Political Quotes

“Fast-track? Fast-track? Senator Cortez Masto said it has been a year since they have had a U.S. attorney confirmed, sitting in Nevada. In Ohio now, it has been--let me count the days--404 days since 6 million people in the Northern District of Ohio last had a permanent U.S. attorney leading the office. Senator Cotton, with his demagoguery, comes down here and talks about fast-track? I don't know what speed they move in Arkansas, but I would not consider what we are trying to do as fast-track. They have been vetted. Senator Portman supports this nominee. Let me talk about that. We know the pandemic has caused an alarming rise in violent crime, especially gun crimes. The Northern District of Ohio, which includes Toledo, Cleveland, Akron, Canton, Youngstown, Mansfield, Warren--cities in basically the northern half of the State. The U.S. attorney has the highest caseload in the last 30 years, filing a record 846 indictments in 2021 alone without a full-time, confirmed U.S. attorney. Even before the pandemic, the district had a staggering caseload after reaching a record low in 2016, with only 363 new cases through, Senator Cotton, I might add, the Obama administration. The number of new cases began to climb in 2017, at the beginning of the Trump administration, if you want to play those games, Senator Cotton. The number of new cases rose to 706 in 2018. This as kept climbing since.…”