Brian Jones: “first of all, let me thank my colleague and friend, Senator Klobuchar, for those sober words. As former prosecutors, we…”

“first of all, let me thank my colleague and friend, Senator Klobuchar, for those sober words. As former prosecutors, we share a lot of the same bonds and knowledge, and we come to this in different ways sometimes than our colleagues. She expressed so many sentiments that I am going to try--and not as eloquently as she--to express today. So I say thank you for those comments. I come to the floor today both as a new Member of this body and as a longtime admirer and student of the Senate to offer my perspective on the situation in which this distinguished body finds itself today. I am deeply disappointed and concerned by the process, the posturing, and the partisanship that have degraded what should be one of the most serious, deliberate, and thoughtful decisions we in the Senate are entrusted to make. Over the course of my almost 40-year career as a trial lawyer, I have represented just about every kind of client you can imagine, from the indigent to the CEO, major corporations and small business owners, individuals charged with serious crimes and those charged with petty offenses. I have also had the incredible honor of serving in the Department of Justice and representing the United States of America. Every one of my clients and every one of those who were on the other side of the litigation in which I was engaged expected and deserved fair, impartial treatment in our courts, and rightly so.…”