Trent Lott: “this is my 14th year in the Senate. There have been a lot of high moments and low moments in that tenure. I certainly…”

“this is my 14th year in the Senate. There have been a lot of high moments and low moments in that tenure. I certainly worked very hard, and in my position as majority leader, I learned a lot of lessons. As you go along, sometimes you do things that Senators agree with, and sometimes they do not--on both sides of the aisle. I understand that. But I must say that I feel about as bad about the Senate right now as I have in the years that I have been watching the Senate and that I have been in the Senate. I think the Senate Judiciary Committee just participated in a miscarriage of justice. I am very much concerned about the effect it is going to have on the Senate, and on our relationship on both sides of the aisle. The Senate Judiciary Committee just voted against the nomination of Judge Charles Pickering from Mississippi to move from the Southern District Court of Mississippi to the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals. They voted against, as I understand, reporting out his nomination unfavorably, and they voted against reporting out his nomination without recommendation. That was not exactly the sequence, or exactly the motion. The fact is they have voted against the nomination of this very fine man. I think for the Judiciary Committee to take the action as they did is very unfortunate and very unfair to a man I have known directly and personally for about 40 years. I know him as an individual. I know his family. I have been in his home.…”