Political Quotes

“I want to thank Chairman Cummings for bringing this important legislation to the Floor. In 2005, shortly after Hurricane Katrina, a group of New Orleans police officers opened fire on a handful of unarmed African American civilians walking across Danziger Bridge, killing two and injuring four. This occurred during the heart of the Hurricane Katrina aftermath and left deep scars on our community. Years later five officers were convicted on a variety of charges for these actions. However, their convictions were vacated in 2013 due to misconduct by Department of Justice prosecutors. In my efforts to find out what happened and why, and to also get transparency for my constituents, I received a DOJ report that was heavily redacted and missing crucial facts. I also learned that the DOJ Inspector General lacked the authority to investigate those actions. The DOJ was being left to investigate itself in situations like this and the American people were being left without the full story. That ultimately led to the victims and their families never receiving the full measure of justice they were owed. This bill grants the Office of the Inspector General for the Department of Justice the authority to investigate alleged misconduct committed by Department of Justice attorneys when they act in their capacity as lawyers.…”