Dianne Feinstein: “I also indicate that as the senior Senator from California and as a member of the Energy Committee, I have a specific…”

“I also indicate that as the senior Senator from California and as a member of the Energy Committee, I have a specific obligation to render oversight to see that FERC is doing its job. How can anyone possibly render due diligence and oversight if they don't know what is being presented nor have access to what is being presented to the Commission on which they make their judgments? I have spoken four times now about Miguel Estrada and the general state of the nominations process. I regret where these weeks have taken us, frankly. I hope we can come together to overcome what is increasingly separating the two sides of this great body, marring judgments and actions relating to the Judiciary Committee's hearing process and that process through which we advise and consent on nominees by the President to Federal judgeships. In order to understand this filibuster over Miguel Estrada, we also have to understand what has led us to this point. I would like to speak specifically to the nominations debate because this is a key area where the administration has, with few exceptions, acted in many ways as if the Senate simply doesn't matter. If this debate were only about whether or not we should vote on Miguel Estrada, that would be enough. Make no mistake about it. There are serious questions about this nominee that we can't answer without more information, information that this nominee and the administration have essentially refused to provide.”