Into possible ties between the Trump Campaign and russian officials. They voted on party lines to authorize subpoenas to former officials, including james comey , a former cia director, john brennan, and director of National Intelligence james clapper. Senator graham good morning. We are making progress. We are somewhat closer together now. Hello, senator grassley. A brief update, and then we will take of the business of the committee where we left off. Next week, we will have a hearing about policing, Community Policing and the use of force. We will have two panels. It will be a long day. I hope it will be an informative day and i hope good will come out of it. Last time that we talked, we talked about witnesses regarding the inquiry into the Robert Mueller investigation. Ourenator feinstein, and friends on the other side, i promise that if you want to call Robert Mueller or his designee, that is fine with me, at the appropriate time. When the Michael Flynn cases over, when it happens i want the doj to tell us why they decided to drop it, and if you want to call mr. Gleason or judge gleason, or anybody else as to why it should not have been dismissed, we will do that. That would be a good topic for this committee. Having said that, the business before the committee was senator feinsteins amendment. Would you like to vote, talk or what do you want to do . I would like to make Opening Statements. Senator graham absolutely. I am done, it is all yours. Senator feinstein and senator lee. Feinstein thank you. It is my understanding that today we are resuming debate on the chairs resolution integrate himself unilateral subpoena authority. Earlier markups, this is really unprecedented, at least in my 26 years. The resolution would give the chair Sole Authority to issue literally hundreds of subpoenas without any agreement from the Ranking Member or any Committee Vote on any specific subpoena, as required by committee rules. Simply put, if the resolution passes, it will remove in the role of the minority in issuing a subpoena. For 26 have operated i really think that how the rules function on subpoenas is the right way and if so i would urge my colleagues to vote against the resolution from the chair. We should operate under existing rules. This would allow the chair to he wouldpoenas as want, either with the Ranking Members agreement or by a Committee Vote. It is my understanding that my republican colleagues likely will support the resolution, so the week i offered an amendment. That amendment would grant the Ranking Member the same ability as the chair to issue the subpoena on the topics listed in the chairs resolution. The debate was pending when we ended the market last week, so it will be up for further debate in a vote today. And i will have a few remarks clean that time comes. I would like to address the nomination of cory wilson to a mississippi seat on the fifth circuit. And i will be opposing judge wilsons nomination and i would like to briefly explain why. Judge wilson has a record that if you look at it is far outside the mainstream on a number of critically important issues. He has expressed opposition to and toof lg workers rights and it took commonsense gun safety measures. He has also made clear his opposition to the Affordable Care act, his passage he called perverse and illegitimate. If judge wilson was to have his way, the aca would have been struck down by the Supreme Court. Disastrous for the 20 million americans who gained coverage thanks to the aca command for the estimated 129 million nonelderly americans with a preexisting condition, he would be denied coverage if the law were to be repealed. Me, toard, at least for see how judge wilson could rule objectively on any case raising an issue of coverage under the Affordable Care act. And this is particularly troubling right now, when more americans, it just went up from 110,000, 112,000 americans has died from covid19. And minority communities have been hit particularly hard. He also opposes Voting Rights and has been a strong proponent of voter id laws. Claiming without any evidence of that voter fraud happens. And that voter id can work to help. And he has made demeaning statements about former obama, calling him king barack, patty and asmall petty small and a fit throwing teenager. As of tuesday, the committee had received 18 letters or statements of opposition to judge wilsons nomination, from groups that include the naacp Legal Defense and education fund, and the Congressional Black Caucus. I would like mr. Chairman to enter these letters into the record. I will read from a few. The Congressional Black Caucus rights, judge wilson has expressed a more support for than right wing areat ideology support for equal protection of the law, equal access to the ballot box, and established precedents with civil rights. This led the Congressional Black Caucus to conclude the following, and i quote, it should be clear if wilson is confirmed, he would not support and uphold the laws that support inclusion, diversity, equal rights and protection, and other long held civil rights protections, so important to all americans. But especially to africanamericans. That is from a letter of opposition dated may 18 of this year. The Lawyers Committee for civil rights under law notes of the following, and i quote, mr. Wilsons record advocating against Voting Rights and access to health care, as well as his expressions of racial hostility toward barack obama, lead us to doubt his ability to serve as an impartial federal judge with an open mind on any civil rights issues impacting communities of color. That is from the Lawyers Committee for civil rights on may 5 of this year. I will vote against judge wilsons nomination and i urge my colleagues to do the same. Thank you very much. German graham senator lee. Ator lee awley sen is this on . Oh, my light did not work. Thank you. I spoke on the subpoena issue last week. So i will keep my remarks today brief. I know that earlier this week several senators on this committee, led by senators booker and harris, introduced legislation to reform the way that our nation approaches policing. And i understand that senator scott is working on his own reform bill on behalf of the senate republicans. I actually think this committee would be better serving the American People today if we were focused squarely on the issue of racial injustice. I know that we have a hearing next week, but this moment our country needs more than words. I think they need more than a single hearing. I hope this committee will focus its time and resources this summer on this issue that is gripping the nation, and is in desperate need of our attention. Specific to the subpoena authorization, i said before i think it is a low for this committee. Even including the subpoena authorization i obtained 12 years ago in 2008, which saw a narrow set of torture related documents, and came after five years of bipartisan efforts and a number of republican senator saying, go forward, we just do not want to be involved. Never before has a chairman of this committee sought a subpoena authorization without even attempting to work with the Ranking Member, certainly not the five years i did on that. Chairmanore has a sought as subpoena authorization as a first resort, as opposed to a last resort. Never has a chairman sought a limitless authorization to subpoena what could be hundreds of individuals and millions, millions of pages of documents. And i do not think anyone of us with a straight face could say to members of the committee to go sit and read millions of pages of documents. It never has a chairman away the resources of this committee to pursue a partisan investigation after being prompted by a president ial campaign. The chairman last week stated the investigation is not linked to broader bipartisan efforts to reform our surveillance laws, and i do not doubt his word on that. I do not think that anybody reasonably believes that this investigation will uncover authorities that were not already undercover during the Inspector Generals nd 478tive investigation a page report, which many of us have read. But the fact is, according to President Trump, the two issues are linked. Due to his apparent confusion about what has already been uncovered by the Inspector General and how this body already came together to fix it, President Trump does not want to sign a pfizer reform bill fisa reform bill until has concluded. Some House Republicans say they will support the bipartisan bill to pass the senate, then when they got that tweet from the president they reversed course and withheld support for the Senate Passed bill. Not, itwe like it or appears as long as the chairman is conducting this investigation, Critical Reforms overwhelmingly approved by republicans and democrats in the senate, are on hold. That means there is some noncontroversial such as wiretaps, that many of us have discussed, remain on authorized. Now remain on authorized. Now, whether you think this is purely political or not, it is a problem that because of it we say, well, we cannot go forward improvements that republicans and democrats in the Senate Overwhelmingly approved. Feinsteinport senator and my other Democratic Senators as they offer amendments to make the subpoena authorization more balanced, and more likely to result in a fair investigation, but i firmly believe the committee has Better Things to do today, so i want the chairman to know that this may come as a great surprise to him, that i will vote no on this authorization. And i will put into the record, statement, my wilson. G cory support whaty senator feinstein has said. But i do ask that you put that in. German graham absolutely, without objection. Are way now considering the feinstein amendment to your subpoena amendment . Is that correct . Chairman graham yes. At is correct. Chairman wilson . Chairman graham we will do that. We will address that intercourse. I have said my piece the last time we were together, so i will not repeat myself, but since then the judge in the flynn matter has come out and i would ask unanimous consent that that document be made part of the record at this proceeding, with attention to pages 317, where he describes the underlying conduct of general flynn. Chairman graham without objection. I do not know if you are here before, but i am very interested in the flynn case. I think everybody here is. And you are. So that is a good thing. So when we get a resolution, i will call him in why did you drop this case, why did you need to change course . Mr. If you want to call gleason or anybody else, we will do that. I think that would be good for the country. Senator . Chairman. Nk you, mr. I want to join senator feinstein in her opposition to these subpoenas, as well as opposition to this judge. I will put my statements on the record. Since you raised the hearing we will be having, which i am glad we are having next week, i want to bring the committees attention to a letter sent yesterday to doj Inspector General michael horowitz. I have the letter here and i would like to enter it on the record. To put it on the record. It is for more than 1200 former justice officials across the country, and a cause on the Inspector General to investigate attorney general William Barrs role in the decision to use force, including tear gas and rubber bullets against Peaceful Protesters in Lafayette Square near the white house. These protesters were there to draw attention to the Police Killing of george floyd and to demand justice and an end to the use of Excessive Force against the black men and women in this country. I think we all know that this is an issue of critical importance. Every senator in this room. And i am glad the committee will hold a hearing next tuesday on the issue of police use of force. It is an important first step. Yesterday, the Ranking Member, senator feinstein, joined by all of us on the side of the aisle, sent a letter asking that attorney william barr be asked to testify at this upcoming hearing. It is inconceivable we would move forward without hearing from him, after all it is the attorney general who sets Justice Department policy and oversight and oversees multiple agencies. He is the chief Law Enforcement officer of this country. So either at this hearing, or a hearing next week involving simply him, i believe we need to hear from him. Among other things, the committee needs to hear from the attorney general about why the Justice Department appears to have abandoned a pattern and practice cases to examine systematic Racial Discrimination and policing, including the use of force. During the obama administration, there were 25 of these investigations that were brought. Had aeekend, after i letter with myself and others, asking for a pattern and practice investigation of the Minneapolis Police attorney barr was on face the nation. When asked about this, he said that he did not think it was necessarily warranted in this case. Colleagues if it is not , warranted in the case, in the video that you saw in minneapolis to have a pattern and practice investigation of this police department, what facts would warrant such an investigation . This Trump AdministrationJustice Department has undertaken only one investigation like this, and it was a unit of the springfield, massachusetts, police department. That is it. I ask you to join us in asking the attorney general when and where and why we would ever have a pattern and practice investigation if he does not believe it is justified in this case. Us in askingu to join the attorney general when and where and why we would ever have a pattern and practice investigation if he does not believe it is justified in this case. We await a formal answer from him. Saidll i have is what he on a National News program. I will finish quickly. It is essential the committee hold an additional separate hearing with attorney general barr to examine the Justice Departments response to the protests that is raised in the letter to the doj. Attorney general mart at the center of this decision to remove Peaceful Protesters from Lafayette Square using tear gas and rubber bullets in order for the president to have a photo op in front of the church waving a bible. Inspector general horowitz should open an investigation among but it is also the responsibility of this committee to examine the federal governments response to protesters as well as the deployment of federal Law Enforcement in washington, d. C. , and the treatment of journalists covering the protests aired thank you, mr. Chairman. Sen. Graham thank you. I would like to make an Opening Statement about the subpoena hearing today and brief remarks about judge wilson and his candidacy. Sen. Graham absolutely. Thank you, mr. Chairman. We are in a difficult and challenging moment for our nation with three different epidemics. I have spent the last few weeks listening to delaware events and americans expressing righteous anger over the brutal killing of george floyd and challenging our government to finally recognize and address systemic racism. The covid19 pandemic has laid there inequalities in our health care system. I have listened to Small Business owners suffering from the effects of the worst health and Economic Crises in our lifetime. Appreciate this committee will hold a hearing on policing on tuesday and explore meaningful ways we can Work Together to respond to the epidemic of racism that is foundational to our modern challenges. This committee is at its best when we work in a bipartisan fashion to meet the demands of our constituents and provide readership and difficult moments like this. I fear todays actions deviate from those responsibilities. Mr. Chairman, i deeply appreciate and respect that you and i Work Together in a bipartisan fashion to ensure counsel mueller could complete his investigation without interference. I appreciate then senator grassleys assistance. It shows we can Work Together on difficult and divisive issues. It is that kind of bipartisan cooperation i wish we were seeking today. Instead we forge ahead with a subpoena authorization to reopen an investigat