GOP leader says Dems trying to assassinate judges, while judge whose family was murdered testifies
On the same day that a federal judge whose family was assassinated testified to the Senate Judiciary Committee about courthouse safety, Sen. Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-TN) described Democratic efforts opposing some of President Bush’s judicial nominees as “leadership-led use of Cloture vote to kill, to defeat, to assassinate these nominees.”
Federal Judge Joan Lefkow was a target for assassination, and her husband and mother were murdered in February of this year. Democratic Whip Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL) hammered Frist's comments and asked they be struck from the Senate record.
Durbin remarked, "When words are expressed during the court of the debate that those of us who oppose these nominees are setting out to 'kill, to defeat or to assassinate these nominees, those words should be taken from this record. Those words go too far."
The senators' comments follow. The transcripts are not yet believe to be published online.
###
MR. FRIST (10:04 AM): MR. PRESIDENT, THE -- IN RESPONSE, THE PAEZ NOMINATION -- WE'LL COME BACK AND DISCUSS IT FURTHER, AND ACTUALLY I'D LIKE TO COME BACK TO THE FLOOR AND DISCUSS IT, AND IT REALLY BRINGS TO I BELIEVE A POINT WHAT IS -- IS THE ISSUE. AND THE ISSUE IS THAT WE HAVE LEADERSHIP-LED PARTISAN FILIBUSTERS THAT HAVE OBSTRUCTED NOT ONE NOMINEE BUT TWO, THREE, FOUR, FIVE, SIX, SEVEN, EIGHT, NINE, TEN IN A ROUTINE WAY. THE ISSUE IS NOT CLOTURE VOTES PER SE. IT'S THE PARTISAN LEADERSHIP-LED USE OF CLOTURE VOTE TO KILL, TO DEFEAT, TO ASSASSINATE THESE NOMINEES. AND THAT'S THE DIFFERENCE. CLOTURE'S BEEN USED IN THE PAST ON THIS FLOOR TO POSTPONE, TO GET MORE INFORMATION, TO ASK FURTHER QUESTIONS. BUT IN EACH AND EVERY TIME, THE NOMINEE, INCLUDING PAEZ, GOT AN UP-OR-DOWN VOTE ON THE FLOOR OF THE UNITED STATES SENATE, WHERE ALL 100 SENATORS COULD VOTE "YES" OR "NO" AND CONFIRM OR REJECT. AND PAEZ GOT AN UP-OR-DOWN VOTE. AND THAT'S ALL THAT WE ASK ON THE FLOOR, THAT PRISCILLA OWEN, THAT -- THAT JUSTICE BROWN GET A SIMPLE VOTE. APPROVE, DISAPPROVE, CONFIRM, REJECT. MR. PRESIDENT, I YIELD THE FLOOR. (Senator Bill Frist, 5/18/05, Senate Floor)
SEN. DURBIN (11:40 AM): SO WHEN WORDS ARE EXPRESSED DURING THE COURSE OF THE DEBATE THAT THOSE OF US WHO OPPOSE THESE NOMINEES ARE SETTING OUT TO ‘KILL, TO DEFEAT OR TO ASSASSINATE’ THESE NOMINEES, THOSE WORDS SHOULD BE TAKEN FROM THIS RECORD. THOSE WORDS ARE INAPPROPRIATE. THOSE WORDS GO TOO FAR. AND LET ME REMIND THOSE WHO FOLLOW THIS DEBATE, AS I SAID EARLIER, THE MAJORITY LEADER IS A GOOD MAN, A HUMANE MAN, A SENSITIVE MAN WHO HAS BEEN CLOSER TO LIFE AND DEATH THAN ANY OF US IN THIS CHAMBER, AND I BELIEVE THOSE WORDS, IF GIVEN TO HIM, WERE INAPPROPRIATE, AND IF THEY WERE SAID IN A CARELESS MOMENT, I'M SURE THEY DO NOT REFLECT HIS HEART, BUT LET US TAKE CARE DURING THE COURSE OF THIS DEBATE TO IF I DISAGREE WITH ONE OF THESE NOMINEES OR ANY JUDGE AS TO THEIR OPINIONS, IT'S NOT GOING TO REFLECT ANYTHING ON THEM PERSONALLY. (Senator Dick Durbin, 5/18/05, Senate Floor)
Article originally published May 18, 2005.
http://rawstory.com/exclusives/byrne/frist_assassinate_judges_518
Federal Judge Joan Lefkow was a target for assassination, and her husband and mother were murdered in February of this year. Democratic Whip Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL) hammered Frist's comments and asked they be struck from the Senate record.
Durbin remarked, "When words are expressed during the court of the debate that those of us who oppose these nominees are setting out to 'kill, to defeat or to assassinate these nominees, those words should be taken from this record. Those words go too far."
The senators' comments follow. The transcripts are not yet believe to be published online.
###
MR. FRIST (10:04 AM): MR. PRESIDENT, THE -- IN RESPONSE, THE PAEZ NOMINATION -- WE'LL COME BACK AND DISCUSS IT FURTHER, AND ACTUALLY I'D LIKE TO COME BACK TO THE FLOOR AND DISCUSS IT, AND IT REALLY BRINGS TO I BELIEVE A POINT WHAT IS -- IS THE ISSUE. AND THE ISSUE IS THAT WE HAVE LEADERSHIP-LED PARTISAN FILIBUSTERS THAT HAVE OBSTRUCTED NOT ONE NOMINEE BUT TWO, THREE, FOUR, FIVE, SIX, SEVEN, EIGHT, NINE, TEN IN A ROUTINE WAY. THE ISSUE IS NOT CLOTURE VOTES PER SE. IT'S THE PARTISAN LEADERSHIP-LED USE OF CLOTURE VOTE TO KILL, TO DEFEAT, TO ASSASSINATE THESE NOMINEES. AND THAT'S THE DIFFERENCE. CLOTURE'S BEEN USED IN THE PAST ON THIS FLOOR TO POSTPONE, TO GET MORE INFORMATION, TO ASK FURTHER QUESTIONS. BUT IN EACH AND EVERY TIME, THE NOMINEE, INCLUDING PAEZ, GOT AN UP-OR-DOWN VOTE ON THE FLOOR OF THE UNITED STATES SENATE, WHERE ALL 100 SENATORS COULD VOTE "YES" OR "NO" AND CONFIRM OR REJECT. AND PAEZ GOT AN UP-OR-DOWN VOTE. AND THAT'S ALL THAT WE ASK ON THE FLOOR, THAT PRISCILLA OWEN, THAT -- THAT JUSTICE BROWN GET A SIMPLE VOTE. APPROVE, DISAPPROVE, CONFIRM, REJECT. MR. PRESIDENT, I YIELD THE FLOOR. (Senator Bill Frist, 5/18/05, Senate Floor)
SEN. DURBIN (11:40 AM): SO WHEN WORDS ARE EXPRESSED DURING THE COURSE OF THE DEBATE THAT THOSE OF US WHO OPPOSE THESE NOMINEES ARE SETTING OUT TO ‘KILL, TO DEFEAT OR TO ASSASSINATE’ THESE NOMINEES, THOSE WORDS SHOULD BE TAKEN FROM THIS RECORD. THOSE WORDS ARE INAPPROPRIATE. THOSE WORDS GO TOO FAR. AND LET ME REMIND THOSE WHO FOLLOW THIS DEBATE, AS I SAID EARLIER, THE MAJORITY LEADER IS A GOOD MAN, A HUMANE MAN, A SENSITIVE MAN WHO HAS BEEN CLOSER TO LIFE AND DEATH THAN ANY OF US IN THIS CHAMBER, AND I BELIEVE THOSE WORDS, IF GIVEN TO HIM, WERE INAPPROPRIATE, AND IF THEY WERE SAID IN A CARELESS MOMENT, I'M SURE THEY DO NOT REFLECT HIS HEART, BUT LET US TAKE CARE DURING THE COURSE OF THIS DEBATE TO IF I DISAGREE WITH ONE OF THESE NOMINEES OR ANY JUDGE AS TO THEIR OPINIONS, IT'S NOT GOING TO REFLECT ANYTHING ON THEM PERSONALLY. (Senator Dick Durbin, 5/18/05, Senate Floor)
Article originally published May 18, 2005.
http://rawstory.com/exclusives/byrne/frist_assassinate_judges_518
posted by JimG at 7:23 PM
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