that it stand adjourun that it stand adjourun today the seneca verb two nominees to serve on the federal energy regulatory commission. tomorrow they would vote on whether to begin on legislation to protect access to in vroreatt nationwide. watch live coverage of the senate when they return tomorrow here on cspan2. this morning the senate held a toxic workplace culture and leadership failures. at the federal deposit insurance corporation in light of the report at the i see chair martin grunberg announced he will resign but watch the full houvie hearing tonight at 8:00 p.m. eastern onow are free mobile vio app or online at c-span.org. c-g

unfiltered congressional coverage for 45 years. here's a highlight from a key moment. >> the distinguished. [laughter] general from california every. >> think it mr. speaker i thank my colleague for yielding. is te married at 5:00 p.m. [cheering]■ [applause] and again i find myself standing in the chamber praying this is not one more i miss one more events ofng children that i love and that love me. to get married in 1990 as an act of love, it's an act of faith, it's active hope, it's an act of idealism. the veto is an active cynicism. i ask you to cut off this debate. we know how we are going t the d let me love my son. [cheering]

[applause] >> c-span, powered by cable. >>ed hank johnson serves the state of georgia democrats from that state parties a member of t committeeo progressive caucus member joining us talk about several thingsnou the program this morning. good morning to you, sir. >> good morning, good to be with being giving us your time for don't ask our previous guess your reaction to the hunter biting conviction yesterday? >> it was a tragedy for the biden family. sad, addiction is an issue that afflicts so many families and so many individuals.■y and to have the story of addiction told a live audience being reported on, all of your personal baggage coming out is really, really a tough situation. the chargeth that he went to trl s on is one normally prosecutors

would not take to trial. it is unfortunate hunter biden found himself in that situation. i happens every day to people get caught up in the criminal justiceti system. worked. the defense handled the defense as they saw it needed to be handled. the case went to the jury. the jury decided the case. that's the way the system works for the justice works when the accused gets a fair trial. i believe this was a fair trial. there are appellate remedies that lie ahead. and so hunter biden's lawyer and hunter biden will avail themselves of those options. and meanwhile, life goes on.

question haveou a criminal defee a lot background. have a law degree from texas southern university at the marshall school of law. oh what degree do thinko the events concerning hunter biden happened because of his last name? agreement worked out. the judge questioned it. once the judge questioned that the parties went back to negotiating. but meanwhile republicans a hissy fit here in congress. rp holdover u.s.mp attorney decided to withdraw the offer and bring charges. nonetheless the point is we are a system of laws. we are based on the rule of law when you violate the law then

you ar held accountable. that is what happened in this case. it's also what happened orconvicted by a jury in new yo. we are seeing a different perspective now that it is hunter biden from my friends on the other side of the aisle. then they showed when donald trump was convicted. they were ready to tear tn, to d rebuild it in their own partisan way. so that it could be used to get at their political opponents. that is the kind of system donald trump is proposing. that is the kind of the republicans who support him wil. it is kind of scary in late

november elections. what can happen showed a maga gained control of this country once again. set to hear from the manhattan district attorney can -- on the charges on the former president. what do you think of that hearing and what value do you think the hearing will bring? guest: >> zero value. it's another rabbit hole investigation. there have beenr many throughot this last two years of the house.reign in not one, not a single legislative accomplishment can they point to, but they can point to a bunch of rabbit hole investigations that have gone absolutely nowhere. and so this bringing of alvin bragg to the judiciary can to te prosecution, what they're trying to do is create a false narrative that somehow the doj, the department of justice, and

merrick garland and joe biden had anything to do with the new york prosecution. just yesterday the justice department found reported between the -- flowed betweend the the president of justice and alvin bragg's -- the department of justice and alvin bragg's office since day one of the biden administration. in the a single me -- e-mail or correspondence. so this is what you call classic fishing operation. it's a rabbit hole fishing operation, and it will yield zero results. but it will capture the imagination of some people, magas who persist in believing that somehow joe biden is persecuting donald trump.

>> host: but with your law background, why not take a look at a how the d.a. approaches and came up, followed the approaches that he did. fthat's a question that republicans have, how he arrived at the approachs that he took. >> guest: well, it's a state prosecution, and state actors like attorneys general and district attorneys operate t hi of the federal government -- independently of the federal government, and they should thed not be called up to explain what they're doing on a state level to members of congress who have adequate issues that they need to be addressing with the power that theyaste the federal govent or local matter, it's jut a waste of our time up here. and the american people see$w that. but if they want to do that, let it happen. let all of the cards the table. let it be shown once again that

a there's absolutely no evidencn joe biden and the department of icet at a donald trump. through alvin bs representative hank johnson, democrat from georgia, a member of the judiary committee here, in washington d.c. if you want to ask him questions, 202-748-800011 for republicans, 202-748-80000 for democrats and dependents, 800002. the first call for the representative is from rudy. he's in ohio, republican line. you're on with our guest. go ahead,ub please. >> caller: hi. yeah, i've listened to this guy talk about maga. he says maga like it's a dirty word with, it leaves a bad taste in his mouth. dude, representat, know that it means make america great again? what a clown.

>> host: okay. >> guest: well, rudy, thank you for your opinion. and, or you know, maga means a lot of things to a lot of people. to you it may mean make america grea again, but to me it means making america white again. it means going back to a time when people who look like me did not have any rights in this country. that's what maga means to me. but we are a country of many people. all of us have diverse views and backgrounds, and we have to learn how to accept each other as equals, respect each other for their opinions, and i respect you, rudy, for yours. and despite our disagreements, we need to find common grouno pe this country the kind of valuesd

the ideals that are stated in our founding documents. and so that is our quest. it's not to take us backwards, it's to take us forward. and toac bring us together. and so i appreciate your comment, rudy. thank you so much. >> host: and compton, california, this is pamela. democrats' line. >> caller: good morning. in january -- on january 6th, 203211, donald trump committed treason in front of the entire world. donald trump has been convicted of 34 if felonies. my c-tech license is being magged for a misdemeanor from 198 -- flagged for a misdemeanor from 1985 that has been expunged. in addition, donald trump took out a 5-page ad calling for the death 9/11 black boys in the new york five. donald trump should be barred from applying for the most importantth jobf country.

the entire world is watching. if i can't work because of an expungedded 1985 misdemeanor, donald trump is not fit to represent the united states of america and should be barred from running in every state. thank you. >> host: that's pamela in california. >> guest: well, thanks, pamela. i'm sorry to hr that you're plagued by a almost 40-year-old misdemeanor which keeps popping your record. you know, at some point we as a society have to the point wherey we accept the fact that . and sometimes third chances. finish we can't give up on people. we can't permanently bar people from full participation our economic, in our o economy. because of a mistake that they may have made in the past or

because of a injustice that they fell victime to in the past. finish we have to find ways in this countryf overcoming the stigma of the criminal justice system, realize that it happens to the best of us. all of us nd to be treated equally and, you know, so there are things that we c do here in congress to protect people from the if legac they have made past. state and federal legislatures can go to work to help people in that regard. but in terms of a person running forfo president, that is -- the qualifications are set forward in the constitution, and theti constitution says that in oer president, you have to be -- you have to have the attained the age of 35 years, you have to have been born in

this country, and you have to have had residence in this country for 14 years prior to running. and so those are the only qualifications set out in the constitution to run for president. and so you can have a convicted felon running for president who wins the race and may be in prison at the time he or she is sworn in, you know? no matter what their status mightir be, the status of their liberty, they can still serve as a president. that's a, that's a place in our constitution that a perhaps we need to take a looked at a and maybe gone through the arduous process of trying to amend the constitution to cover this particulare which is first time in history that it has happened. where it stands today, sir, what do you think of the prospects of president biden gaining another

term over the former president? >> guest: well, he is not to be discounted or counted out. and and, in fact, many of the polls is have him ahead or neck with joe biden. so this isnd going to be an important race for the future of this country. people are going to have to turn out and vote despite the incessant efforts that an legislatures have gone to to make voting particularly for people of color more difficult. registration d and actually casting the vote, they've made it more difficult.vky% and they've done it, they've tried to suppress a people who generally vote democratic. and so we're going to have to have been put in place to try to

prevent us from exercising that precious right to vote. and we're going to have to overcome those and get out and vote. and if we do, i think we have a great chance of reelecting joe biden and kamala harris. they've done a tremendous job while in office. >> host: this iss mark in florida, republican line. >> caller: good morning, rep johnson. >> guest: good morning,mo sir. >> caller: i just want to know if you think fani willis handled the election case against trump in an if you continue to support her as a districtd attorne thank you. >> guest: well, thank you. i don't thinkk that fani willis, the indiscretion that was revealed, rises to the level of

forcing her off of the case. it was■9 an unfortunate situatin that occurred, but it has nothing to do with the charges that were brought against the president and i forget how many others,our or five of whom have already entered guilty pleas to thes. charges. and so that case is now before the georgia appellate courts as to whether or not the trial judge made the right decision -- tile judge made the right decision in not in forcing fani willis oq of the case. and so we'll let justice play its way out in georgia. we'll see what happens. >> host: our guest serves the 4th district of georgia. jim lives in tucker, georgia. i calling for our guest, representative hank johnson. go ahead.ng, many

johnson. thank you for being my representative. i am a one of your constituent, so i think you're doing a stellar job with. keep up the great work. and i just want to say that, you know, the dual standard of justice tha these maga people are spouting is really just a red herring, and it's the crocodile tears of rino tos. real republicans know that the knuckle-draggers' maga rinos, they're a bunch of pretenders, and they're living in a fantasy world. you know, that trial in new york is because of the magnitude of, you know, traitor trump's actions. and i think, you know, i hope they throw him under the jail. i think you're doing a fantastic job. i really appreciate your steadfastness and your levelheadedness and just keep up the fantastic work.

>> guest: thank you so much, jim. >> host: representative, we talked a little bit about it not directly by name, but merrick garland on the contempt vote today, what do you think of the actual vote taking place, what are your plans for it? >> guest: well, of course i'll be voting no as i did in committee. this is another wasted expenditure of congressional time when we could be dealing with other issues. we're seeking to hold merrick garland in contempt. they have -- everything that has been requested by the committee, the department of justice, merrick■7 garland, has turnedded over with the exception of the audiotape of of president biden done by robert hur, another holdover trump

special counsel. and that interview was done on october 7th, i believe it was, which was the same day of the attack on israel. the brutal and heartless and enhue humane -- inhumane attack on the citizens of israel by hamas. but the president being occupied with matters, with those matters , and so the republicans want to get access the audiotape. why? so thaty and dice and make it into something that can be used against biden and harris in the upcoming election.

and, you know, that's why they want it. but the reason why the administration refuses to is bee a chilling effect in the white house who are asked to giveor statements at some point in the future. and so we don't want that to happen. that is a justified reason for not turning over thepe, and so republicans want to turn it into another conspiracy. so we're running down that rabbit hole. we'll go absolutely nowhere with this resolution of contempt for merrick garland. waste of time. like i say >> host: the house set to come in in just a couple minutes. chris from texas, independent line.s >> caller: yeah. hey, thanks for having me on. youe know, you mentioned earlir

that the, that the charges against hunter normally would notor be brought against a norml person because -- and i know that it's always a talking point from■ the democrats that, well, he doesn't have previous record and so forth. well, you know, now that the hunter biden a laptop is known to be true and to be real, it would seem that being that he was on drugs, the fact that the gun was purchased while he was on drugs is a fact, there are gsnumerous charges that can be brought against him due to the laptop. why t is it all of a sudden nowe shouldn't be prosecuted? and it's oy because he's the president's son? you. say is that no one's above the law, then how is he any difference than anybody

else? i mean, i know that there's including the one rappe that, you know, he got thrown in jail. there's plenty of the exact same thing getting thrown in the exact same charges. >> host: okay. chris, thank you. i'll have: to leahere. apologies. >> guest: yes. thanks, craig. i did not say that he should not have been charged. i said that his discharge, what it indicated is that a this charge is a rarely prosecuted, if ever.re and becausesecutors usually use their discretion in situations like this can and allow for the case to be settle. but that did not happen in this case. and the reason why is because it was joe son. and so now as far as the laptop

is concerned, i mean, you know, we keep hearing, we keep hearing all of this about the hunter biden laptop. thee laptop has been in the possession of law enforcement for several years. actually, four or five years. but yet the contents of the laptop have not are resulted i r biden, joe biden or goldilocks or anybody else for that matter. why? apparently, nothing incriminating on the laptop. and so, you know, that's another false narrative that has been perpetuated by republicans. and, you know, i mean, there's just no point in talking about the hunter biden laptop. it's just -- that's ridiculous. >> host: patricia joins us from arizona, democrats' line. >> caller: good morning,

representative. i want to ask you, did you know anything about washington journal -- been watching washington journal on c-span, and there's about 8000,000 americans that have been targeted, and we have stalking ? and this is going on for a long time. targeted justice a the ones that's more or less investigate ing, and they a say the cia, fbi is the one doing this. i want tos know what the congrs of the united states is doing about organized gang stalking. i'm 76 years old, my husband is 80, we're being gang stalked every day. i don't know where you live, representative, they have interstate stalking all the way across the united states. what is the country doing about organized gang stalking? your comment. >> guest: well, yeah, there

organized criminal activity that takes place, and i support state, local and federal law enforcement efforts to get those who would stalk and otherwise hurt and harm law-abiding citizens. and i would encourage you to make your complaints known to your local law enforcement agency so that they can protecto what it is that's and determine -- and take action to address hope you will get the assistance that you need in order to make it through this difficult time. i mean, no one should have to live feeling like wherever they go they are plagued with some

stalker. and, unfortunately, there are a lot of people in this country who fe t you do. and there is, there are groups that can be found of people who have the sam dilemma that you just talked about, and those support groups help each other get through these kinds of issues. and if so i hope that maybe youe families and others who have this issue. and perhaps if you will talk with, with your social service agencies in the location where s problem, they can help direct you to people who can actually

intervene and help. >> host: representative, we have about 30 seconds left, i want to effort you're launching, the court reform now task force. what is that? >> guest: it's a task force that brings attention to the need for court reform and the need to pass strong ethicsreme court bis itself too so that they can have the same rules and abide by the same rules as members of congress and members of the executive branch. and we also need to bring accountability to the court by with insuring that they don't have lifetime tenure with a la lack of accountil corruption tht a we're seeing on the court now. so term limits is important. and also expanding the court to reduce purity or lack thereof that exists on this bench at this time. it's a partisan bench,

right-wing idealogue who care nothing about their -- anything but their agenda. >> host: representative hank johnson, democrat joining us on "washington journal with" this morning if. representative, thanks for your time. >> guest: thank you. [cheers and applause] >> batter up. it's time to play■s ball. get ready to cheer on your favorite team in this year's annual congressional baseball game republicans face off against democrats. watch live play-by-play coverage from washington nationals park today at 7 p.m. eastern on c-span, c-span now, our free bi online at c-span.org. j and here's a ball hit by steube, deep into left field and bouncing up and into the bullpen! this morning the senatd a hearing on a report detailing a toxic workplace culture and leadership failures at the florida dht of the report, fdic

chair martin gruenberg announced he'll resign. watch the full house financial services committee hearing tonight at 8 p.m. eastern on c-span2, c-span now p our free mobile video app, or online at c-span.org. >> c-span, where history unfolds daily. in 197, c-span -- 19799, c-span was created as a public service, and today we continue to take you to congress and other public policy events in washington, d.c. and around t country. c-span, powered by cable. >> host: our first guest of the moment is representative tom tiffany, republican of wisconsin who serves the 7th district, member of the judiciary comm morningct to you, sir. >> guest: good to join you this morning, faithed row. >> host: from that hat on judiciary, i wanted to g