was to provide support for the department of justice, civil rights divisions attorneys. i reviewed, co-signed clients, motions and pleadings and briefs filed during high tenure as u.s. attorney i provide aid assistant and guidance, had an open-door policy and cooperated with civil rights attorneys on these cases. for the cases described in 6 i supervised litigation and signed the pleadings. now that is consistent with the 1986 testimony that you provided help every stecht way, is that correct? well, i think so, yes. there s no question you ve been forthright with this committee and i would note members of this committee don t have to search far and wide to know who jeff sessions is. we ve known every day sitting at this bench alongside you. i want to shift to a different topic, a topic i opened with, the plitization of the department of justice. the office of legal counsel has a critical role proef vieding sound legal and constitutional
falsely once before this committee, his op-ed is the basis for senator franken s attack on you. the base yirs of senator franken s attack, he claims you were uninvolved in several civil rights cases listed on your question air n1986, mr. hebert testified, a quote from him, i have needed mr. sessions help in those cases and he has provided that help every step of the way. is that correct, that that s what mr. hebert testified? yes, that s correct. in the four cases senator franken referred to, you reported all four of them in your supplement to the judiciary committee, is that right? that is correct. mr. franken didn t mention. that and let me point out here s how you describe your involvement in your written submission to this committee. quote, for the cases described in 2, 4, 8 and 9 my role, like most u.s. attorneys with noncriminal civil rights cases
think of law enforcement would be to identify persons who are dangerous, who have a tendency or have been proven to be law breakers and have been convicted, and those who are caught carrying guns during the commission of a crime. both of those require mandatory sentences. as united states attorney, in alabama with a high priority of mine, i calculated a number of years, we were one of the top, even though a small office, in the percentage basis, we are one of the top prosecutors of those cases. i think it saves lives, senator blementhal. my judgment, at least, and experience tells me, it can help make create a more peaceful community. will you support laws necessary to effectively apply those ploo lays including universal background checks that are necessary to know whether the person is a felon, drug addict, domestic abuser?
i would suggest that in those cases, an independent counsel is not only advisable but required to avoid conflict of interest. i would hope that you would be sensitive to those concerns. well, there are reasonable arguments to be made for that. i suggested that attorney general lynch should appoint a special counsel in the clinton matter. i don t know whether you supported that or not. one reason i m asking the question, is that you have advocated a special counsel in other instances where, in fact, the argument for it was weaker than it would be in these cases. nd i think it would be appropriate. i will suggest that during the campaign sometimes we get excited. but as attorney general you have to follow the law, you have to be consistent, and you have to be honorable in your decisionmaking. i respect the question you re raising.
1970s, i remember almost all of the cases at an interstate commerce nexus, it wasn t the theft of an automobile that you prosecuted, it was interstate transportation of a stolen vehicle. yes. a lot of lot of that is just, now, we ve forgotten that distinction, that limitation on federal power. we have. a lot of what i m talking about happens in the environment in natural resource division, or in others. a lot of litigation out. there i encourage, i see i am out of time. let me make a suggestion before i suggest senator ronald, who s been off for two years. when she s done, it would be senator kennedy s turn but you probably have to go vote f there s somebody back here that can start the second round, do it. and then we ll call on senator kennedy to finish the first round. senator hurano?