-9999

Floor Speech

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, the Senate will soon vote on the nomination of Aaron Reitz, President Trump's nominee for Assistant Attorney General for the Office of Legal Policy.

Simply put, Mr. Reitz's nomination is a danger to the rule of law. At his confirmation hearing, I asked him a very simple question that should be a softball for any nominee seeking Senate confirmation.

When I asked him whether an elected official should be allowed to defy a Federal court order, Mr. Reitz said, ``There is no hard and fast rule about whether in every instance a public official is bound by a court decision.''

I was disgusted to hear these words come out of the mouth of a nominee aspiring to hold a key role at the Department of Justice.

Mr. Reitz's failure to unequivocally commit to following Federal court orders even prompted my colleague Senator Kennedy to admonish Mr. Reitz, ``Don't ever, ever, take the position that you're not going to follow the order of a federal court. Ever.''

I couldn't agree more.

Despite that sage advice, Mr. Reitz repeated this equivocation in answers to written questions, stating that, ``Parties to litigation are bound by the lawful holdings of their respective court in most circumstances,'' but not all circumstances.

This administration has continued to undermine our system of checks and balances by pushing the boundaries of executive power, and, in turn, chipping away at the authority and legitimacy of the judicial branch.

Mr. Reitz has made clear his intent to aid the President in pursuing this agenda, regardless of whether it is in accordance with judicial orders.

But that is not my only concern with Aaron Reitz. He has attempted to hide his disturbing views on many topics, deleting approximately 4,000 social media posts. Nothing was off-limits in the posts the Judiciary Committee uncovered.

Reitz has condemned millions of Catholics and Christians who supported President Biden, writing that there was, ``no excuse'' for their vote.

He openly opposes the legality of same-sex marriage, calling the Obergefell decision, ``anti-const[itutional]'' and a ``low point in SCOTUS history.''

Mr. Reitz also has aligned himself with Matt Walsh, a self-proclaimed ``theocratic fascist,'' who believes that, ``the LGBT left indoctrinates and recruits children.''

And despite the protections enshrined in the 14th Amendment, Mr. Reitz incorrectly wrote, ``Friendly reminder that `birthright citizenship' is not a thing.''

Before Derek Chauvin was convicted of murdering George Floyd and despite the video footage of Chauvin kneeling on Mr. Floyd's neck for over 9 minutes, Mr. Reitz wrote, ``No question in my mind that Chauvin is not guilty.''

That is simply an offensive statement. Several Republican Members of the Senate rightfully spoke out about this horrific crime.

Even after Chauvin was convicted, Mr. Reitz called the jury's decision, ``a bogus guilty verdict.''

I guess it should come as no surprise that Mr. Reitz's disrespect for the finality of court orders is matched by his disrespect for the finality of a jury's verdict.

Mr. Reitz's online commentary demonstrates his penchant for fringe policy positions and extreme ideologies.

His failure to comply with Federal court orders should cause great concern for all of us who believe in our constitutional order, built on the foundation of three coequal branches of government.

Failing to unequivocally commit to following Federal court orders should be disqualifying for any nominee before this body.

Mr. Reitz is not fit for a role within the Department of Justice, particularly not one in which he will be charged with developing and implementing the Department's legal policy initiatives and vetting candidates for Federal judgeships.

I ask my colleagues to join me in opposing this nomination.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Source