Political Quotes

“I plan to return the exact same letter to my friend, the majority leader, with the same requests. In 2009, the then-minority leader called these benchmarks ``common sense standards'' and ``long standing practices.'' I agree with him. These standards do not indicate a lack of maturity. They show an abundance of common sense, just as his letter said. I remind the majority that several, if not most, of the nominees have actually failed to meet the qualifications laid out by this letter given the hearing schedule. The majority leader is fond of mentioning that many Obama nominees passed quickly in 2009 and he asks that we do the same, but there is a big difference between 2009 and today. President Obama's nominees met all the standards laid out in then-Minority Leader McConnell's letter. President-Elect Trump's nominees have not. In 2009, every Obama Cabinet nominee had an ethics agreement in before their hearing. Every Obama Cabinet nominee underwent a full FBI background check before the Senate considered their nomination. President-Elect Trump's nominees are way behind that mark. I only ask, respectfully, that the Republican majority follow the same set of standards they had in 2009 when the shoe was on the other foot, especially because these nominees raise particular concerns. The standards we have laid out as leaders of both parties address conflict of interest and security concerns. Of course, those are prime concerns, but there is another concern as well.…”