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Congressional Record—Senate S2565 May 9, 2018 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE S2565 Coons Inhofe Perdue Mr. DURBIN. I announce that the to pass without notice, but little did Corker Isakson Portman Senator from Indiana (Mr. DONNELLY) we know at the time that it would be Cornyn Johnson Risch Cotton Jones Roberts and the Senator from Illinois (Ms. part of a relentless and repeated denun- Crapo Kennedy Rounds DUCKWORTH) are necessarily absent. ciation of professional law enforcement Cruz King Rubio The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mrs. at the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Daines Klobuchar Sasse HYDE-SMITH). Are there any other Sen- at the Department of Justice, even at Enzi Lankford Scott Ernst Leahy ators in the Chamber desiring to vote? Shelby the CIA, and law enforcement agencies Fischer Lee Sullivan The yeas and nays resulted—yeas 49, all around the country. This concerted Flake Manchin Tester nays 47, as follows: Gardner McCaskill and coordinated attack on the FBI and Grassley McConnell Thune [Rollcall Vote No. 88 Ex.] Department of Justice is no accident. Hatch Moran Tillis YEAS—49 It is part of a strategy to undermine Heitkamp Murkowski Toomey Alexander Flake Perdue the credibility not only of the special Heller Murphy Warner Barrasso Gardner Portman Hoeven Nelson Wicker counsel’s investigation of collusion by Blunt Grassley Risch Hyde-Smith Paul Young the Trump campaign with Russia in its Boozman Hatch Roberts NAYS—34 Burr Heller Rounds meddling in the 2016 election and the Capito Hoeven Rubio potential of obstruction of justice and Baldwin Harris Schatz Cassidy Hyde-Smith Blumenthal Hassan Schumer Sasse coverup by the President and his ad- Collins Inhofe Scott Booker Heinrich Shaheen Corker Isakson ministration, but it is also deeply Shelby Brown Hirono Smith Cornyn Johnson alarming as an attack on professional Sullivan Cantwell Kaine Stabenow Cotton Kennedy Cardin Markey Thune law enforcement. Udall Crapo Lankford The President’s attacks have become Carper Menendez Van Hollen Cruz Lee Tillis Casey Merkley Warren Daines McConnell Toomey so numerous and so brazen that they Cortez Masto Murray Whitehouse Enzi Moran Wicker have almost become the new normal. Durbin Peters Wyden Ernst Murkowski Young Likewise, the attacks by his syco- Feinstein Reed Fischer Paul Gillibrand Sanders phants and surrogates in Congress un- NAYS—47 NOT VOTING—4 dermine the credibility and trust of the Baldwin Heinrich Peters FBI and the Department of Justice. Donnelly Graham Bennet Heitkamp Reed That is why I am here today—because Duckworth McCain Blumenthal Hirono Sanders words have consequences. The nomination was confirmed. Booker Jones Schatz These attacks have ramifications for The PRESIDING OFFICER. Under Brown Kaine Schumer Cantwell King the FBI when it investigates a crime. the previous order, the motion to re- Shaheen Cardin Klobuchar Smith The willingness of potential witnesses consider is considered made and laid Carper Leahy Stabenow Casey Manchin to talk to them may be undermined. upon the table, and the President will Tester Coons Markey Their ability to prevent crime may be Udall be immediately notified of the Senate’s Cortez Masto McCaskill Van Hollen undercut because of informants’ lack of action. Durbin Menendez Warner trust in them. And the credibility of f Feinstein Merkley Gillibrand Murphy Warren FBI agents at a trial in a conflict of CLOTURE MOTION Harris Murray Whitehouse credibility with a defendant who is Hassan Nelson Wyden The PRESIDING OFFICER. Pursuant lying can be sabotaged by the Presi- to rule XXII, the Chair lays before the NOT VOTING—4 dent through these denunciations—far Senate the pending cloture motion, Donnelly Graham beyond the special prosecutor’s inves- which the clerk will state. Duckworth McCain tigation. The senior assistant legislative clerk The PRESIDING OFFICER. On this This attack on law enforcement has read as follows: vote, the yeas are 49, the nays are 47. consequences for the safety and secu- rity of our Nation, indeed, our national CLOTURE MOTION The motion is agreed to. security, because the FBI needs those We, the undersigned Senators, in accord- f informants, needs credibility as wit- ance with the provisions of rule XXII of the EXECUTIVE CALENDAR Standing Rules of the Senate, do hereby nesses, needs the trust of the American move to bring to a close debate on the nomi- The PRESIDING OFFICER. The people to do its job in keeping America nation of Michael B. Brennan, of Wisconsin, clerk will report the nomination. safe from sabotage or subterfuge inter- to be United States Circuit Judge for the The senior assistant legislative clerk nally, as well as organized crime, drug Seventh Circuit. read the nomination of Michael B. dealing—the panoply of threats that Mitch McConnell, John Hoeven, Johnny Brennan, of Wisconsin, to be United exist to our safety. Isakson, James Lankford, Steve States Circuit Judge for the Seventh It is no accident that terrorist at- Daines, Ben Sasse, Mike Crapo, John Circuit. tacks have reduced in severity since 9/ Kennedy, John Barrasso, Thom Tillis, The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Sen- Roger F. Wicker, James M. Inhofe, 11. It is no accident that crime is at Richard Burr, Mike Rounds, Shelley ator from Connecticut. lower levels than in recent years. It is Moore Capito, Tom Cotton, Cory Gard- ANNIVERSARY OF THE FIRING OF JAMES COMEY no accident that Americans feel safer ner. Mr. BLUMENTHAL. Madam Presi- as they walk the streets and commu- The PRESIDING OFFICER. By unan- dent, 1 year ago today, the President of nities of America, rural and urban. It is imous consent, the mandatory quorum the United States did the unthinkable. because we have devoted resources to call has been waived. He did at least what many people local law enforcement, as well as the The question is, Is it the sense of the thought was unthinkable. He fired the Federal agencies that are vital to sup- Senate that debate on the nomination Director of the Federal Bureau of In- port local law enforcement with the in- of Michael B. Brennan, of Wisconsin, to vestigation, James Comey. Shortly formation and data they need to do be United States Circuit Judge for the thereafter, he acknowledged the rea- their job and with the enforcement Seventh Circuit, shall be brought to a son. He told NBC’s Lester Holt that he they provide in solving crimes and close? fired James Comey because he was making sure the bad guys are con- The yeas and nays are mandatory thinking about ‘‘this Russia thing’’ and victed and go away. under the rule. how unjustified he thought the inves- The best laws in the world are dead The clerk will call the roll. tigation was. He later told officials of letter if they are unenforced. The new The senior assistant legislative clerk Vladimir Putin’s government in a pri- laws that we pass here will mean noth- called the roll. vate meeting in the Oval Office that ing without strong and effective law Mr. CORNYN. The following Senators this firing relieved him of the pressure enforcement. are necessarily absent: the Senator that he was feeling as a result of the We should all be deeply alarmed and from South Carolina (Mr. GRAHAM) and Russia investigation. concerned about this new normal of a the Senator from Arizona (Mr. The 1-year anniversary of Jim President of the United States—who is MCCAIN). Comey’s firing might well be permitted responsible for making sure the laws VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:34 May 10, 2018 Jkt 079060 PO 00000 Frm 00009 Fmt 4624 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\A09MY6.001 S09MYPT1 lotter on DSKBCFDHB2PROD with SENATE S2566 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE May 9, 2018 are faithfully executed—actually at- enforcement. The long-term negative In reality, the FBI and the DOJ work tacking the agency that is responsible collateral consequences of these as- every day to protect Americans against for the enforcement necessary for exe- saults on our top law enforcement threats, both foreign and domestic, cution of those laws. agencies are likely to be extensive. while upholding the Constitution. Here are a few examples. On April 6, Consider the dedication, the courage, The Department of Justice includes 2018, a notice appeared on the front the tenacity, and the strength that is more than 40 separate organizations, page of backpage.com confirming that required of those at the FBI to do their including the FBI, and more than the Department of Justice seized the job day in and day out, putting their 110,000 employees. I know about the website and took it offline—a crucial lives on the line, literally risking their ones in Connecticut. As a former U.S. and important step in the fight against well-being not over a year or a couple attorney, the ethic and tradition of the sex trafficking. On that same day, the of years but, many of them, for careers, U.S. attorney’s office is about uphold- FBI raided the Sedona home of Michael a lifetime. They are among the finest ing the rule of law and the dedication Lacey, a founder of backpage.com and men and women in public service. to doing justice. one of the 7 individuals charged in a 93- The FBI is one of our premier law en- The FBI has more than 30,000 em- count indictment for Federal crimes forcement institutions. The Depart- ployees spread over 56 field offices relating to facilitating prostitution ment of Justice is and should be the around the United States. They are and laundering money. marvel of the world for its fairness and dedicated to protecting the United For years, backpage.com and its own- its unrelenting dedication to do jus- States from terrorism, cyber attacks, ers have knowingly concealed evidence tice.
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