Orrin Hatch: “As far as I can tell, Mr. Estrada's primary critic is Paul Bender, who supervised Mr. Estrada at the Clinton Solicitor…”

“As far as I can tell, Mr. Estrada's primary critic is Paul Bender, who supervised Mr. Estrada at the Clinton Solicitor General's office. I caution my Democratic colleagues that, before they rely too heavily on Mr. Bender to make their case against Mr. Estrada, there are many reasons why Mr. Bender's allegations lack credibility. According to published reports, Mr. Bender himself was the source of much conflict during his tenure at the Clinton Solicitor General's office. According to published reports, while Mr. Bender was serving as the principal deputy from 1993 to 1996, about 1/3 of the assistants, including one 16-year career veteran, left the office. Mr. Bender is an extremist by even the most liberal standards, as his 30-year history of hostility to Federal efforts to regulate pornography illustrates. Mr. Bender has stated publicly that sexually explicit material should not be banned 'any more than material about war, crime, housing, poetry and music.' In 1993, Mr. Bender pressed his agenda on pornography while serving as principal deputy Solicitor General, forcing President Clinton and the United States Congress--including 9 of my 10 Democratic colleagues on the Committee--to publicly reject his views.”