Leahy Begins AG Review with “Hope and Optimism”Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-VT) sat down with the president’s attorney general nominee Michael Mukasey this morning to chat. The meeting was a brief one, but in remarks afterward, Leahy announced that he was beginning “this process of Senate review of the Presidentâs nomination with hope and with optimism.” So far, so good.
But Leahy again sounded a note of warning that unfinished business from Gonzales’ reign (he calls it “that dark period”) needs resolution. Recent discussions he had with White House counsel Fred Fielding have been “encouraging,” Leahy said, but he made a point of adding that he’ll “take him at his word” that he’ll actually hand over documents Leahy’s seeking about the U.S. attorney firings and the administration’s warrantless surveillance program.
His full remarks are below.
Leahy on this morning’s meeting:
I just met with Judge Mukasey briefly, so that we could introduce ourselves to each other. We have the common bond of having both come from law enforcement backgrounds.
I have publicly praised the President, and do so again, for not choosing to nominate individuals from that publicized list of contenders whose records of partisanship would have led to immediate difficulties.
I begin this process of Senate review of the Presidentâs nomination with hope and with optimism. The last thing I or any of us want is to be disappointed in those hopes.
Replacing an Attorney General is part but not all of what needs to be done to restore trust in the Justice Department. The confirmation process can be a catalyst for resolving outstanding issues between the Senate and the Administration. I hope that will happen now.
There are a number of issues that arise from that dark period that still need resolution. Cooperation from the Administration in making progress on our longstanding oversight requests is still needed and will be helpful in moving forward.
I am pleased to report that recent discussions that I have had with Mr. Fielding, the White House Counsel, have been encouraging on that score. I take him at his word that he will work to provide the Judiciary Committee with information and documents that we need. This is relevant to the next nominee and future Attorneys General so that past excesses and mistakes are not repeated.
I met with Judge Mukasey today hoping that after we get cooperation from the Administration and are able to conduct a fair and thorough review process, all Senators will be able to vote in favor of his confirmation. I want to avoid the kind of witch hunt from the Right that scuttled the Presidentâs nomination of Harriet Miers.
I see Judge Mukaseyâs nomination as another chance to clear the decks of some important unfinished business that goes to the heart of accountability in government. It is also another chance for a fresh start in the relationship between Congress and the Justice Department headed by a new Attorney General.
The big job of Attorney General of the United States has gotten bigger, with erosion of public trust and sagging morale throughout the Department of Justice. The next Attorney General will need to begin the process of restoring the Department of Justice to its proper mission so that it is worthy of its name.
