Pete Sessions: “Let me mention a couple of items. It was suggested one of the Department of Justice members, Paul Bender, raised some…”

“Let me mention a couple of items. It was suggested one of the Department of Justice members, Paul Bender, raised some question about Miguel Estrada's nomination, but Bender and the other supervisors in the Clinton Department of Justice-- remember, he went into the Solicitor General's Office in 1992; surely within a year or so he should have been under the supervision of the Democrats at that time. It probably takes some time to make the change over. Almost his entire career in the Justice Department was under the leadership of Janet Reno and a Democratic Solicitor General. The Democrats gave him the highest possible performance rating. Mr. Bender, when he was evaluating him, gave him the highest evaluations. I think it odd now that he would come forward and suggest there was a problem. In fact, one of the evaluations given to him specifically noted his loyalty to the policies of the Department of Justice. It was also said there was some deal about law clerks and screening law clerks for Supreme Court Justice Kennedy. Let me point out I think it is a great honor that Justice Kennedy was so impressed with Miguel Estrada that he asked him to do screening of possible law clerks for him.”