Speaker 1 (00:00):
… it lasted a good amount of time, I'm glad it did. But anyway, she couldn't make it. So, today, Senate Republicans are moving forward with one of Trump's worst judicial nominees to date, and that's saying a lot. It's Emil Bove. Bove is not just religiously obedient to Trump, but he's proven to be hostile to the rule of law. Republicans meanwhile are nowhere to be found with a whisper of scrutiny. They're so afraid of how bad this guy is, and Senator Durbin will talk about it and Senator Booker will talk about it, that Senator Grassley, the judiciary chair, cut off Cory Booker from even speaking at his hearing and a number of people didn't get to ask questions. Is that right?
Speaker 2 (00:48):
Yes.
Speaker 1 (00:49):
They're afraid of the questions. Bove's claim to fame is as Trump's personal attorney. He's made a career of handling Trump's dirty laundry and his hitman at the DOJ. The only reason this guy is being appointed to this position is he handles Trump's dirty laundry.
(01:11)
At the DOJ, Bove weaponized the department to carry out political retributions against people Trump considered his enemies, he punished FBI agents investigating the January 6th insurrection and fired prosecutors working on criminal charges for the January 6th rioters. Against trying to free up these rioters, it's appalling. He reportedly told DOJ lawyers to ignore court orders and even deliberately mislead judges. That's right. Bove, a man seeking to be a Circuit Court judge, reportedly told DOJ lawyers to mislead judges. In the long history of our republic, things like this haven't happened. It's incredible.
(02:00)
And what is the Republican response when in the past Republicans wouldn't have even let this guy come forward in the Reagan days and Bush days? "Just rush him through the process. Trump wants him. He's Trump's lapdog. Yes, sir. We'll vote for him," they say. It's no wonder over 75 bipartisan former state and federal judges joined together to oppose Bove's nomination. He's the extreme of the extreme. He's not a jurist. He's a Trumpian henchman. That seems to be the qualification for appointees these days. It's clear Bove holds deep hostility against the very bench he's being considered for. Senate Dems will strongly oppose his nomination.
(02:46)
Also, this afternoon as Senate Republicans spend time jamming through Trump's henchmen and House Republicans seek to get out of town to stop the bleeding in their caucus by the Epstein files hypocrisy and cover-up, I will be meeting with Leader Jeffries and immediately following that meeting, will be meeting with Senators Murray and DeLauro and other Senate and House Democrats. Hakeem and I will be meeting to discuss the appropriations process in both the House and the Senate in the weeks ahead.
(03:16)
With so much hard work ahead and a government funding deadline only less than 25 legislative days away, Republicans should be focused on working with us to deliver for American families. Instead, both Republican caucuses are simply focused on doing Trump's dirty work, rushing through one of his henchmen to be a Circuit Court judge and rushing to get out of town to avoid taking questions on Epstein. When both Republicans in the House and Senate should be working with us on appropriations, but they're running home or focusing on putting one of the worst judges that we've ever had nominated. It's time for Republicans to get their act together. Senator Durbin.
Speaker 2 (04:04):
Two weeks after the Senate confirmed Pam Bondi as attorney general, she told Fox News the list of Jeffrey Epstein's clients was "sitting on my desk right now to review." Six days later, Bondi released binders of documents related to Epstein to MAGA influencers, but the documents she released were already publicly available. The absence of any client list led to a predictable immense blowback. Attorney General Bondi then returned to Fox News, the mothership, and made another startling claim. That a whistleblower told her that the FBI withheld thousands of pages of documents and then she promised the country would see the "full Epstein files." Yet, over the next four months, DOJ and FBI were silent on this issue until an unsigned July 7 memorandum was issued finding that "systemic review revealed no incriminating client list."
(05:09)
So, what happened during the four months between Attorney General Bondi's sweeping claims in February and this July 7th memorandum? Our Judiciary Committee learned the embarrassing truth. We were contacted by a highly-credible whistleblower describing attorney general's pressure on FBI to quickly review and produce more Epstein documents as promised. For two weeks in late March, the FBI assigned approximately 1,000 personnel in its Information Management Division, and hundreds of additional agents from the New York field office to work 24-hour shifts to review and produce more Epstein documents.
(05:56)
These officials told to "flag any records in which President Trump was mentioned." Essentially, agents were pulled out of their field from their work, combating narcotics and violent crime, to review this mountain of documents. Other important FBI work was effectively shut down according to the whistleblower. Using tens of thousands of personnel hours at the expense of public safety, for no other reason than to try to bolster baseless claims you've made is unconscionably reckless. President Trump has not helped the situation. Despite his administration continually making promises about transparency on Epstein and the existence of records that they have not produced, he is currently telling the country that it is all a "scam."
(06:48)
Last week, President Trump posted on his personal social media site, and I quote, "My past supporters have bought into this BS hook, line and sinker. They haven't learned their lesson and probably never will," from President Trump. This is the way the president is talking about his own constituents who are raising concerns about the very claims President Trump's campaign surrogates and administration officials have repeatedly raised. President Trump and Attorney General Bondi are directly responsible for the confusion and mistrust around Epstein's prosecution. Attorney General Bondi in particular owes both Congress and the American people the truth about Jeffrey Epstein, the whole truth and nothing less.
Speaker 1 (07:41):
Senator Booker.
Speaker 3 (07:42):
Thank you very much, Chuck. I appreciate that.
Speaker 2 (07:45):
I'll always be able to hear you even from here.
Speaker 3 (07:47):
As we say in New Jersey, New York has our back.
Speaker 2 (07:49):
Far away.
Speaker 3 (07:51):
Far away. The Empire State Building's ours, by the way. Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island. Look, I think it should be really apparent right now that the House of Representatives is running out of town. They're running out of town because it's clear the speaker believes that their membership in the Republican caucus over there is so fragile that they cannot withstand simple debate discussion about the topic of Jeffrey Epstein. That this is so patently a hill of lies upon which the Justice Department and House Republicans are trying to hide behind that they can't stand to have debate and discussion about it. So, they're canceling their plans and running out for a summer recess.
(08:42)
That should tell voters something. Senator Durbin said it plain, that we are now in a nation where we had our highest law enforcement official say plainly that there is a client list and a truckload of evidence that they were going to release. "It's on my desk," indicating that there was something substantive that was going to expose criminal behavior. And now, months later, they're saying, "Nothing to see there." It is clear that one of those statements is not true, and so therefore, someone has lied to the American people.
(09:30)
And what the House of Representatives seems to be so afraid of is to answer that question, when was the lie told? And that somehow is so difficult to endure that question that they are running out of town. Part of that was the reason why they tried to jam us in the Judiciary Committee because Emil Bove was one of the principal top justice official people that was there during this time. He can answer those questions. He could give transparency and accountability for what his role was in this clear coverup of what the truth is.
(10:21)
We are seeing a pattern here, that we have a Republican Party so fragile, so submissive to Donald Trump, that they are now undercutting our constitutional role of advise and consent on a Third Circuit judge. Underfighting our constitutional role to provide a check and a balance on the executive. Undermining our constitutional role in Congress to hold the executive accountable. Imagine if this was the Justice Department under Obama, what would the House Republicans being saying. We've seen what they've done on just some hint or whiff on other issues that they hold countless hearings over and over and over again. Dear God, I can't hear the words, "her emails" without remembering those things.
(11:24)
The hypocrisy of the Republican Congress right now that they are refusing to do their job. They are so under the thrall of this president that they're undermining the design of our republic and our constitutional intent that our branch of government is a co-equal independent branch. No, they are turning us into a submissive branch that does the willing, that carries out whatever their dear leader says. Bove is part of this. He knows what happened in the Justice Department. He should answer for that.
(12:08)
And frankly, when it comes to everything from January 6th to the whistleblowers that are coming forward to put someone on the bench that has shown such disrespect for the rule of law, for the ideas of justice, they're not worthy for that position. Why are the Republicans so afraid of the truth? Why are they so afraid to stand up and hold this administration accountable for their lies?
Speaker 4 (12:39):
Questions.
Speaker X (12:39):
[Inaudible 00:12:41].
Speaker 5 (12:41):
[inaudible 00:12:41] a previous warning about rescissions. Do you think a bipartisan appropriation deal is possible [inaudible 00:12:49]?
Speaker 6 (12:48):
Look, we Democrats want a bipartisan deal. We're working together to get one, but the bottom line is Republicans are making it much harder. Rescissions, impoundment, pocket rescissions directly undoes this. And I said this about Senator Thune on the floor today. You can't say you want a bipartisan process, which he said yesterday, and at the same time put rescissions on the floor, which is the antithesis of bipartisan. Yes. Go ahead
Speaker 7 (13:18):
What do you make President Trump's comments saying that he wants to put Obama on trial for treason?
Speaker 6 (13:26):
Despicable. So, Trump so demeans the debate in this country and this country by what he says, and people should just reject him. I don't care what your philosophy is, Democrat, Republican, independent. When he says something like that, it should be universally condemned. Imagine how Trump would react if someone said it about him, he'd go nuts. Go ahead, Burgess.
Speaker 8 (13:47):
Will Democrats vote to advance this appropriations bill today?
Speaker 6 (13:50):
Look, let me just talk about this appropriations bill. First, it was done in a bipartisan process, no question about it. Second, it undoes many of the awful DOGE cuts to veterans. And third, we'll have an amendment process. This is just a motion to proceed and we look forward to the amendment process. Go ahead.
Speaker 9 (14:10):
[inaudible 00:14:11] given that you're all demanding the release of the Epstein files, why weren't Democrats calling for the release of these files when Biden was president and when you were in the majority?
Speaker 6 (14:18):
I did in 2019.
Speaker 9 (14:20):
But not nearly as vocal as you are now.
Speaker 6 (14:21):
I did… Please, that's not true. Absolutely not true. Thank you, everybody.
Speaker 4 (14:34):
Thank you.
Speaker X (14:34):
[inaudible 00:14:36].