Patty Murray: “every American needs to have confidence in our system of justice, but in the last few weeks that confidence has…”

“every American needs to have confidence in our system of justice, but in the last few weeks that confidence has, frankly, been deeply shaken. Each day, we get new evidence that the Bush administration injected partisan politics into a process that requires independence, and each day we get more proof this administration has not been telling the truth. I am here today on this floor to support the bill to restore the Senate's constitutional advise and consent in confirming nominees to serve as U.S. attorneys. I am deeply troubled by the many ways the Bush administration has politicized the administration of justice because it threatens all Americans. Recently, we learned that the administration's political meddling reached into my own home State of Washington, and it led to the firing of a U.S. attorney who had received an excellent job performance review only months, months before he was fired. When I asked for answers, the Justice Department told me things that were not true. Deputy Attorney General Paul McNulty assured me the firing of John McKay was performance related. I didn't believe it at the time, and, unfortunately, the past few weeks have only confirmed my suspicions. As the facts come out, the administration's untruths are coming to light. First we were told the White House had no role in the firing. Now we learn this whole scheme originated in the White House. At first we were told the firings were performance related.…”