Pete Sessions: “the process of advise and consent in the U.S. Senate for judicial nominees is indeed an important one. We have had some…”

“the process of advise and consent in the U.S. Senate for judicial nominees is indeed an important one. We have had some tremendous debate already this afternoon. And we have had it on other nominees. The Senators that have spoken earlier today are outstanding Senators who deeply care about their work. And I respect them all. I think it unfortunate that we may have crossed over into some personal matters that would not be normally displayed on this floor. But I think it is important what we are doing. I think it is commendable that people speak with passion about what they believe in. A Federal judicial lifetime appointment is an important office. I served as an assistant U.S. attorney, a Federal prosecutor, for 22 years. I served as a U.S. attorney, a Federal prosecutor, for almost 12 years. I practiced every day, full time, before Federal judges. I respect and believe in Federal judges with great passion. I believe we ought to have the finest quality of people we can possibly have on the federal bench. I have tried, as I have participated in the Senate Judiciary Committee, as a member, to conduct myself in that committee with the highest levels of professionalism. When this nominee came up, I had some concerns as a professional prosecutor. I had a feeling, an intuition, that there was something unhealthy about this nominee, that there was perhaps an unstated bias against prosecutors and law enforcement.”