Dick Durbin: “the Senate will soon vote on the nominations of Dean John Sauer and Harmeet Dhillon, President Trump's nominees for…”

“the Senate will soon vote on the nominations of Dean John Sauer and Harmeet Dhillon, President Trump's nominees for Solicitor General and Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division of the Justice Department. The Solicitor General represents the United States in the highest Court of the land, the Supreme Court. Mr. Sauer's failure to comply with court orders and his refusal to recuse himself from pending Trump matters render him unfit for this role. The Civil Rights Division--often called the ``crown jewel'' of the Justice Department--enforces landmark laws that prohibit discrimination and protect the right to vote. Ms. Dhillon's record makes it all too clear that she is not the right person to lead this division. Mr. Sauer's nomination is a danger to the rule of law. At his confirmation hearing, I asked him a very simple question that any first-year law student should be able to answer, let alone a nominee seeking Senate confirmation. When I asked him whether an elected official should be allowed to defy a Federal court order, Mr. Sauer said, ``Generally, if there's a direct court order that binds a federal or state official, they should follow it.'' I was appalled that someone seeking to become the ``Tenth Justice,'' as the Solicitor General is commonly known, would take such a position. As my colleague Senator Kennedy warned Mr.…”