S270 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE January 16, 2019 counsel representing other witnesses, creates I ask unanimous consent for, state- She stands for women, both as a champion a conflict of interest, and that the witness ments supporting the separation of of a woman’s right to choose and as a de- may only be represented during testimony church and state from Catholics for fender of those who have been sexually as- before the Committee by personal counsel saulted; she fought Trump and the Repub- not from the government, corporation, or as- Choice, People for the American Way, and several Hawaii residents. licans in defense of the Affordable Care Act, sociation or by personal counsel not rep- against the Muslim ban and the Kavanaugh There being no objection, the mate- resenting other witnesses. This paragraph Supreme Court nomination. She is being at- shall not be construed to excuse a witness rial was ordered to be printed in the tacked because she has become one of the from testifying in the event the witness’s RECORD, as follows: most eloquent and effective voices of the val- counsel is ejected for conducting himself or CATHOLICS FOR CHOICE, ues Indivisible Hawaii cherishes. herself in such manner as to prevent, im- Washington, DC, January 4, 2019. The attack comes not only from rightwing pede, disrupt, obstruct, or interfere with the Hon. MAZIE HIRONO, ideologues, it now comes from Hawaii’s own orderly administration of a hearing or the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee, member of the House of Representatives, taking of a deposition. This paragraph may Washington, DC. Tulsi Gabbard, a Democrat who on Friday not be construed as authorizing counsel to DEAR SENATOR HIRONO: Catholics for coach the witness or to answer for the wit- Choice represents the majority of Catholics announced her candidacy for the presidency. ness. The failure of any witness to secure across the United States that believes that Her article in The Hill accuses Democratic counsel shall not excuse the witness from each woman should be free to follow her con- Party members of the Senate Judiciary Com- complying with a subpoena. science in moral matters regarding reproduc- mittee of ‘‘fomenting religious bigotry’’ and 3. RECORD.—An accurate electronic or sten- tive health. ‘‘weaponizing religion’’ during their ques- ographic record shall be kept of the testi- We were very disappointed to see your col- tioning of nominee Brian Buescher to the mony of all witnesses in executive and public leagues, Senators Hirono and Harris, at- U.S. District Court in Nebraska. hearings and depositions. If testimony given tacked for duly questioning district court This thinly veiled attack on Sen. Hirono, by deposition is transcribed, the individual nominee Brian Buescher about his ability to administering the oath shall certify on the who sits on the Senate Judiciary Committee keep judicial impartiality due to his mem- which is responsible for approving judicial transcript that the witness was duly sworn bership in the hardline Catholic organiza- in his or her presence and the transcriber nominees, is a ludicrous assertion and a tion, Knights of Columbus. They had every shall certify that the transcript is a true stunning act of hypocrisy on the part of Rep. reason to raise these questions due to the record of the testimony. The transcript with Gabbard. The assertion is that Hirono is a re- Knights’ troubling record. ligious bigot because of questions designed these certifications shall be filed with the Today’s Knights of Columbus have strayed to reveal a nominee’s clear record of anti- chief clerk of the Committee. The record of far from their civic roots as a philanthropic choice activism as a barrier to his appro- a witness’s testimony, whether in public or organization. Our enclosed report, The executive session or in a deposition, shall be priateness for a judicial appointment. Knights of Columbus: Crusaders for Dis- made available for inspection by the witness crimination, provides a detailed look at how This attack is not only inaccurate, it ex- or the witness’s counsel under Committee they have brazenly used their 501c8 status to poses Gabbard’s self-serving attempt to supervision. A copy of any testimony given pour money, effort and influence into polit- project herself as a defender of religious free- in public session, or that part of the testi- ical contests and policy debates. dom—a position which is inconsistent with mony given by the witness in executive ses- As our investigation showed, they have her own actions. Rather than align herself sion or deposition and subsequently quoted spent more than $10 million since 2014 in di- or made part of the record in a public ses- with India’s overt right-wing Hindu Nation- rect antichoice and anti-LGBT lobbying, like sion, shall be provided to that witness at the alists or Syria’s Assad, we suggest Rep. their petition in Albuquerque to try to ban witness’s expense if so requested. Upon in- Gabbard follow Sen. Hirono as a model of later abortion. The Knights’ organization specting the transcript, within a time limit both authentic patriotic behavior and de- uses a large portion of its time and effort set by the Clerk of the Committee, a witness fense of civil rights. funding ultrasound equipment for fake may request changes in the transcript to health centers that actively deceive and Members of Indivisible Hawaii and other correct errors of transcription and grammat- pressure women to keep unwanted preg- groups have visited Sen. Hirono’s offices, as ical errors. The witness may also bring to nancies. The insurance arm of the Knights well as those of the other members of Ha- the attention of the Committee errors of fact waii’s Congressional delegation, dozens of in the witness’s testimony by submitting a ranks in the top one percent of the North American insurance market, yet pays no fed- times since President Donald Trump’s Jan. sworn statement about those facts with a re- 20, 2017, inauguration. We know firsthand quest that it be attached to the transcript. eral and nearly no state or local taxes. Make no mistake: they do not represent what the that she has championed our beliefs because The Chairman or a member of the Com- we have talked with her and her staff many mittee staff designated by the Chairman majority of Catholics believe on issues of re- times. We have followed her votes, watched shall rule on such requests. productive health or the separation of church and state. her on television, read her Facebook Page RULE VI—BROADCASTING OF HEARINGS We believe this and other attacks on Sen- and emails, and attended her town halls. Public hearings of the full Committee, or ators fulfilling their obligations to question Sen. Hirono immigrated to Hawaii as a any subcommittee thereof, shall be televised judicial nominees are just the latest tactic or broadcast only when authorized by the child and understands from personal experi- in shifting the conversation about religious ence the challenges faced by immigrants. Chairman and the ranking minority member liberty toward making special accommoda- of the full Committee. She is the first Buddhist to serve in the Sen- tions to those who wish to refuse, impede ate. Her years of public service establish a RULE VII—SUBCOMMITTEES and impose rather than to protect the true record which, in particular, show her to be a 1. HEARINGS.—Any member of the Com- religious liberty of all, no matter their be- defender of religious tolerance as well as the mittee may sit with any subcommittee dur- liefs. As Religious Freedom Day nears—and values of democratic government and the ing its hearings. we usher in a historic new Congress that em- rule of law upon which our country depends. 2. CHANGE OF CHAIRMANSHIP.—Subcommit- bodies our country’s religious plurality—we tees shall be considered de novo whenever must remember that our society allows for We witnessed what Gabbard did at, during, there is a change in the chairmanship, and free religious exercise, but also protects and after the Democratic Party Convention seniority on the particular subcommittee against religious influence in politics. ion 2016 to attack not Trump or the Repub- shall not necessarily apply. Catholics for Choice works at the intersec- licans, but former Secretary of State Hillary f tion of religious liberty, reproductive free- Clinton and the Democratic Party. Since dom and freedom of conscience for all. We Trump’s election Gabbard’s silence in re- S. RES. 19 are at your and your staff’s disposal as the sponse to Trump’s efforts to dismantle the Ms. HIRONO. Mr. President, S. Res. committee continues to protect fundamental institutions of our democracy has been deaf- 19 is unnecessary because no religious freedoms through its work. Should you have ening and stands in stark contrast to Sen. test is being applied to nominees for any questions, please contact me at Hirono’s forthright, clear and courageous ac- Federal office. If my colleague, the jun- [email protected] or 202–986– tions to fight the racist, misogynist, and au- 6093. thoritarian actions of Trump and the GOP. ior Senator from Nebraska, wants to Sincerely, The Hill article mimics her past behavior— embrace the alt-right’s position by of- GLENN NORTHERN, why does she choose to do this again? fering this resolution, that is his busi- Domestic Program Director. ness. As we fight to preserve our democracy unity is more important than ever. An at- Rather than passing a resolution to [From Honolulu Civil Beat, Jan. 14, 2019] tack on Sen. Mazie Hirono as a champion of address a problem that doesn’t exist, LETTER TO THE EDITOR progressive values in the Democratic Party we should focus on something real, like (By Lisa H.