Important work about the 115,000 members of the department of justice. As you can heard me say many say manyheard me times, this president was elected to make america safe again. That mission has never been more important. Say many times, this president was that message was made it very clear and reiterated again to when president , trump spoke to the graduation. This is the first time a president has spoken to the graduating class of the fbi academy in 47 years. The mothers and fathers of those that were brutally slaughtered by the ms13, i ve talked to them. Ive heard from state and local Law Enforcement go to work every day, not knowing whether they might come home, like the brave officers responded to reports of gunshots and were shot in the chest yesterday in st. Louis. The are so thankful they were wearing bulletproof vests and survived. It is another reminder of how dangerous these are these jobs are, and how grateful americans should be to Law Enforcement and their families. I am deeply committed to battling the surge in Violent Crime and supporting the work of police officers. I made it one of our type priorities. Top priorities. Last 22 years, we have seen a deadly increase in Violent Crime. The overall Violent Crime rate is up by 7 , a reversal of a downward trend. Memory is up, assaults are up robbery is up, assaults are up, rape is up. Our Department Funded studies that found large increases in drugrelated homicides, more than any other type of homicide. The expansion in the illicit drug market has contributed to the overall homicide rate. According to the study, nearly a quarter of the increase in homicides is the result of an increase in drugrelated homicides. Drug trafficking is inherently a dangerous business. As we all know, these are not just numbers. Fathers, sonsrs, and daughters, spouses, friends and neighbors. Empty places at christmas dinner tables, and ofes in the hearts and souls victims and families that will never be filled. I will not accept this as the status quo, and neither will the department. We will allow the progress made by the men and women in blue we will not allow it to slip through our fingers. We will not allow surrendering a block, communities, or streetcorner to violent thugs or gangs. We will make another important step in this fight. We Law Enforcement will utilize our people and a multiplier. It is these authorities that have the critical street level intelligence, regarding the criminal element in their communities. We are most affected when these and locald state investors investigators are paired with the resources and expertise of the 15 that are the federal Law Enforcement officers. Tth this combined tax task ask force model, this is what works. This is what we have established with our invigorated neighborhood programs. Federal,g together state, local, and tribal violentation to target offenders who commit a disproportionate amount of Violent Crime. Led by our state attorneys forces, they are hitting the streets across america to apprehend and bring violent criminals to justice. I have asked congress for additional funding next year, because i believe nothing will be more effective. I am convinced it will reduce crime. I am askingrogram, a great deal about United States attorneys. I am holding them accountable for results, to them in the best position to impact and reduce Violent Crime. It is my privilege to announce, through a reallocation of resources, we will be enlisting 40 additional Violent Crime prosecutors across the United States. These prosecutors will be sent to hotbeds, where we will have federal prosecutors focusing solely on Violent Crime and ms13. Every border district will receive additional prosecutors to focus on the cartel and violence and illegality that affects the region. To find thesed additional positions, despite budget reductions, we are allocating prosecutors in many more cities, including oakland, st. Louis, toledo, memphis, milwaukee, and many others. They can make an immediate impact. I have seen it, firsthand. They can often supervise multiple investigations, which after hand and dismantle apprehend and dismantle multiple criminal organizations. The means less violence on streets and more concentration of resources on the bad actors who are left. It takes good intelligence to identify who and what gangs are the biggest threats to the neighborhood. My expectations for these new ausas cannot be higher. I know this is an investment that will pay dividends for years to come and make a readily discernible impact in these communities struggling with violence. I have personally worked to repurpose existing funds to support this mission. We have a saying a new federal prosecutor, the definition is the coin of the realm. When we can eliminate wasteful one of my first questions for my budget staff, is whether this would allow us to the. 1 more to deploy one more ausa to a violent district. Of the an increase tooth and tail ratio at this department to drive down Violent Crime. We plan on it deploying to 60 260 ausas, and i am announcing two new Violent Crime task forces that will be deployed to areas in north inolina and pennsylvania which Violent Crime exceeds the national average. Suffering,unities help is on the way. We are marshaling our resources and we will be relentless in our pursuit of violent criminals that are victimizing poor neighborhoods. Your neighborhoods. I will be traveling to milwaukee, toledo, and charlotte to personally observe the crime problem and deliver the good news that additional help is on the way on monday and tuesday. This will mark my 32nd United StatesAttorneys Office visit this year. I have met fabulous and dedicated ausas at every one of my stops, and state and local officials. I will see firsthand the impacts that prosecutors are having, and i will reaffirm the departments unequivocal support for the work done by all enforcement and prosecutors. Dea, atfs, u. S. Marshals, and the bureau of prison are outstanding, and i am honored to leave them. I want toiday spirit, personally express my deep appreciation and profound thanks to all the women and men of Law Enforcement, state and local, and their families, for sacrificing so much in putting their lives at risk every day, holiday or not so the rest of us can enjoy the safety and security they provide. We love you and honor your work. We have your back. You have our thanks. Merry christmas and happy holidays to all. I am pleased to have with me jesse, who has spent almost 10 years in the department of justice. Serving as the United States attorney in the district of columbia. She has four years as a federal ausa in the district of columbia. She has five or six years in the department of justice, and the National Security division in in the National Security vision. She is an outstanding addition to the team. Will you share some thoughts . Good afternoon. Thank you, attorney general. Thank you for your leadership on this critically important issue. I have no doubt these Additional Resources will be put to good use, right away. Thank you for your leadership on this critically importantthey ws across the country safer. U. S. Attorney for the district of columbia, my highest priority is protecting the people of this great city from threats here and abroad. Not only because of our location, the are unique. We are unique. Offensesal and local we prosecute them. It is a huge responsibility, but we have many partners. Converted day and night with the work day and we night with the fbi, it ats, with a host of partners. We are in the Community Every day and we know that people all across the city are behind our efforts. We draw support from the attorney general. We are so excited to see the emphasis on project safe neighborhoods and the task force approach to getting dangerous offenders and guns and drugs off the streets. We are very busy building on our longstanding relationships with Law Enforcement and the identify at large to and address those areas in the district of columbia that are too often terrorized with gunshots, and the injuries and death that follow. Is related to drugs and disputes. Od by going after the organizations and individuals behind that conduct, we can make neighborhood safer. We are doing just that. Tojoined with a task force arrest and charge people accused of delivering drugs in the city. The recovery of large amounts of crack cocaine and methamphetamines, but guns as well. Bringing these cases is very especially when we continue to fully prosecute all of the other offenses for which we are responsible. Can one additional ausa, make a tremendous difference. The extra resources being announced will help enormously and show those are on the here and elsewhere that we share their commitment to fighting crime. We are grateful for the support and we look forward to putting our resources to work. Thank you all for being here. Merry christmas and happy holidays. We will take questions. Can you give us a sense of how the 2017 memos are faring compared to recent years . The news inbeen in terms of allegations of bias. Can you talk about the reputation of the bureau . Was the first question . Thet had to do with how 2017 memos look at Violent Crime. Those numberse yet. But it isrime survey, hard to compare increases to decreases based on the survey. It would take some months before we get those numbers. We still have less than half of the United States attorneys confirmed. We are still altering the strategy that is going into effect just now. I believe that project safe ifghborhoods, if sustained, someone can prove the new york city model where you use good intelligence to identify the make sureinal, and those Top Priorities in your investigations and prosecutions have senior new york is a steady decline in homicides and Violent Crimes. That is a proven technique. Our policies would call on the ausa to encourage that in the district. Jesse has been traveling in neighborhoods in the city and talking to our to numbers of people. Maybe she would like to comment. Ausas are partnering with state and local Law Enforcements, and reaching a higher level of unity and sophistication than we ever have. A few words. My office has a very long tradition of engaging with the community. Since i started this job, i have spent a lot of time going to Community Meetings and listening to the community. The message i have been given is that people want their neighborhoods to be safe. For the people out in the communities, even one Violent Crime is too many. That is what we are taking as our guiding star. You didnt answer the last question. What do you have to say about trumps legal team calling for another special counsel about bruce orr, his wife having worked with fusion gps . Session our response to or responsibility is to provide the highest possible professional standards of Law Enforcement to the american people, that we do so effectively, honorably, and with integrity. Were going to take seriously the concerns that have been expressed. Deputy rosenstein is testifying before the congress again, he did so yesterday. We want to be open with him. Madeavailable available to congress a Sensitive Information regarding the Fusion Center questions. We made people available to speak to them regarding uranium one. We recently provided congress with Text Messages between an fbi agent and lawyer working on the investigation into the 2016 president ial election, and the clinton email server. We are going to do more. We will not be reluctant to admit error. We will not hide and be excessively defensive. You will never fail to monitor our we will never fail to monitor our people and insist on the highest standards of behavior. Everyone has to be accountable and responsible. You can have arrogance see been two institutions, not acceptable. We want to be open to the public and go as far as we can to do that. There are limits. We are not able to just reveal everything and every criminal case that may be percolating, nor in every potential personal manner. Manner. Nnel we have activity being carried ,ut by the Inspector General and we all have the criminal Standard Group that watches and monitors the highest possible standards of behavior by our people. Seriously, andry i will continue to monitor our people to maintain those high standards. Justice should also be provided to our personnel. A followup. The fbi is an important partner in this Violent Crime fight. President trump has pretty clearly suggested the reputation and the status of the fbi isnt hatters. Do you share that view is in tatters. Do you share that view . I believe the fbi is functioning at a high level of over the country. Spoke to themp fbi, the first time a president has spoken to the fbi graduating class in 47 years at quantico. He made it clear he supports them 100 . We are going to be a Law Enforcement administration that helps Law Enforcement be successful. View, the fbi has huge National Security requirements. It is also fulfilling a fabulously important role, working to fight against Violent Crime. Thank you. We hope to have you come visit our celebrations. Thank you. Happy holidays and merry christmas. [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. Visit ncicap. Org] the attorney general earlier today was at the fbi academy with president trump. You can see that on her website. On our website. Most members have escaped the snowfall in the nations capital. Tax reportsed the will be filed at the conference at five 30. Reports have been made there will be an increase in the child tax credit, satisfying senator marco rubio. It has been increased from 55 70 . He said this is a solid step toward broader reforms. The Senior Reporter for the hill says the house will vote on the tax bill on tuesday morning. The senate will follow on tuesday afternoon or wednesday. You can follow live coverage of the house on cspan and the senate on cspan2. We will keep keep you posted as news gets updated over the weekend. Watches cspans profile series on White House Administration officials. We feature Senior Communications advisor mercedes schlapp. It carries a sense of duty to to helping my generation, old and young, to understand why we are here, in america, and 20 have to preserve the greatness of america. Why we have to preserve the greatness of america. Tonight, at eight eastern, on freen. Org, and with the cspan radio app. Weekend, the cspan cities tour takes you to saratoga springs, new york. We will explore the history and literary life of the city, known for its famous literal mineral springs. This is the place where Ulysses Grant wrote his memoirs in 1885. He was dying of throat cancer. His family was facing serious financial problems. At this point in his life, he was a man trying to take care of his family. We tell a story here that most people dont know. Local author and former federal prosecutor interdependent shares his book sheer madness. I thought a person who was lived under aroin bridge and was pushing a shopping cart. One of the most abused drugs on wall street among strangers these are elite professionals are opoids. Sunday at 2 p. M. Will take a trip to the Saratoga Race course. And we will visit the Saratoga National historic park. New york times said the battle of saratoga was the most important battle fought in the entire world in the last 1000 years, because they resulted in general going general burgoins surrender, the first time in history a british army surrendered. Saturday at eight eastern, on booktv. And at 2 p. M. On cspan3. The cspan cities tour, working with Cable Partners as we explore america. Russian president Vladimir Putin answered several rounds of questions on domestic and foreign issues during his News Conference in moscow. It lasted close to four hours. This 90 minute portion included his response to questions on north korea and syria, and relations with president trump, the allegations of russian interference in the u. S. Election, and president putins decision to run for president again