Patrick Leahy

As Senator McCain and I pointed out in a brief to the Supreme Court recently, this latter condition is a prescription for corruption.

As even the Supreme Court pointed out in Citizens United, it is disclosure of donors' identities that allows citizens to hold corporations and elected officials accountable for their positions and supporters.

I call up my amendment No. 129, as modified. The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The clerk will report. The legislative clerk read as follows: The Senator from Vermont [Mr. Leahy], for himself, Ms. Mikulski and Mr. Shelby, proposes an…

It protects public safety. As one of the former speakers said, this is not a get out of jail free card either.

Just yesterday in the Senate, Senators Rand Paul and Patrick Leahy introduced the Justice Safety Valve Act of 2013, S. 619.

It would allow the courts to sentence federal offenders below the mandatory minimum whenever that minimum term does not fulfill the goals of punishment established by Congress in 18 U.S.C. 3553(a).

I worry about not just the Government use of drones...but the ability of private companies and individuals to intrude on the privacy of Americans.

I continue to have deep concerns about the constitutional and legal implications of such targeted killings.

I am convinced that the domestic use of drones to conduct surveillance and collect other information will have a broad and significant impact on the everyday lives of millions of Americans.

We have to carefully consider the policy implications of this fast-emerging technology.

Comprehensive immigration reform should recognize that family unity is a core value.

The Refugee Protection Act, introduced by Senator Leahy, includes important provisions that would help facilitate family reunification for refugees and asylees.

There is some energy over on the House side. The Issa-Cummings bill that Senator Grassley mentioned actually would order agencies to do this within 180 days.

It was very simple. As Senator Cornyn and Senator Leahy's idea, it was a great idea.

I went to law school in less time.

I think that might be conservative, too.

I think the American people expect us to, and they should.

Simply saying everything is secret does not instill confidence in the American people.

This is an important hearing on one of our most cherished open government laws, the Freedom of Information Act, or FOIA.

We wanted to demonstrate that we wanted freedom of information whether we have a Republican or a Democratic administration.

I think the next nominee for a Justice Department confirmation position that comes up here ought to be told, 'I am sorry. Your confirmation is not going to go through until you turn over the OLC memos.'

The Justice Department is trying to gut that out.

We would like to see the list of all the OLC memoranda that are in force.

There should be no delays in getting FOIA requests?

We really wanted it to work, and we wanted it to work whether we were in the Senate or not.