Following Comey Indictment, Durbin Slams Trump Administration’s Blatant Politicization Of DOJ

Following Comey Indictment, Durbin Slams Trump Administration's Blatant Politicization Of DOJ

"Is there one Republican Senator in this chamber who gives a damn?" Durbin said in his speech on the Senate floor

WASHINGTON - In a speech on the Senate floor yesterday, U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, reprimanded the Trump Administration for weaponizing the Department of Justice (DOJ) to attack President Trump's personal enemies. In his remarks, Durbin underscored that political retribution was the true intention behind President Trump and Attorney General (AG) Pam Bondi's move to force Erik Siebert, the Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, to resign. With Lindsey Halligan, the President's former personal attorney, sworn in as Mr. Siebert's replacement, the Trump Administration was able to pursue charges against former Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Director James Comey.

Durbin began his remarks by pointing to Congress' reaction to President Nixon's Watergate scandal, drawing parallels between President Nixon and President Trump's mutual desire to attack their personal enemies by using the force of the federal government.

"[President Nixon] He went through a period we know as [the] Watergate [scandal]. It was controversial. Some people broke into the Democratic National [Committee] headquarters. They were caught. They were prosecuted. When it was all over, we had the Watergate investigation, and ultimately President Nixon resigned. But before he resigned, he instructed his staff to give him background information on his enemies list, the people that he considered to be his political enemies," Durbin began. "He resigned. And then Congress came together, Democrats and Republicans, and said we can never let this happen again. We can't let a President put his finger on somebody, and say, 'that is a political enemy, go prosecute them.'"

"Under President Trump, we're back into the Nixon conversation about enemies list, except President Trump's enemies list is longer than anything Richard Nixon ever dreamed of," Durbin said.

Durbin explained the President's political move to pressure Mr. Siebert out of his position in order to clear the way for a loyalist to pursue criminal charges against Director Comey.

"On September 20, the Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, Erik Siebert, announced his resignation… Mr. Siebert resisted President Trump's demands to bring charges without sufficient evidence against New York Attorney General Letitia James and former FBI Director James Comey. Mr. Siebert, a Republican appointed by Donald Trump, stayed true to his oath to the Constitution and his commitment to follow the facts and the law. For that, he was forced to resign," Durbin continued.

"In his place, President Trump installed his personal attorney, an attorney with no experience as a prosecutor, to indict James Comey in a politically motivated case, considered by career prosecutors in that office too weak to bring charges. This indictment represents the latest step in President Trump's long crusade to weaponize the federal government against his perceived political enemies - a return to the days of Richard Nixon," Durbin said. "He has installed loyalists whose chief qualification is their allegiance to him, not their fidelity to the law or the Constitution."

Durbin condemned President Trump's politicization of DOJ, remarking that the President has felt emboldened enough to publicly direct AG Bondi to go after Director Comey and AG James.

"Never in the history of our country has a president so brazenly demanded the baseless prosecution of his rivals. And he doesn't even try to hide it. He glories in this constitutional outrage. In a social media post, President Trump issued a command to Attorney General Bondi, saying, 'They impeached me twice, and indicted me (5 times!), OVER NOTHING. JUSTICE MUST BE SERVED, NOW!!! We can't delay any longer,'" Durbin said.

"Imagine that! A sitting president commanding his attorney general to prosecute state and federal officials who simply tried to uphold the rule of law. That's exactly what this President is doing," Durbin said. "Since Watergate, Republican and Democratic presidents alike respected the independence of the Justice Department, recognizing that shielding it from the pull of politics was essential to safeguarding the rule of law. Under President Trump, those constitutional guardrails have been destroyed."

Durbin warned that President Trump could further weaponize the federal government. The President has repeatedly deployed active-duty troops to cities across the country, and he continues to threaten to send troops to Chicago.

"What you're seeing from the Trump White House is not normal… If the President can turn DOJ and the FBI into his own personal police force to target his political enemies, he can just as easily turn it against ordinary Americans. The President sent active-duty forces into Los Angeles earlier this year to put down protests of his Administration's cruel immigration raids," Durbin continued.

"He threatened to make war on the city of Chicago, which I'm honored to represent, [and he] is sending forces into Memphis, and has now ordered the military to Portland with authorization to use 'full force,'" Durbin said. "It's a slippery slope into authoritarianism. Once DOJ and our military have been politicized, there are few guardrails left. So, while today it's Letitia James and James Comey who are the targets, tomorrow it could be our fellow citizens who dare to criticize the Trump regime."

Last week, Durbin led eight Senate Judiciary Committee Democrats in demanding answers from AG Bondi about any highly-political DOJ investigations currently being conducted on the President's perceived enemies.

"That's why I have opened an investigation calling for answers from Attorney General Bondi-including making available several Trump-installed loyalists for questioning. The American people deserve to know if the chief law enforcement agency of the United States is adhering to the Constitution or pursuing revenge on behalf of the President," Durbin continued.

Durbin concluded his remarks by calling on both his Republican and Democratic colleagues to condemn the politicization of DOJ.

"During the Watergate scandal, President Nixon attempted to bend the Department of Justice to his will, to go after his political enemies, and to conceal his Administration's involvement in unlawful conduct. When President Nixon did this, Democrats and Republicans, on a bipartisan basis, sounded the alarm together and defended the rule of law," Durbin said.

"This is a code-red alarm for the rule of law. And unless we come together to stop the President's abuses, I fear this Administration will continue to corrode our American democracy," Durbin said.

"Is there one Republican Senator in this chamber who gives a damn?" Durbin concluded his speech.

Video of Durbin's remarks on the Senate floor is available here.

Audio of Durbin's remarks on the Senate floor is available here.

Footage of Durbin's remarks on the Senate floor is available here for TV Stations.

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