Richard Blumenthal

Thank you, Senator Kohl, and thank you for again having a very, very informative and useful hearing.

I am indeed, and thank you for your leadership on that legislation, Mr. Chairman.

And don't we have an obligation to enable taxpayers and seniors to have lower drug prices by using the Federal Government's bargaining power to lower those drug prices?

And so I think my question is: How do we prepare the courts, the law enforcement professionals, and others who are involved in this system for dealing with those individuals who may be within their jurisdiction and they may not fully…

I am very much involved in trying to work on behalf of veterans and particularly those whom you know firsthand have been injured in these last 10 years of war.

Well, again, I look forward to working with you all. I apologize that I have been in and out because of the votes and other commitments, but I really appreciate your being here today, and thank you to the Chairman for having this very…

I could not agree more with Senator Franken, and we have seen it in the State of Connecticut with the shelters that we have.

Well, I think changing the culture is critical, but you do need--as Dr. Phil said, you need a forum.

Thank you all for being here and for giving us the very substantial, varied insights that you bring to this subject.

I do think it would be fairer to say that a number of my colleagues are very alert to the possibilities that some of the activities might rise to the level of criminal investigations and potentially prosecutions.

I am aware, as we all are, of the state attorney general negotiations, but I am not aware of any Department of Justice investigation concerning potential criminal charges.

And I would request that the task force provide the Committee with a position on that issue.

I believe strongly that we should have those limits as soon as possible.

You certainly have the authority and, in my view, the responsibility to drive those investigations at the 1-foot level in the Department of Justice

I welcomed and applauded the decision to create the oil and gas price fraud working group within your task force.

In my view, the trends that we have seen lately in the markets cannot be explained solely by supply and demand.

The fraud evolves with the cycles of the housing market and varies by geographic region.

An investigation by the antitrust division or some part of the Department of Justice is certainly appropriate and necessary here

The very powerful effect of the announced actions so far in bringing down prices and convincing the speculators that they are on the wrong side of history

That is very good news in sending a message, a deterrent message about the severity and seriousness of this Administration in dealing with this kind of crime.

I really want to commend your efforts in this area.

These crimes are more than just superficial or passing in their impact. They are enduring because they go to the core of what people trust.

Thank you for having this hearing and, again, demonstrating your leadership in the area of combating financial fraud.

I want to thank Senator Durbin for his very passionate and persevering commitment to this cause.

They are such an enormous potential asset to this country, as Senator Durbin and Senator Franken have expressed so powerfully.