John Conyers: “Members of the House, the American people must have full confidence in the integrity and the independence of the United…”

“Members of the House, the American people must have full confidence in the integrity and the independence of the United States Attorneys in charge of Federal prosecutions throughout the country, in every State. While they owe the President their appointments, once they are in their jobs their enforcement decisions must be unquestionably above politics; and that is why we are here today. Senate confirmation is required for each one of them in an open and public process, and it is a critical safeguard against politicization of our prosecutorial system. This safeguard has been severely compromised by the secret change that has been referred to, and this bill restores the safeguards. I ask my colleagues to fully support this measure on both sides of the aisle.”