This country does not punish its political enemies, but this country ensures that no one is above the law.

It would be difficult to speculate on that. We saw what you are alluding to during the Nixon administration.

We could work out a lot more of these issues rather than having the heavy hand of the Federal litigation system come to play into forcing compliance by States.

Protecting the people of this country from crime, and especially from violent crime, is a high calling of the men and women of the Department of Justice.

I believe that it is important for the American people to know that when an individual is sentenced to prison they are not subjected to cruel and inhuman punishment under the Constitution at a minimum.

You simply have to help the President do things that he might desire in a lawful way and have to be able to say 'no' both for the country, for the legal system, and for the President to avoid situations that are not acceptable.

Well, Attorney General Mukasey, who I think is still here--yes, and I am honored to have him here today.

I am not sure it has been conclusively settled one way or the other whether a properly conducted voter ID system is improper and discriminatory. Indeed, the Supreme Court has held that voter ID is legitimate, at least under certain…

The President is subject to certain lawful restrictions, and they would be required to be applied by the appropriate law enforcement official when appropriate, yes.

That is something that is appropriate for Congress and the Chief Executive to consider.

I will not commit to never enforcing Federal law, Senator Leahy, but absolutely, it is a problem of resources for the Federal Government.

We made real reform in IDEA. I led that effort. We ended up having the vote of Hillary Clinton and Dick Durbin.

They deserve the same protection that any entity--business or otherwise--is entitled to, when people violate the law and carry out improper threats or blockades of their business.

Yes, I do believe that I have conducted myself according to principles that I think are valid and try to be consistent and honest in my evaluation.

Those decrees still remain in effect in a number of districts.

I was happy that that solution was reached, yes. Very much.

There are times when the Attorney General represents the State, he has an obligation and a duty regardless of what the parties to a litigation may say.

I believed these crack cocaine laws were too harsh and particularly it was disadvantageous to the African-American community.

I have not said that the woman's right to choose or that Roe v. Wade and its progeny is not the law of the land.

This country has every right to deport persons who are here unlawfully, who violate our criminal laws in some other aspect, and they should indeed be promptly deported.

I believe the United States should have an immigration policy that is fair and objective and gives people from all over the world the right to apply.

I think the American people are entitled to know, of those who are committing terror plots against us, how many are coming in through a broken immigration system.

I just would like your verbal commitment here to continue to do what you have always done, and that is, put the safety and security of the American people first.

That is the core responsibility of the Attorney General, absolutely.

religious freedom is our great heritage in America. We respect people's religion.