January 9, 2019 - Issue: Vol. 165, No. 4 — Daily Edition116th Congress (2019 - 2020) - 1st Session

[Page S79]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 DEPUTY ATTORNEY GENERAL ROD ROSENSTEIN

  Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. President, on another matter, this morning it was 
reported that Deputy Attorney General Rosenstein intends to step down 
from his post at the Justice Department if the nominee for Attorney 
General, William Barr, is confirmed. It is a timely reminder of the 
swirling conflicts of interest and bias that surround nearly every 
Trump nominee to lead the Justice Department.
  Acting Attorney General Whitaker publicly and forcefully advocated 
for defunding and imposing severe limits on the special counsel's 
investigation, calling it ``a mere witch hunt.'' He has troubling 
conflicts of interest, including with a grand jury witness in the 
investigation, not to mention the fact that he appears to have been 
involved in fraudulent business dealings before joining the Justice 
Department.
  The nominee to take his place, William Barr, is just as fatally 
conflicted a nominee when it comes to the special counsel. Last month, 
we learned that Mr. Barr sent the Justice Department an unsolicited 
memo, criticizing the special counsel's investigation.
  Mr. Rosenstein's potential departure only heightens the stakes for 
Mr. Barr's nomination. From all accounts, Mr. Rosenstein has been an 
impartial actor at the head of the special counsel's investigation. 
President Trump is trying to replace folks like Mr. Rosenstein with 
conflicted loyalists like Matthew Whitaker and William Barr. The 
Senate, starting with the Judiciary Committee, should subject Mr. 
Barr's views to the strictest of scrutiny next week. I still believe, 
after the revelations about Mr. Barr's unsolicited memo, President 
Trump ought to withdraw this nomination.
  I yield the floor.

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