Russ Feingold: “I rise today to speak with grave concern about a report released by the Justice Department yesterday on our Federal…”

“I rise today to speak with grave concern about a report released by the Justice Department yesterday on our Federal Government's administration of the death penalty. In that report and in his testimony before the House Judiciary Committee yesterday, Attorney General John Ashcroft said that he now concludes that "there is no evidence of racial bias in the administration of the federal death penalty." I am seriously, seriously concerned about and, frankly, disappointed by the Attorney General's statements. The report he released yesterday is not the in-depth analysis of the federal death penalty ordered by his predecessor, Attorney General Reno, and President Clinton. This is a very urgent matter because the Federal Government, in a matter of days, is about to resume executions for the first time in decades, including that of Juan Raul Garza. He is scheduled to be executed by the United States of America on June 19. Mr. Garza's case has not received the level of intense scrutiny or legal representation that his more notorious death row colleague, Timothy McVeigh, has received. But Mr. Garza's case, and his possible execution, should cause the Attorney General, President Bush, and our Nation even deeper soul-searching than that which has begun with respect to the scheduled execution of Mr. McVeigh.”