trump received a mandate.
▶ 1:19:58Chair Grassley: And they still have not accept the fact that he won the election on november 5. I challenge my colleagues to put their money where their mouth is and do right by these angel moms I mentioned a moment ago. This amendment will allow us to truly deal with criminal aliens and illegals who pose a threat to national security and public safety. Not just play lipservice.
▶ 1:20:23Chair Grassley: It adds mandatory bars to asylum for sex offenders, pedophiles and aliens who commit crimes of violence. It would punish and deter illegal aliens who murder U.S. citizens by giving federal prosecutors jurisdiction to pursue these illegal alien murderers and guiding judges and juries to pronounce the sentence of death for aliens convicted of murdering U.S. citizens. If my colleagues truly care about public safety, they will vote for my amendment today.
▶ 1:20:54Chair Grassley: Before I call on senator blumenthal, senator blumenthal was going to be next. I would like to say a couple of things. Number one, we are in the middle of the vote so we may not be able to get these three bills out. Secondly, if we have to go to find annually -- finality on these amendments, we will have to do that.
▶ 1:21:19Chair Grassley: With the two people sponsoring amendments are dealing with an opioid overdose bill with the problems we have, it seems like this is a bipartisan bill. Why we should screw this bill up. I would ask my colleagues to think about changing her mind and offer the amendment. Senator blumenthal.
▶ 1:21:43Sen. Blumenthal: Thank you Mr. chairman. I really hope this issue would be bipartisan. The american public, regardless of whether they identify as republicans or democrats, we really believe full disclosure of these files is necessary to dispel the doubts about the credibility of the mlb network
▶ 1:22:20Sen. Blumenthal: -- department of justice. That is why on the house side there has been bipartisan support for full disclosure of the epstein files. I really hope there would be here too. Senator cornyn is right that jeffrey epstein is dead.
▶ 1:22:40Sen. Blumenthal: Right now ongoing in real time right before our eyes are events and actions that smack of a cover-up.
▶ 1:22:53Sen. Blumenthal: There should be no secret meetings, no secret deals, especially with trump's personal lawyer who is now doing his bidding at the department of justice, who reportedly is on his way as we speak to florida or whatever prison is currently confining ghislaine maxwell, possibly to offer her a deal in return for exculpatory
▶ 1:23:25Sen. Blumenthal: Information about his former client, the president of the united states. All of it really stinks. No ordinary person can send their department of justice henchmen to some kind of cover up talking to a convicted felon in a federal prison. Unfortunately, the appearance is that president trump once again is misusing his power corruptly to benefit himself. Most people cannot do any of it.
▶ 1:23:57Sen. Blumenthal: It is unfair and it undermines the credibility of our entire criminal justice process. The american people deserve full disclosure of this file. Hope we can have bipartisan agreement. >> Mr. chair?
▶ 1:24:09Chair Grassley: I should probably go back and forth. Go ahead. Then I will call on senator durbin. >> good call. Mr. chairman, are we under some kind of time limit?
▶ 1:24:25Chair Grassley: If we want to get the bills out, the answer is yes. Whenever we lose a quorum because there is a vote or the two hour rule has kicked in. >> how can we go ahead and vote while then allowing everyone else to have their say? Can we go ahead and vote and those who would like to make comments can stay? Pretty please?
▶ 1:24:57Chair Grassley: We could but I will not have an up people.
▶ 1:25:04Sen. Kennedy: We will not have a fight with booker. He's ok with that. Can we do that? That was a question.
▶ 1:25:14Chair Grassley: Can we proceed to vote on these amendments and then proceed to vote on the bill ?
▶ 1:25:25Sen. Booker: I have a question.
▶ 1:25:29Sen. Kennedy: But I have a question first. Can we go ahead and vote on the bills and then you stay or whoever else wants to stay to let everybody else finish making their remarks in light of the fact that we have a time limit by which we have to act and we are in the middle of a vote.
▶ 1:25:50Chair Grassley: I thought I answered that by saying I wanted to make sure we had a consensus that we should do that. Can we vote?
▶ 1:26:02Sen. Kennedy: I don't hear an objection.
▶ 1:26:04Chair Grassley: I did not hear a motion.
▶ 1:26:06Sen. Kennedy: I make that motion . I have moved that we go ahead and vote on the matters before us in light of the fact that we are under a time limit.
▶ 1:26:19Chair Grassley: Clerk will call the role.
▶ 1:26:23Sen. Booker: No. No. Mr. chairman, senator durbin and senator --
▶ 1:26:37Sen. Kennedy: I made a motion. Is my motion in order? Can we have a vote pretty please?
▶ 1:26:45Chair Grassley: Yes, call the role. Don't call the role yet. >> without discussion on the motion?
▶ 1:26:55Chair Grassley: Go ahead.
▶ 1:26:58Sen. Booker: I don't want to jump over the ranking member. I am reading back senator cornyn second degree and he said a lot of really important things about immigration. They are worthy to be discussed. I'm happy to vote on an immigration bill. I disagree with the death penalty. I will vote my conscious on this but I want to draw everyone's attention to the first two lines of your second degree. They have nothing to do about immigration.
▶ 1:27:28Sen. Booker: They have nothing to do with the death penalty. I have never seen this before. His first two lines is not to bring up this important issue that should be discussed. Your first two lines are just strike my amendment in its entirety. What we have right here is hidden behind real issues on the immigration. It is really just trying to not vote on the important points that we brought up about transparency and accountability on the jeffrey epstein files.
▶ 1:28:00Sen. Booker: This is not an amendment to my amendment. This is an attempt to strike what I have -- prominent republicans, elected leaders who want the same thing I want which is transparency on this matter. If I could finish, Mr. chairman.
▶ 1:28:16Chair Grassley: Go ahead.
▶ 1:28:18Sen. Booker: I have her public statements by my senate colleagues on both sides of the aisle. I have heard comments from republicans on the house side and democrats on the house side that we want transparency and accountability on a matter of public safety. Senator cornyn said that jeffrey epstein is dead, yes. But his victims are not.
▶ 1:28:43Sen. Booker: There are women who have horrific stories of vile violence committed against them. We have pam bondi, our attorney general said that there is truckloads of evidence as to these crimes, potential co-conspirators, potential others involved. How can we not want to know what happened?
▶ 1:29:16Sen. Booker: Why are we trying to simply turn away from the highest law enforcement officers in the land, from our fbi director to our attorney general, who spoke to war crimes committed and others involved in those crimes?
▶ 1:29:34Sen. Booker: Why are we considering an amendment that is hiding behind real immigration issues with the intent is to strike a simple request for transparency, for account ability? That republican voices all across the spectrum have been demanding from this president and this attorney general? If senator cornyn is going to offer an amendment, I'm going to offer a third degree that strikes his first two lines.
▶ 1:30:02Sen. Booker: I will vote on your immigration stuff that you so strongly stated that was of the importance of this. But you hid the fact that you put here the real intention of your amendment. It has nothing to do with immigration. It says right here in the first two lines. The real effort is to not have accountability and transparency. What are you afraid of?
▶ 1:30:24Sen. Kennedy: May I respond?
▶ 1:30:26Chair Grassley: You may respond. >> I trust the senate-confirmed attorney general of the united states to make the proper legal analysis to determine what the jeffrey epstein files can be released. He was confirmed by the U.S. senate as chief law enforcement officer of the united states. I trust her to make the right legal determination.
▶ 1:30:54Chair Grassley: I would ask my colleague from new jersey, you claim you care about the victims. Do you care about tammy nobles, maria vegas, the angel moms who lost their loved ones, their children to the acts of illegal aliens who never should have been here in the first place? Do you care about them?
▶ 1:31:12Sen. Booker: Cannot respond to the senator's question -- can I respond to the senator's question? I've known you for 14 years. We both care about victims of crime. To suggest otherwise is stunning to me. May I finish? I allow you to finish.
▶ 1:31:35Sen. Cornyn: I did not make an accusation.
▶ 1:31:38Sen. Booker: I should be allowed time to respond. I did not interrupt him and now he is interrupting me. It is another violation of the decorum of this place. Senator cornyn, both you and I have spent our lives. I know your record, I know what you've done. I would never question whether you care about the victims of a heinous crime. You asked me if I care, absolutely.
▶ 1:32:08Sen. Cornyn: Thank you.
▶ 1:32:09Sen. Booker: No, I'm not finished yet.
▶ 1:32:12Sen. Cornyn: Thank you for answering the question.
▶ 1:32:14Sen. Booker: I'm going to answer the question in full. You are not sincere.
▶ 1:32:20Sen. Cornyn: Let me explain --
▶ 1:32:22Sen. Booker: He has put in an amendment trying to use the horrific nature -- I will not pick a fight with chuck grassley in the way that chuck grassley will not pick a fight for me.
▶ 1:32:36Chair Grassley: The reason for his amendment is your amendment says that this bill we are working on will not go into effect until we get all these records. And this bill is an opioid bill to help solve some of the drug problems in this country and we should get it passed because it is a bipartisan bill and it is very badly needed.
▶ 1:32:59Sen. Booker: May I respond?
▶ 1:33:00Chair Grassley: Yes.
▶ 1:33:02Sen. Booker: I said at the top of my comments my frustration. We have set it to your staff and others that when funds like this that have been made available, so far in this first six months they are calling back funds for my state. That is unfair and I would like to deal with those. We can deal with them. Given that I am sticking to an amendment that is not controversial.
▶ 1:33:26Sen. Booker: I know it is not controversial because I think holding literally on republican channels that the overruling -- overwhelming majority want transparency and accountability. The overwhelming majority of americans have seen that one of these two things is lies. Is there truckloads full of evidence as to victims of crime not having justice? Have we been lied to?
▶ 1:33:59Sen. Booker: Who are we trying to protect? What are they trying to hide? This is not controversial. We have republican leaders in congress calling for the same thing this amendment calls for. For a second degree to be offered to mine where you are using horrific crimes to hide the real intention of this, if this amendment is so important, just strike the first two lines
▶ 1:34:30Sen. Booker: That strikes my entire amendment. The intention of this is clear. It is to not give the american people accountability, transparency and truth. That's what we as the judiciary committee should be seeking. I offer a third-degree limit, preserving every noble thing that the senator from texas said he wanted.
▶ 1:34:52Chair Grassley: You cannot offer third-degree amendments.
▶ 1:34:55Sen. Booker: Then I asked that we strike the true intention of his amendment, the first two lines --.
▶ 1:35:03Chair Grassley: At this stage you cannot offer a third-degree amendment. If there is some way to do that, I don't know what it is.
▶ 1:35:13Sen. Cornyn: Can I respond briefly?
▶ 1:35:16Chair Grassley: We will have a roll call vote. I ask you to withdraw and you are not withdrawing.
▶ 1:35:22Sen. Cornyn: I want to ask a question Mr. chairman. In your opinion with the addition of these amendments to the underlying bipartisan bill jeopardize our ability to pass this underlying bill anti-opioid bill out of committee and get it enacted into law? Would these amendments jeopardize that?
▶ 1:35:45Chair Grassley: I see them jeopardized in ways even beyond what you said. If we pass legislation with this stuff on, it would not go into effect anyway. Who knows how far down the road. When the president signs a bill, I want it to be effective.
▶ 1:36:01Sen. Cornyn: That's what I thought. I appreciate your answering the question. I think the debate that senator booker and I have is not something that will be resolved today. So it will continue. Regardless of how we act on the underlying bill, that debate will continue and neither he nor I are giving anything up in terms of our ability to continue to debate this topic.
▶ 1:36:31Sen. Cornyn: But I'm willing to withdraw my amendment if senator booker is willing to withdraw his amendment in the interest of passing this bipartisan anti-opioid bill out of the committee and through the senate and seeing it enacted in the law. And hopefully saving some lives in the process.
▶ 1:36:51Chair Grassley: Senator booker.
▶ 1:36:53Sen. Booker: Mr. grassley, I have asked for someone to address my new jersey concerns for months now. There was an incident in which you got a special carveout for your state when they froze funds. But I have gotten no justice for the jersey -- new jersey.
▶ 1:37:13Sen. Booker: If you want to postpone this and address my concerns about the resources we are not getting -- and I know you would do that with me in good faith I would be happy in our next meeting but right now I am sticking with my amendment.
▶ 1:37:29Chair Grassley: It would be faster to address your concerns for new jersey if you would ask me to help you with the administration to get something done so you can get your money --
▶ 1:37:43Sen. Booker: -- not from you --
▶ 1:37:48Chair Grassley: If you do it through the legislative process, tell me that. Let me make a conversation with the white house on your issue.
▶ 1:37:57Sen. Booker: But I'm going to stick with my amendment until I get satisfaction.
▶ 1:38:01Chair Grassley: The clerk will call the role --
▶ 1:38:04Sen. Booker: What are we voting on? My amendment? The second degree.
▶ 1:38:10Chair Grassley: Call the role -- >> Mr. cruz. Mr. hawley. Mr. kennedy. >> aye by proxy. Aye by proxy. Aye by proxy. >> Ms. moody. Mr. durbin. >> no one concealing the epstein files. >> no.
▶ 1:38:42Chair Grassley: >> no by proxy. No by proxy. >> Mr. blumenthal. >> I vote know on concealing the epstein files. >> I vote no on this effort to conceal the epstein files. >> no. I would like the epstein files. >> no on concealing the epstein files. >> chairman grassley.
▶ 1:39:09Chair Grassley: Aye. Senator cornyn's amendment is adopted. Now the clerk will call the role --
▶ 1:39:27Sen. Booker: Point of order. His second degree which had nothing to do with immigration which was to conceal the epstein files, senator cornyn's effort to conceal the epstein files has now violated my amendment. There is no amendment anymore. Cornyn is saying yes, I did something to keep the american public from seeing the epstein files. It renders my amendment moved.
▶ 1:39:58Sen. Booker: That was the intention.
▶ 1:40:02Sen. Cornyn: Nothing we are voting on today's going to change any of the debate about the epstein files.
▶ 1:40:11Sen. Booker: That is not true.
▶ 1:40:13Sen. Cornyn: If we don't acknowledge that, I question whether your amendment is actually in good faith or not because nothing is going to change that. My second degree amendment passed which included striking of senator booker's amendment to .
▶ 1:40:35Sen. Booker: To directly reference me, may I respond?
▶ 1:40:38Chair Grassley: Go ahead.
▶ 1:40:40Sen. Booker: Mr. cornyn claims that nothing about this would end debate. We are not seeking to end debate. We are seeking to pass legislation out of this committee that would force the disclosure and the transparency and the truth being made public. We had a chance today that senator cornyn blocked to make the truth known to the american public.
▶ 1:41:07Sen. Booker: We had the power today, the possibility today to force out the truth regarding the epstein files and the lies and obfuscation happening by this administration. What senator cornyn did today was to block the truth with what is happening with the department of justice and the epstein files . It is that on its plain truth no matter how much he wants to try to dodge that truth.
▶ 1:41:37Sen. Cornyn: I have to respond.
▶ 1:41:39Chair Grassley: Quickly --
▶ 1:41:41Sen. Cornyn: I will respond quickly.
▶ 1:41:43Chair Grassley: Take your time.
▶ 1:41:44Sen. Cornyn: What senator booker is trying to do is to kill this underlying bipartisan bill that will hopefully save hundreds, maybe thousands of lives because of the opioid crisis. It has already taken tens of thousands of lives in this country over recent years because of the biden open border policies.
▶ 1:42:10Sen. Cornyn: I'm simply trying to preserve this bipartisan legislation that will save lives. The debate that we are having over the epstein files I doubt will be resolved today based on any amendments either he or I offer. That is the reason for my amendment because I want to save lives from the opioid crisis.
▶ 1:42:36Sen. Cornyn: I believe his amendment is a distraction from that and will actually jeopardize seeing this bipartisan legislation enacted into law.
▶ 1:42:44Sen. Booker: Mr. chairman? Mr. chairman? May I respond?
▶ 1:42:50Chair Grassley: Nope --
▶ 1:42:53Sen. Booker: I thought you were going back and forth. >> did senator booker's problem is with the bill itself which it seems to be, I understand that. Hopefully we can work out a way to get money to your state that does justice for new jersey. I got that. It makes perfect sense.
▶ 1:43:15Sen. Booker: But the epstein amendment presented some other way is not going away. What we are trying to do with this bill is really good. There is no end to this way of doing business here.
▶ 1:43:35Sen. Booker: If this is a headline about cornyn blocks transparency of epstein, that would be sad because he is responding to your amendment that would make the bill fail. I want to help senator booker with your problem. But what you are doing I don't think is helpful to the bill. I don't think it's helpful to the committee. I don't think it's helpful to your problem.
▶ 1:44:05Sen. Booker: There has not been a time in my career where you said you wanted to help me and you did not so I will take you up on that and withdraw my amendment.
▶ 1:44:14Sen. Durbin: You are a good man. I will try to deliver the best I can.
▶ 1:44:23Chair Grassley: Those in favor of 1098 say aye. Those opposed say no. 1098 is reported. The last bill is the child act. I co-lead this bill with senator durbin and ensures that all individuals are authorized to receive nationwide background checks. I would like to recognize the lead sponsors.
▶ 1:44:56Chair Grassley: Senator durbin, I think you already spoke on it. Those in favor of 1528 say aye. Those opposed say no. Teh a tethe ayes have it. The committee is adjourned. [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. Visit ncicap.org]