Political Quotes

“Mr. President, I want to take a moment to recognize the service of one of my longtime legal counsels on the Judiciary Committee, Joe Matal. Joe will be leaving the Senate in a few weeks after 12 years of Senate service, and I wanted to say a few words of thanks. Joe is well-known on Capitol Hill as a sharp, tenacious, and principled lawyer who fights hard for principle and the public good. It is frankly remarkable to reflect on the breadth of issues where Joe has played a major role in his years of service, but I will list a few. Joe was intimately involved in our efforts to grapple with post-9/11 realities, in particular through the Military Commissions Act and the Detainee Treatment Act and the reauthorizations of the USA Patriot Act. Joe has been instrumental in efforts to ensure appropriate DNA testing of criminals and to ensure that the rape-kit backlogs are cleared. He worked on the Adam Walsh Act and the Internet SAFETY Act. He is a go-to lawyer on criminal sentencing issues. Very recently, he has been an essential adviser on negotiations relating to the cybersecurity legislation. I could go on and on. Joe has worked on the animal crush video law I sponsored, on False Claims Act amendments, on open government laws, and on legal reform bills such as asbestos litigation reform, the Class Action Fairness Act, and Bankruptcy Reform.…”