Elijah Cummings

I know you're trying to do what is in the best interests of the American people.

I just want to thank you very much.

I mean, I'm going to encourage you to do that. Just do it, please.

One of our most important jobs in Congress is to help protect the interests of the American people.

Again, I will be brief, but I urge Members to vote against the legislation. I think it is a giant step in the wrong direction. I yield back the balance of my time.

It's clear that our diplomats are in some very dangerous situations. I think we all agree on that.

One thing I want to remind all of us is that we are Americans, everybody trying to do the best they can to protect our people.

I've seen over and over again in my 17 years in Congress that departments will come in, say they're going to do things, and then they wait.

This kind of oversight can be productive, it can be critical, it can sometimes even be tedious, but it can also save lives.

I do believe that in life there are transformational moments.

Too often over the past 2 years, the congressional investigation into what happened in Benghazi has devolved into unseemly partisanship.

I want to thank our colleague Representative Schiff for proposing the topic for today's hearing.

So you can get the details of the rape? Because I'm kind of confused when I look at what you agree to.

Government does have a role to play. It really does.

I think that there are moments that present themselves in our lives where we have to stop for a moment and at least take a look at what we're doing and how we're doing it.

You said that the Democrats have been unwilling to consider immunity. That's not accurate.

There is not one person on this, Republican or Democrat, and our record has shown that.

I would appreciate it if you would just give the witness an opportunity to answer, because these are the kind of allegations that tarnish one's reputation.

I know a lot has been said about what Thomas Cain said. Well, last week Thomas Cain told our staffs that the IRS always intended to alert us about Ms. Lerner's lost emails.

Not one of the witnesses we interviewed, including senior officials at the IRS, the Treasury Department and the Justice Department identified any White House role in this process.

For more than a year, Republicans have claimed that the White House directed the IRS to target conservative groups.

It is time for this committee to stop serving as the center stage for political theater and fulfill its responsibilities under the Constitution.

We have a duty to preserve this democracy that we inherited when we came upon this earth.

The public needs to know that our staffs met with the White House for 75 minutes

With that, I urge all of our Members to vote in favor of this very important legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.