Political Quotes

“Mr. President, as we all know, more and more brave women are speaking out about the abuse that has been reported in the papers--abuse by the powerful, in many cases. I want to say at the outset that the country applauds these women for their courage and for setting an example for others. Some of the stories we have heard about involve sexual harassment, but some of the other stories also appear to involve even more serious crimes, including domestic violence and sexual assault, which is an incredibly important issue that often gets underreported all across the country. As a result of these news stories, I am certainly hopeful these kinds of problems--the domestic violence problems we have in America--are going to start to receive the attention they need and deserve. Just as we are seeing more men fired from jobs because of sexual harassment and assault, we also need to see more get the punishment they deserve, in a court of law, for violent abuse. We also need to make sure victims are protected and that they have an advocate--a lawyer--who is on their side in these cases. Unfortunately, many who are suffering from domestic abuse and sexual assault can't afford attorneys to file charges or, importantly, to even protect themselves and their families, their kids. Here is the big irony: When someone is charged with a crime--say a sexual assault crime, say an accused rapist--that person gets a Sixth Amendment right to counsel under the U.S. Constitution.…”