▶ 0:01:22To follow breaking news. Nancy pelosi says she will not seek reelection to the U.S. house. She announced her decision in a video posted this morning to social media. >> that's why I want you, my fellow constituents to be the first to know, I will not be seeking reelection to congress. I look forward to my final service.
▶ 0:32:44>> good morning, everybody. On today's agenda, we have nine nominations listed. We will vote on thomas ferguson for U.S. attorney. We will hold over the remaining nominees listed on our agenda for later consideration.
▶ 0:33:07Additionally, we will be voting on s 1884, the holocaust expropriation art recovery act of 2025. It goes by the acronym of here. We will give an update on arctic frost investigation.
▶ 0:33:34Last, senator johnson and I made public 197 jack smith subpoenas, consisting of almost 2000 pages of records. These records show the biden doj and fbi expanded already frost to target over 400 30 republican groups and individuals. -- 430 republican groups and individuals.
▶ 0:34:03This included members of congress and some of the members of this very committee. Today, we have learned tax today, we have learned t they t -- they subpoenaed 13 members of congress. I suspect moore might become public. Judge belzberg issued nondisclosure orders that hid the subpoenas and are subject to my investigation. I will have more to share on that on a later date.
▶ 0:34:34Starting in january, senator johnson and I have made public thousands of pages of records. Most of the records are from whistleblowers. And obviously when you get records that way, they are overly redacted, like most of the stuff you get through the official channels.
▶ 0:34:59What we have shown is that arctic frost was a runaway train . I have heard some say we have not done anything regarding arctic frost. That is pretty unbelievable since no one would even know what went on without johnson and the grassley oversight. And our oversight has led to accountability.
▶ 0:35:27The fbi units started arctic frost has been now dismantled. Many agents who were part of the investigation have been fired and deservedly so. Accountability measures are still ongoing. Our oversight continues. I have more to share with my colleagues as I obtain more records.
▶ 0:35:54But, it's important that the department of justice produce records at rate and volume of might whistleblowers. Obviously, we don't want reductions. And I want to share that I expect that oversight work will not only apply to -- but the questions republicans and democrats have submitted to the doj and other areas.
▶ 0:36:24Turning to our agenda, we are voting on thomas ferguson, U.S. attorney western district of north carolina. He's a highly qualified nominee who has earned numerous awards during his career. He worked as a special assistant U.S. attorney in D.C. where he prosecuted an array of drug crimes.
▶ 0:36:46He's also spent more than a dozen years in private practice, litigating white-collar defense and civil disputes. I'm confident Mr. ferguson will do a good job as the new U.S. attorney.
▶ 0:37:13I want to thank senator cornyn and blumenthal, working in a bipartisan way for reintroducing this bill which was cosponsored by a number of members of this committee including the senator. This legislation builds upon our work on the original here act of the 114th congress.
▶ 0:37:36In june of 2016, a meeting was held on the importance of reuniting holocaust victims with their lost art, which amounts to stolen heritage. At the end of 2016, the here act cleared this committee and the senate.
▶ 0:37:55As I said at that hearing in 2016, "the bottom line is this, we need to fill our commitment to make sure -- fulfill our commitment to make sure this art is returned to its rightful owners." the here act of 2025 will do just that. It will ensure holocaust victims and their families can have their day in court.
▶ 0:38:20The bill will reiterate congress's attempt that these folks should have their cases adjudicated based upon merits and facts of their case. I look forward to seeing strong bipartisan support for this bill this morning and now to ranking member durbin.
▶ 0:38:39Sen. Durbin: President trump has turned federal law enforcement into a shield for his friends and allies misconduct. President trump recently -- who pled guilty to money laundering in 2023. But in the big-money world, there's always more to the story.
▶ 0:39:07Sen. Durbin: It just so happens that finance it just so happens that finbinae host's world liberty financial, through which trump's family has made more than $5 billion. More than $5 billion. While he was seeking pardon, they accepted a $2 billion investment in a world liberty token.
▶ 0:39:33Sen. Durbin: Essentially, a $2 billion deposit for the trump family's cryptocurrency schemes. Even the conservative national review said the pardon was "stunning in its shamelessness, recklessness and moral inversion." when he was asked about the pardon this week, the president could not remember. He said I know nothing about it. I can only tell you this. My sons are into it.
▶ 0:40:00Sen. Durbin: I'm glad they are, because it's probably a great industry, crypto. This kind of blatant corruption and self-dealing used to provoke outrage by colleagues on both sides of the aisle. So far, all we get our crypto crickets.
▶ 0:40:18Sen. Durbin: I'm sure my republican colleagues are so outraged that president biden may have used an auto pin like presidents before him will be just as upset that president trump doesn't know anything about pardoning this crypto criminal.
▶ 0:40:38Sen. Durbin: On his first day in office, the president issued a full and unconditional pardon to nearly 1600 january 6 rioters, including more than 600 charged with assaulting or impeding law enforcement. Standing in the back of the room our people who are us safe. They are people who were assaulted on january 6 by rioters who have now been unconditionally pardoned by president trump.
▶ 0:41:09Sen. Durbin: Next, he led an unprecedented purge of career prosecutors and fbi agents simply because they work on the investigation of january 6. That's all it took. Then, he hired jerrod weiss as a senior official at the department of justice, even though Mr. weiss was filmed urging his fellow writers to kill -- rioters to kill police officers on january 6.
▶ 0:41:37Sen. Durbin: This is what ed martin, the failed U.S. attorney nominee who is now a senior department of justice official meant when he said "no maga left behind." now, president trump is seeking 200 $30 million of taxpayers money from the justice department, claiming he was wrongly prosecuted. Despite evidence of his efforts to interfere in the 2020 election.
▶ 0:42:02Sen. Durbin: While american people grapple with inflation and rising health insurance costs, the president wants 230 million dollars in taxpayer dollars. At the same time, the full might of federal law enforcement is being directed at states and cities that just didn't happen to vote for president trump. One of them is my home state. Let me tell you what's going on with operation midway blitz in the city of chicago in case you missed it. Yesterday was a banner day for the ice agents.
▶ 0:42:32Sen. Durbin: In hot pursuit of president trump's worst of the worst criminals, those are the targets, the worst of the worst. They made a daring raid on a preschool without permission or a warrant to arrest one of the teachers. The children in that school, all under the age of six, were, according to one parent of a three-year-old, crying, terrified and huddled together as the ice agents tried to apprehend this one teacher.
▶ 0:42:57Sen. Durbin: To do it in a place where children are with complete disregard for what they see, one parent said, there is no low these people won't stoop to. What do we know about the terrorist target? The ice dream team sub suffs -- successfully apprehended one. School officials reported the woman who cares for infants at the school had just undergone a background check.
▶ 0:43:27Sen. Durbin: The courts continue to monitor and limit the outrageous activities of the chicago ice dream team. Federal agents are trampling on the constitutional rights of my constituents. Racially profiling and arresting U.S. citizens, simply because they are hispanic or speak spanish. Zip tying and traumatizing innocent children and tear-gassing journalists, pastors and police officers.
▶ 0:43:52Sen. Durbin: Instead of addressing these violations of law, white house advisor stephen miller and deputy attorney general blanche are threatening to prosecute my states governor with baseless claims that he could be arrested for seditious conspiracy. What are we going to do about this? The senate judiciary committee has an obligation to conduct oversight. Let me say a word about jack smith.
▶ 0:44:15Sen. Durbin: I'm interested in why senators -- the document you release. We have debated three or four times, asking basic questions, why were the senators on this list? There's one way to get to the bottom of this and it is very simple. Subpoena jack smith. Put him under oath and put him in the chair in front of us to answer those questions. Just that simple. He has offered to come. And yet, he's not being called.
▶ 0:44:46Sen. Durbin: Perhaps there is an explanation for it. But I think we should call an official timeout on senators commenting on this manner -- matter so long as we won't put Mr. smith under oath to answer our questions. He's willing to do it. There is no excuse. He should be. I might add that it is time for dhs secretary known to take time from her glossy promo campaign in chicago to testify under oath before this committee as well. I've been on this committee for more than 20 years.
▶ 0:45:15Sen. Durbin: I've never seen the obstruction we are witnessing with this administration. Never, not even close. We must call secretary gnome under oath, bring jack smith here under oath and let him answer our questions. It isn't very complicated. I yield.
▶ 0:45:41Sen. Grassley: Call role. >> aye. >> aye. >> aye. >> aye. >> aye. >> aye. >> no by proxy.
▶ 0:46:11Sen. Grassley: >> no by proxy. >> no. >> no. >> no by proxy. >> no by proxy. >> no. >> no by proxy. >> aye.
▶ 0:46:43Chair Grassley: The nomination will be favorably reported.
▶ 0:46:54Sen. Bram: I want jack
▶ 0:47:02Smith -- Sen. Graham: I want jack smith to testify. I do. But before that, I would like to do my homework here. Find out what happened, before he takes the witness stand, I would like to know was there any connection between the doj investigators, alvin bragg and fani willis -- I can't remember
▶ 0:47:39Smith -- Sen. Graham: The gentleman's name. It's going to take a while to figure out exactly what arctic frost was about, did interact with prosecutions in atlanta at the state level? Did interact with the manhattan city prosecution? We will get there.
▶ 0:48:05Smith -- Sen. Graham: But when he comes, I want to know exactly what went on so I can ask them questions and the best way to get to the truth. But, please do not worry or lose any sleep about this man appearing before this committee. He will. >> Mr.
▶ 0:48:27Smith -- Sen. Graham: Chairman, I'm glad to see the green shoots of bipartisan -- sprouting this morning. I want to thank you. Senators blumenthal, tillis, booker and shift. -- schiff.
▶ 0:48:57Smith -- Sen. Graham: -- insured holocaust survivors claims to nazi looted art would not unfairly be barred by the statute of limitations but instead, as you noted, those claims would be resolved on the merits. The bill established a six-year statute of limitations from the time of discovery for claims related to nazi looted art. That bill expires at the end of next year.
▶ 0:49:26Smith -- Sen. Graham: Which is why this legislation is necessary. The here act of 2025 permanently extends the here act by eliminating that sunset provision. It also clarifies and strengthens procedural protections for holocaust survivors and their heirs.
▶ 0:49:52Smith -- Sen. Graham: This bill sends a message that holocaust survivors and their heirs will not be forgotten and that justice does not have a time limit. I am proud to stand up my the restitution of nazi looted art work to their rightful owners. I want to thank the world jewish restitution organization and many other organizations for their support of the here act of 2025. I look forward to its passage out of committee today.
▶ 0:50:34Smith -- Sen. Graham: >> thank you, Mr. chairman. I appreciate your support and the ranking members endorsement of this bill. I want to express my appreciation, senator cornyn. We all know that artwork has a value beyond its dollars and cents estimates. It has an emotional value and it is often priceless.
▶ 0:50:48Smith -- Sen. Graham: The return of these artworks to the relatives, most of the victims themselves are no longer alive, is enormously important to a community beyond just the individuals affected. It's not a hypothetical or a relic of the distant past. We know about 100,000 works of art now are in museums.
▶ 0:51:20Smith -- Sen. Graham: Around just the united states, according to a 2006 survey of american museums. The reason the here act is so important is not only that the original measure of 2016 expires , it sunsets in 2027. But, it also has enabled procedural obstacles to be raised. Unrelated to americans. And those procedural obstacles have been used in effect to run out the clock 2027.
▶ 0:51:54Smith -- Sen. Graham: -- to 2027. We need to make clear that claims on the merits of these priceless works of art will be dealt with by the courts in a timely way before the act runs out. Make sure the rights of the original owners are upheld and that the kinds of protections for the statutes of limitations are retained as well.
▶ 0:52:23Smith -- Sen. Graham: I appreciate the bipartisan support we have for this measure. I think everybody on this committee understands the merits and values involved here. And I thank my colleagues in advance for their support.
▶ 0:52:42Chair Grassley: Next up will be senator cruz and kunz.
▶ 0:52:46Sen. Cruz: I thank senator cornyn for his leadership here. Senator blumenthal. The holocaust was one of the most horrific acts of mass murder and cultural erasure in human history. 6 million jewish lives extinguished. Entire families wiped from the record.
▶ 0:53:15Sen. Cruz: And the properties scattered, sold and far too often displayed without shame. Go to auschwitz, walk the grounds. Read the diary of anne frank. Hear the testimony of survivors. The brutality was not random. It was deliberate. It was not the chaos of war.
▶ 0:53:43Sen. Cruz: It was the cold, bureaucratic decision of people. Those who survived did so by hiding under floorboards and sellers. Clinging to life as the world around them burned. When they emerged, they found their homes destroyed. Their families murdered.
▶ 0:54:03Sen. Cruz: And their heirlooms, the art, books, taurus, the small treasures that carried their identity, stolen by those who sought to erase not just a culture but a people. The nazis stole hundreds of thousands of artworks in what has been termed the greatest displacement of artwork in human history.
▶ 0:54:33Sen. Cruz: The nazis looted over 600,000 works of art. To this day, more than 100,000 of those works of art are not yet recovered. Let me repeat that. More than 100,000 works of art are still missing today. These weren't just paintings.
▶ 0:54:56Sen. Cruz: They included manuscripts, diaries, family letters, personal papers that carried a people's history, identity and faith. Each stolen piece is not just an object. It is a story, a name, a fragment of a soul, torn from history. And waiting to be returned. I strongly supported and helped write the here act in 2016.
▶ 0:55:28Sen. Cruz: And I continue to strongly support the 2025 extension of the here act. The here act was written to make sure that justice for holocaust victims is not lost to paperwork, procedure or the passage of time. It ensures that their families can seek restitution on the merits and not be turned away on a technicality.
▶ 0:55:54Sen. Cruz: Since the passage of the original here act, some courts unfortunately have chipped away at that promise, twisting the law to protect institutions instead of victims. To prize possession over justice.
▶ 0:56:14Sen. Cruz: Let me say right now, if you are a museum, if you are a corporation, if you are a railroad, if you are a family or an individual and you are displaying the art that was pilfered by nazis, you want to be ashamed and you have no right to keep that stolen art.
▶ 0:56:47Sen. Cruz: You are glorying in people. This -- in people this -- in peoevil. The law should never be a shield for theft. Especially theft born of genocide. The law was never meant to be a refuge for those who profit from theft.
▶ 0:57:18Sen. Cruz: Let alone the systemic extermination of an object's original owners. Supporting and strengthening the here act is not just about restitution. It's about remembrance. It's about telling the truth and refusing to let history or its victims be brushed aside. Because justice delayed is not justice denied unless we let it be.
▶ 0:57:46Sen. Cruz: We hear their cries from the trains. From the camps. From the ashes of history. Through the here act, we hear the pleas of the victims of the holocaust and we are acting. As a congress and as a nation. To deliver justice in the shadow of one of humanity's greatest atrocities. Thank you.
▶ 0:58:18Chair Grassley: Senator coons.
▶ 0:58:24Sen. Kunz: I'd like to be added as a cosponsor. It is important that we continue to act in ways that hold accountable those who benefited from the actions of the nazis. Those who still hold or hide the art that they looted and those who have refused to come forward and give it to those families who are the rightful owners. This is a good and positive moment for this today.
▶ 0:58:57Sen. Kunz: >> we will add senator durbin. And senator graham.
▶ 0:59:06Chair Grassley: We can avoid a roll call vote but I think this is an important piece of legislation. >> aye. >> aye. >> aye. >> aye. >> aye. >> aye. >> aye. >> aye. >> aye. >> aye by proxy.
▶ 0:59:39Chair Grassley: >> aye by proxy. >> aye. >> aye. >> aye by proxy. >> aye by proxy. >> aye. >> aye. >> aye by proxy. >> aye.
▶ 1:00:06Chair Grassley: The bill will be reported. Unless anybody needs to speak, the meeting is adjourned.