January 12, 2009 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE S285 entire career, the error should not disqualify tending the same schools, and using In other words, they didn’t really him. Eric Holder should be confirmed as At- the same restrooms, restaurants, swim- know MITCH MCCONNELL. They didn’t torney General. ming pools, and other public accom- know about how he overcame polio at That statement of support is from modations. It is one more measure of age 2, undergoing an intensive therapy James Comey, a Republican, and the how far America has come that we now regimen at the Roosevelt Warm chief prosecutor of Marc Rich who was have a chance to confirm a distin- Springs Institute for Rehabilitation entrusted with major responsibilities guished African American to be the top and obeying doctors’ orders not to in the Department of Justice under law enforcement officer in America. walk or run for 2 years. That took de- President Bush. He is a man who knows After 8 years of the Justice Depart- termination, and MITCH showed that that Department very well. ment trampling the Constitution and early on. Mr. Comey’s opinion is also shared by often putting politics over principle, Senator MCCONNELL’s service to his Larry Thompson, another prominent we now have a chance to confirm a State and Nation is as varied as it is Republican who served for several nominee with strong bipartisan sup- impressive. After serving as a student years as Deputy Attorney General port who can restore the Justice De- body president and graduating with under President Bush. Mr. THOMPSON partment to its rightful role as the pro- honors at the University of Louisville had this to say about Eric Holder and tector of our laws and renew America’s College of Arts and Sciences in 1964, he the Rich pardon: faith in our system of justice. went on to law school at the University There’s no way you can have a high-profile This week, before the Senate Judici- of Kentucky, where he was elected job in Washington like the deputy attorney ary Committee, on which the Presiding president of the Student Bar Associa- general without attracting some kind of con- Officer also serves—we will have an op- tion and earned a law degree. troversy. That matter has been fully inves- portunity to ask questions of Mr. Hold- He followed that by working as an in- tigated, and it should be put behind him. er. I will be asking him many of the tern for Senator John Sherman Cooper Let me also read the statement of an- same questions I have asked of former and as a chief legislative assistant to other high-profile Republican, Ed Rog- Senator Ashcroft, Mr. Gonzales, and Senator Marlow Cook, which provided ers, who served in two Republican Mr. Mukasey. him with invaluable experience in White Houses. Mr. Rogers said: The answers, I am sure, will be sig- Washington, DC. Other stints followed: Under the Constitution, the President’s au- nificantly different, showing that we He was deputy attorney general under thority to pardon is unlimited. There was no are about to launch a significant President Gerald R. Ford and a county deceit or malfeasance by Holder. Everyone change in America, a change which the judge-executive in Kentucky until he knows this was Bill Clinton’s initiative. Eric American people voted for overwhelm- Holder is innocent. was sworn in as a U.S. Senator on Jan. ingly in November and a change that 3, 1985. Then he added: will be carried forward in a very posi- In whatever position Senator MCCON- tive way at the Department of Justice the Rich pardon is no bar to Eric Holder NELL has served, he has unfailingly being an effective Attorney General—even by Eric Holder as our next Attorney served with distinction. I have had the though we Republicans and some in the General. good fortune of working with MITCH for media will enjoy rehashing it. I yield the floor. years, dating back to his election as a You can question Eric Holder’s judg- f freshman Senator, when he became the ment in the Marc Rich case, but you TRIBUTE TO MITCH MCCONNELL first Republican to win a statewide can’t question his integrity, his inde- race in Kentucky since 1968. In fact, pendence, and his character. Mr. HATCH. Mr. President. I rise A few days ago the Senate Judiciary today to honor my good friend MITCH MITCH was the only Republican in the Committee received a letter of support MCCONNELL, the Senate minority lead- Nation in 1984 to defeat a Democrat in- for Eric Holder from 10 prominent Re- er whose strong leadership, sterling ex- cumbent. To his considerable credit, MITCH has publican lawyers, including former At- ample and wise counsel have earned been defying the odds ever since. For torney General William Barr and him an honored position within the example, during his tenure as chairman former chief counsel to Senator ARLEN ranks of the extraordinary public serv- of the National Republican Senatorial SPECTER of Pennsylvania, Michael ants who now serve or have served in Committee during the late 1990s and O’Neill. This is what the letter said: the U.S. Senate. Senator MCCONNELL is the second early 2000s, the Republicans controlled Due to his character and experience, Eric the Senate—in large part due to his today enjoys the endorsement of literally Kentuckian to lead his party in the thousands of law enforcement officials from U.S. Senate, the first being Senator leadership. across the country, including NAPO (the Na- Alben Barkley, who led Senate Demo- MITCH MCCONNELL is a conservative’s tional Association of Police Organizations), crats from 1937 to 1949. MITCH is now conservative who gets high marks from NDAA (National District Attorneys Associa- the longest-serving Republican Senator the American Conservative Union and tion), PERF (Police Executive Research in Kentucky history, eclipsing the pre- all who know him. Moreover, he is a Forum), NSA (National Sheriffs’ Associa- vious record held by the legendary Sen- scholar and able defender of the Con- tion), NAAUSA (National Association of As- ator John Sherman Cooper. stitution and this great country. Know- sistant U.S. Attorneys), and NOBLE (Na- Today, Senator MCCONNELL has been ing just how deadly terrorists can be, tional Organization of Black Law Enforce- he is deadly serious about protecting ment Executives). As former federal serving as a U.S. Senator for almost a prosecutors and senior officials of the De- quarter century. During that time, America. He also is an outspoken advo- partment of Justice we are profoundly aware four U.S. Presidents, scores of col- cate of the first amendment and a tre- of the challenges that the Department and leagues, and several crises have come mendous parliamentary tactician. the country are facing. Eric Holder is the and gone, but MITCH has carried on When MITCH MCCONNELL talks, people right man at the right time to protect our with courage, boldness and steadfast- listen and pay heed—almost always citizens in the critical years ahead. ness. He has weathered the most turbu- with excellent results. It is worth noting that Eric Holder lent political seas and has always been As good a Senator as MITCH is, he is also has the public support of former a calming influence on his Senate col- an even better man—one who places FBI Director Louie Freeh, as well as leagues while at the helm. principals above partisanship. His love the National Fraternal Order of Police, Few would have predicted that Sen- for his State and our Nation is second which is the world’s largest organiza- ator MCCONNELL would have such stay- to none. He also is loyal, honest and tion of sworn law enforcement officers. ing power when he was first elected to unflappable, which explains why he is One final point: Eric Holder is a his- the Senate in 1984 by a razor-thin mar- held in such high esteem by his Senate toric selection. If confirmed, he would gin—less than half a percentage point. colleagues on both sides of the aisle. be the first African-American Attorney But political pundits and prognos- MITCH is a devoted family man. He is General in our Nation’s history. When I ticators often only skim the surface or the proud father of three beautiful was growing up, there were laws in state the obvious and give short shrift daughters and the loving husband of some States that prevented African to the characteristics that matter outgoing U.S. Secretary of Labor Americans from drinking out of the most in the making of an outstanding Elaine Chao. And he is utterly devoted same water fountains as Whites, at- leader. to the people of Kentucky he so ably VerDate Nov 24 2008 03:19 Jan 13, 2009 Jkt 079060 PO 00000 Frm 00011 Fmt 0637 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\G12JA6.022 S12JAPT1 wwoods2 on PRODPC68 with SENATE S286 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE January 12, 2009 represents and honors with his stellar and communities in which they lived. remarkable achievement of our dear service. The tobacco buyout will inject $2.5 bil- friend, the senior Senator from Ken- At this time, I wish my colleague and lion into Kentucky over 10 years to to- tucky and the minority leader of the dear friend success, health and happi- bacco quota holders and growers, al- Senate, Senator MCCONNELL. And I ness as he continues his leadership and lowing them to transition to other apologize that I wasn’t able to join the service in the 111th Congress.