Orrin Hatch: “If the Senator will just wait for a few more minutes, I want to make a point on Rule 4. For the life of me, I can't…”

“If the Senator will just wait for a few more minutes, I want to make a point on Rule 4. For the life of me, I can't understand how anybody reading the Judiciary Committee's Rule 4 would interpret it any differently than the way I did. I was surprised to see my comments during the Bill Lan Lee nomination used against me. What happened there was, I was Chairman. We had the votes to stop the nomination. The Democrats didn't want us to stop the nomination because it would have been embarrassing and might have made it more difficult for them to recess-appoint Lee, who I would have supported for any other job in Government but not that one. Because I knew he would get there and he would use the power of the civil rights office to bring litigation against communities, municipalities who would have to give in rather than spend millions of dollars in defense fees and accept full scale racial quotas. My fears were confirmed. Because they recess-appointed him and he did bring that kind of litigation. But with the Lee nomination, the Democrats started a filibuster of their own nominee. There was no reason for them to make any arguments. I would have given them a vote up or down right there. They started the filibuster. I, in graciousness, agreed not to have a vote. I have to admit I myself was in error by making some of the statements I did because I didn't realize the importance of this, nor had I even looked at Rule 4. But let's look at this Rule.…”