On the recordMay 1, 2014
I am going to talk for a few minutes on one of the nominations we have today, the nomination of Theodore Chuang to be district judge for Maryland. This nomination was voted out of committee on a 10-to-8 vote. I opposed the nomination in committee, and I would urge my colleagues to do the same today. I can't support the nomination because of the central role Mr. Chuang played in the administration's persistent and steadfast stonewalling of the congressional investigation into the attack on our diplomatic mission in Benghazi on September 11, 2012. That attack resulted in the first murder of a sitting U.S. Ambassador in over 30 years. Three other brave Americans serving their country were killed in Benghazi as well. As we all know too well, just hours after the fighting had ended, this administration--in the middle of a Presidential campaign at the time--rushed to blame the attack on an obscure Internet video. The administration denied what was already clear: that what had happened at Benghazi was a premeditated terrorist attack that had nothing to do with any video. The CIA's Libya station chief and other administration officials immediately recognized and reported that the attack was an act of terror, not a spontaneous demonstration. The American people demanded answers. Congress demanded answers as well. But the administration has systematically stonewalled our ability to get those answers. That is where this nominee's role comes into play.…





