Mazie Hirono: “I echo the sentiments expressed by my colleague from Minnesota, and I rise today in support of the nomination of Vanita…”

“I echo the sentiments expressed by my colleague from Minnesota, and I rise today in support of the nomination of Vanita Gupta to be Associate Attorney General of the United States. Today, I am focusing my remarks on Ms. Gupta, but I will have some words of support for Kristen Clarke later. For 4 years, Donald Trump treated the Justice Department like his personal law firm. He ordered that the Department's attorneys drop charges or reduce sentencing recommendations against his friends and cronies. He ordered investigations and prosecutions against his political enemies. He even had the Department step in to defend him against the defamation claim relating to an allegation of rape. By the end of the Trump administration, the Justice Department's reputation was tarnished and the morale of its employees was lower than at any point since Watergate. Thankfully, President Biden has named a professional, highly qualified team to lead the Justice Department and to restore its place of prominence and moral authority in following the rule of law. It is significant that the Senate confirmed Merrick Garland as Attorney General and will shortly confirm Lisa Monaco as Deputy Attorney General with strong bipartisan support. I am disappointed that Vanita Gupta, a similarly well-qualified nominee, is not receiving the same bipartisan support. A few weeks ago, I sat in the Judiciary Committee for nearly 2 hours, listening to my Republican colleagues smear Ms.…”