noted historians ranked the best and worst chief executives. it provides insight into the lives of the 44 american president. true stories gathered by interviews. that shaped our leaders, challenges they faced and legacies that they left behind. order your copy today. the president is now available as a hardcover or e-book. >> the department of justice held a farewell ceremony for rod wasn't dying. attorney general william barr, as well as his predecessor were among those who attended the ceremony. this is 90 minutes.

♪ jose can you see by the dawn's early light what's up around the we hailed at the twilight's last gleaming

whose broad stripes and bright fightthrough the perilous watched ramparts we were so gallantly streaming glare, thekets red bombs bursting in air nightroof through the that our flag was still there. start can -- does that banner-- star spangled yet wave and the land of the free the home of the brave. ♪

>> ladies and gentlemen, please

be seated. let us express our appreciation for the police department honor guard and the vocalist. thank you. [applause] >> good afternoon and welcome. the officerector of of u.s. attorneys and i am honored to be with you here today as we gather for this special ceremony to celebrate the 37th deputy attorney general of the u.s., rod rosenstein. please join me in welcoming onstage stage our 85th attorney general, william barr. our guest of honor, rod , bethtein, jeff sessions williams, director of the fbi,

hurt andy, robert deputy attorney general ed o'callaghan. [applause] >> also joining us in the audience, i would like to welcome kellyanne conway, alexander azide, senator richard byrd, senator tom cotton and congresswoman susan brooks, as well as deputy secretary of state john sullivan. thank you for being here today. thank you for coming. [applause] >> while there are many special guests with us today, none are more important than the family of deputy attorney general rod

rosenstein. join me and giving a warm welcome to the wife of the attorney general, daughter julia parents.on and welcome. the entire department greatly appreciates the enormous support that you have provided to our deputy attorney general, as he dedicated himself to seeking justice, keeping our country safe and ensuring that the law is enforced equally and fairly for all. one of the great privileges as my career has been to serve under deputy attorney general rosenstein for the past 13 years. from the time he hired me in

hisland, i have appreciated perseverance, professionalism and unwavering dedication to the rule of law. general, hetorney brought these qualities to washington where they have served him and us incredibly well for the last two years. the department will miss him, but he leaves behind a legacy of lawyers who know what true public service looks like because of his leadership. our first speaker this afternoon is one of those lawyers who has been fortunate enough to serve under both attorney wasn't signed and deputy attorney general rosenstein. robert heard is the district attorney for the state of maryland. prior to his confirmation as u.s. attorney, he served as the principal associate deputy attorney general. it is my great pleasure to introduce and. [applause]

>> thank you very much. good afternoon. i have given a lot of thought to what i would say on such a bittersweet occasion in front of such a distinguished audience. my first thought was, i should grow a. worthy of a payday. [laughter] set viablet to internet memes, talking about how impressive my facial hair is. any friends and family members have asked me, do you know that guy with the beard? yes, i know him. yes, he is a good guy. yes, his beard really is awesome. i had not thought about how he looks like ulysses s grant, but i will think about it. i set my mind to growing my own

beard and the results for themselves. i realized this is serious business. these are serious people doing serious work. i cannot waste their time with levity, so i thought about sharing how working with him has changed me. several months into serving, a few people close to me, including my wife, said you are starting to sound like the deputy attorney general. that made sense. i was spending almost all my waking hours with the man. when my wife said to me, you are starting to sound like him, i said, excellent. [laughter] [applause] >> keep moving forward. just as jackson, rule of law.

my wife shook her head and turned away. i maintained my deadpan expression. decided, it is ok to allow for a little t because much of levity becausele much of my time was punctuated by laughter. we are blessed with some of the smartest and most dedicated lawyers in the country. because our work is so serious, thank goodness that we have such great senses of humor. when you are going through tough say you cannot make this stuff up, you can either laugh or cry. i remember a lot of laughter. i do not remember any crying. [laughter] [applause] to borrow a phrase from tom

hanks, there is no crying. some of the laughter was mischievous. i had the privilege of accompanying him to a trip to china where he represented the department. chinese did not know what to make of me. perhaps wondering if i could understand what they were saying without the aid of interpreters. i could not. i do not speak a lick of chinese. i had told him that my kids were taking mandarin lessons. the exchange of pleasantries, he shared with our chinese counterparts, he is teaching his kids mandarin. [laughter] the chinese reacted visibly to this revelation. some looked delighted and others chagrined.

they started to address me in chinese. this was awkward. my way out to bluff of the situation for fear of creating an international incident. wasmbled to explain that i teaching other people to teach my kids chinese. good one, sir, you got me. one of the best things about a job like his is helping to pick the people that you leave behind. knewee so many people who or befriended, supported, meant toward or lead. the department and u.s. attorneys offices, our staff is skilled and principled leaders devoted to the values that make america great. it is such a privilege to succeed you as united states attorney for the district of maryland. you advised me that the most important thing i can do is to hire good people.

i followed that advice. one of my favorite things to do is to welcome new hires to the office on their first day and share with them my thoughts on the importance of safeguarding the reputation for integrity and administering the oath of office. i know that it is familiar to you as you administered it to many. oathave swung -- sworn the many times yourself. swearing an oath is no small thing. it forces us to slow down and mark with solemnity a significant challenge we are about to take on. we do not swear to do easy things. they are about serious things that require real fortitude and commitment. entering the military service, testifying in court, beginning a marriage, becoming a police officer. it is fitting that we take note of the extraordinary challenges that law enforcement officers

face routinely. doing jobs with high-stakes and significant distraction -- discretion. there is no easy choice. there will be intense scrutiny, andsure from all sides personal attacks, no matter what you do. simply give good advice, think carefully, make the call you believe is right and take the hits. you have fulfilled your oath. you have defended the constitution. you have borne to faith and allegiance and you have well and faithfully discharge the duties of your office. it is hard to imagine the justice department without rod wasn't signed. -- rosenstein. we do have a vacancy in greendale right now. fulfill yourw to

duties with grace, humor and dignity. he took the hits and you kept it classy. we will do our best to do the same. thank you. [applause] >> now it is my pleasure to introduce beth williams. >> good afternoon. it is an honor to be here with you today and to say a few words about our deputy attorney general. much has and will be said about his public role, but i would like to share thoughts about the rod rosenstein that i know. the mark of a good boss is knowing the names of his

employees children. after i introduced my children to hand, he not only remembered their names, he remembered the names of stuffed animals that they were holding at the time. that story is probably not surprising to those who had the good fortune to work with him. at the department of justice, he demonstrated care for the people that he works and important missions that they are serving. .e displayed true leadership allowing the rest of us to focus on the important work of the department. i know that many people in this building will be forever grateful. anybody who has paid attention to his speeches or read the back of his afternoon program knows two things about him. he has a deep admiration for former attorney general robert jackson and he loves a good jackson quote and often quotes him in his speeches. we often undertake our own

analysis. we decided to do that here and --has quoted robert jackson i'm told that is on par with his quoting rate at home. he had run out of jackson quotes and planned on leaving the department then but thankfully he found a few more and that got him through to may. there is a reason he quotes robert jackson's words so often. not only because he was a great champion of the law but form the pillar of our work and mission at the department of justice. jackson had a north star and an understanding to have rule of law as it guided him. he shares many qualitys with robert jackson. he too has a north star and in 50 years it is easy to imagine

our grandchildren will be quoting words that he said and live up to the values holds. i came across a jackson quote describing the type of vanishing lawyer that served an american institution. he left his mark on his times and was worth knowing. he loved his profession and had a real sense of dedication to the administration of justice. he held his head high as a lawyer and reppedered courtesy, honor and straightforwardness at the bar. he demanded the highest standards of competence and disinterestedness and dignity. it was a mission. luckily that type of lawyer has not completely vanished and he is here with us. rod, it has been an honor to serve with you. to lisa, your parents and your girls, you should be very proud. i find it appropriate to end with a rod rosenstein quote.

i devoted my career to law enforcement because the rule of law secures our freedom. it will secure our children's freedom and we can only achieve if it people who enforce the law set aside partisanship because process of law a s is a where all are equal in the government. thank you for your service and may combod bless you in the next chapter of your career. [applause] >> thank you, beth. it is now my pleasure to welcome the 84th attorney general back to the department of justice as our next speaker. like today's guest of honor, before joining the department's leadership, jeff sessions served as united states attorney for 12 years. most recently general sessions led the department of justice from february 2017 to november

of 2018. it is wonderful to have him back home for this occasion. ladies and gentlemen, please welcome jeff sessions. [applause] >> thank you. thank you all. thank you. thank you. thank you. thank you so much. thank you, jim for your remarks and your service to this department. your energy and leadership really played a powerful role in having the best group of united states attorneys ever. we used to claim my class, the reagan class was the best but this class was the best. rod, we have picked a good

group. i'm honored to be back with all of you to share this special moment with rod and the department that we love. today marks the departure of one of the deputy of justice's most important leaders in its history. rod came here almost 29 years ago and has held a deputy position in this $27 billion agency for a little over two years. he held a number of key positions in the department including being a united states attorney for maryland for 12512 years -- 12 years. rod once told me only 3% of u.s. attorneys ever serve 12 years and he and i were two of them. i don't know how he calculated that. [laughter] but as you know already, he is good with numbers. morton school of business had something to do with that. u.s. attorneys know he is good

with numbers too. if they are not performing, they hear from him about their numbers. i had heard of rod before i met him and remembered how he was nominated by president bush for a circuit court judgeship but was blocked by certain senators. that was another thing we had in common. [laughter] their complaint was he was too valuable, as a united states attorney, they could not lose him. that was a much kinder thing than they said about me. [laughter] as i consider my choice for deputy attorney general, i knew i had been away from the department for some 25 years and i needed a proven prosecutor, a crime fighter that was going to be a top priority of what we were doing. i wanted someone who understood all of the aspects of the department, who knew this department. a strong manager and a man of

the law who believed in the law nd a man of integrity. so he shared my view on so many of these matters. on good law enforcement policies. if you do the right things effectively, you can make our communities safer. crime does not have to go up if you do it right. he knew that homicides and violent crimes had jumped the previous two years. he was committed to adopting policies that would reverse those trends. we discussed how to identify and confirm the great united states attorney group that we were moving forward and he understood the importance of state and local law enforcement and that it was essential for our federal team to work with them if we were going to reduce crime. 85% of our people are state and local. in fact, we have assembled a truly great group here and he did. we discussed the importance of enhancing discipline within a

department following our rules, following the rules, following the law and avoiding the politicalizeation and leak and other things that seem too often to occur. we discussed the importance of the hearing of a rule of law. we discussed that quite a bit frankly. it was a top matter of our discussion and we discussed what we might do together at this department. i had watched the office of attorney general from afar in alabama as an assistant united states attorney and united states attorney almost with a the senate and on judiciary committee for 20 years i had another ability to see the office from a different perspective. so when we came in, i had no doubt, richard, there would be a lot of controversies and during my tenure, the office of attorney general frequently

found itself at the vortex of law and politics and separation of powers. but in truth, i have to say, our run exceeded my expectations. [laughter] considerably. when i recused, using the recent words of attorney general barr, that's just the way it was. the so-called collusion investigation became his and it was no little matter. there was a continual uproar. decisions had to be made and those decisions fell to him and they fell to him alone. he had become the attorney general for this matter. he made every decision based on his best judgment of what he thought was best for this country. he stayed the course during some of the most difficult times in the history of the department. so the investigation was ongoing

when he arrived. he didn't start it. and once started, my observation over the years, these things just become unstoppable. they have to work their will. having worked for independent council ken starr, he understood regulations and concluded justice would be best served by appointing a special council and chose bob mueller all in accordance with the procedures of the department of justice. these procedures had been set up fortunately for just such times as this. mr. mueller was given the support and time needed to complete his work, purr superintendant to the regulations, mr. mueller prepared a report to the attorney general for his decision. attorney general barr reviewed the report, made his adjustment as was his duty. perfect justice according to

california's supreme court justice macklin fleming, is not achievable in this world. perfect justice can't be achieved. and to pursue perfect justice he says can cause us to lose what justice we can achieve. o at the end, our system judgments are rendered we juries nd judges and abjude indicators. in america, we are committed to a lawful process. we believe that truth is best found and justice best achieved if the correct process is followed properly, fairly. to deviate from established procedures strikes at the heart of justice in america. rod, you did your duty as it fell upon you. you didn't ask for it. that's for sure. you initiated the process.

you followed the regulations. the system worked its will. what more can a public servant do? i can't close without a word to lisa, your wonderful and supportive spouse and your fabulous daughters, allieand julie. . have gotten to know my admiration for you has risen because of them. produced a rod rosenstein ball ad. didn't hit the top ort charts but it was pretty good. i remember a dinner near my restaurant and a lot of things were going on. the paparazzi caught us and even of dinner became some sort

message. there was a time when i changed my mind about testifying before a committee. the appropriations committee had me set to testify and the intelligence committee, richard burr's committee had me so i decided i had better go to richard's at the last minute. so who is going to appear before the appropriators? rod. he went and took the heat that i'm sure occurred but he did a great job. i know it has been a tough period for your family, but one thing i know for certain and that is that this family knows and loves rod and that has never wavered. what i know full well rod is that you fully understood the nature of your responsibility as deputy attorney general and the

result that is that we can soon i hope get this nation back to work and find the great challenges of our age. we can know full well also that you have honorably overseen this process which is afimple the rule of law and achieved a degree -- affirm the rule of law and achieved a degree of justice worthy of this department of justice. our thanks to your team for all the work they have done in this two-year period there have been extraordinary achievements. crime has been reduced after going up for two consecutive years. strong actions on a series of fronts have targeted the opioid epidemic and they have begun to have positivefects. violent crime and illegal use of firearms are being vigorously prosecuted. the law has been followed and we have more productivity and utilized the moneys of the

taxpayers of this country in the most effective way. so rod thank you for your service. thank you for being a friend and loyal partner in the efforts and vision ideals we brought to the department. god bless you in your future endeavors. [applause] >> thank you, general. our next speaker is also no stranger to the office of the deputy attorney general. christopher wrnch ray served without a beard before becoming the assistant attorney general for the criminal division in

2003. he has served as the director of the f.b.i. since august of 2017. ladies and gentlemen, please welcome director chris wray. [applause] >> well, there are a lot of great traditions at this department but one of them is opportunities like this to all come together at one time and celebrate the leadership and service of a valued colleague like rod. i have the honor today of presenting a gift that carries a ecial meaning to all of us charged with enforcing the laws of the united states. we have a shadow box here that includes the badges worn by our law enforcement agents, inspectors, deputy u.s. marshalls and correctional officers. these are folks whose sacrifice

is unique. they risk their lives. sometimes tragically they lose them to keep all of us safe. s d the d.o.j. law enforcement f.b.i., ed the b.a.p., j.m.d.'s, security and emergency planning staff, o.i.g. and the deputy u.s. marshalls. rod has spent as you heard almost 30 years working in this department. i have known him for almost 20 of those. he has certainly seen his share of change. changes in the law, changes if in the way we do business. changes in the threats we all face, but through it all he has maintained that same level of dedication and service to the american people we all serve and i know i have been grateful for -- s couple and support council and support on a number

of occasions. to look down the road, beyond the belt way or the latest news cycle and confronting both the challenges and the opportunities that face the department and the bureau. he is a friend whose service has weathered the test of time and that is something we should all admire. as you have heard, rod is a huge fan of attorney general robert jackson. it is getting to the point where nobody can find a robert jackson quote he hasn't used but we managed to find one we think he has not used which is near and dear to us. attorney general jackson was speaking to the f.b.i. national academy in 1940 and in his remarks general jackson commended them for their devotion to the honorable but often thankless task of law enforcement. so rod on behalf of the men and women in law enforcement, we appreciate the chance to commend you and ensure this day is

anything but thankless and on behalf of the entire department of justice, we want to present you with this shadow box with gratitude for your service, friendship, patriotism and we wish you all the best in your next chapter. [applause] >> thank you, chris. when today's guest of honor joined the department of justice through the honors program in 1990, our next speaker was serving then as deputy attorney general. shortly thereafter, general barr began his first tour of duty as attorney general of the united states. first serving in that role as the 77th attorney general of the united states from 1991-1993.

general barr was confirmed as our 85th attorney general in february of this year making him one of only two people in history and the first since the 19th century to hold this high public office twice. ladies and gentlemen, at this time, please welcome to the podium, the attorney general of the united states, william barr. [applause] >> thank you. thank you. thank you very much. thank you. thank you very much. before i begin, there is a matter that i feel has to be resolved before rod leaves the building. rod, could you come up please nd stand next to me smp -- me?

there has been a debate raging for the last few months and i think we have to get it resolved and decided tonight. and that is which one of us is capable of the most deadpan expressions? i know this is a little unfair because i do my best work in the hearing, in congressional hearings, rod does his standing behind the attorney general at a press conference. so what do you say? is it rod or me? rod? [applause] thank you all for being here and thanks to everyone who put this event together. you know, it is not traditional to hold a farewell ceremony for a deputy attorney general in the hall but this is rod rosenstein and given what rod has given to

this department, years of service and his achievements, we all know it is the right thing to have rod's farewell ceremony here today. this occasion honors rod not only for his tenure as deputy attorney general but also for his nearly three decade career at the department. when rod arrived in 1990 as jim just said, there was this very svelte and dynamic deputy attorney general who i'm sure serves as an inspiration. [laughter] now in those days the deputy job was a lot different. but i'll tell you now the attorney general job was a lot different also. this must be a record of attorney generals being proposed for contempt within 100 days of taking office. but rod's arrival at maine justice in 1990 was not the true start of his d.o.j. service.

as a law student at harvard, rod interned at the u.s. attorney's office in the district of massachusetts and the acting attorney u.s. attorney in that office at the time was none other than bob mueller. and bob then went on to be assistant attorney general for the criminal division where rod was first assigned as an honors program lawyer. little did we know that we would be getting the old band back together again. [laughter] i spent the intervening years outside the department but rod hasn't and he has been serving re as a line attorney, ausa, as a u.s. attorney in the district of maryland among other positions. i had the good fortune to

interact with rod over the years as times and recognized him as a sbesh lawyer who was lawyer who was dedicated to the department. on a personal level, it has been a real privilege and a pleasure to have him with me these last several months. it is a matter of public record that we spent a great deal of time together of late but less well known though certainly known to aufl you here assembled are rod's characteristics that brings him to -- that he brings with him to the office every day. exceptional intelligence. sound judgment crafted from experience. composure under the most intense pressure and scrutiny and above all, an upbeat spirit and keen sense of humor and i lean heavily on all of those qualities over the past few

months. thank you rod for your support and your friendship. now the attributes i just described have made rod an exceptional leader. and part of that leadership has been his ability to assemble and operate an outstanding team. in my opinion, jeff sessions and rod played a decisive role in putting together i think the strongest team of presidential apointees in the department that i can ever remember and the department and the country will long benefit from the focus and energy that rod put into that process. and rod assembled and outstanding staff in the deputy's office. it is perhaps the most challenging position in the government today. rod has excelled in that role and he would be the first to tell you that a large part of his success has been the team of consummate professionals he recruited and forged into an effective and efficient staff in

the office over the deputy attorney general. his legacy of leadership is also reflected in the record of accomplishment under his stewardship. under rod, the department has achieved record levels of productivity, it has advanced critical priorities, reducing violent crime, vigorously enforcing the nation's immigration laws and fighting hard against the scourge of illegal drugs, especially the opioid epidemic. he has faced criticism from all corners but has proven remarkably unflappable. this in turn has shown that the department is unflappable in the face of public and political pressure. rod, you can leave here proud knowing that the department is better for you efforts and your leadership. you have left an indelible mark. so again on behalf of myself and the department of justice, thank you for your service. as we bid you farewell, know

this is not really goodbye. you'll always be a friend to me and to the department of justice. [applause] >> so another tradition at the department. when a deputy attorney general steps down is to present him with an american flag that has been flown over the main justice building. on behalf of your friends and colleagues at the department, it is my honor to present this flag to you. [applause]

>> i believe we have a special presentation, if we can dim the lights. general. >> i first met rod when he came for an interview and applied for a clerkship in my chambers. my immediate impression was that

i wanted him to clerk for me. he was extremely helpful as a clerk in terms of penetrating the issues in the cases, discussing them with me during first drafts and opinions, everything that a clerk could possibly be expected to do, he did extremely well. it was clear to me that he was going to have a brilliant career. >> first time i met rod was when i was back in the public integrity section in 1990. he was fresh from a clerkship there. he looked even younger than his age at that time. he made an impression on a lot of people. he took the job right away. he was very traffic. -- enthusiastic. hard working. ready for anything that we could throw at him. >> after serving at the public integrity section early on in his career, rod was given an

incredible opportunity to serve with the independent council. >> i met him in little rock, arkansas, when we were recruiting rod to lead the justice department on detail and to become part of the incorporate couple's office in the whitewater investigation. >> what impressed me most about rod rosenstein was his complete professionalism , his soaring intelligence and the fact that he embodied the prolses and practices and culture over the department of justice. he was a fabulous trial lawyer. he was inside wouse in his preparation and also great on his feet in the courtroom. >> one of my favorite recollections of rod rosenstein the trial lawyer, this particular occasion, rod has a terrible fever. he had the flu. stepped osenstein just up sick as the proverbial dog. you would not have done it. hour after hour, virtually all day at that long trial day, he

was on his feet. he looked a bit flush. he may have been perspiring but rod is so cool you never would have known it. you can depend on rod. he was rod the dependable. >> like most u.s. attorneys offices in maryland gets really great an -- applications. he attached a transcript from a case that he had. he was one of the he had a stanp transcripts and attached that to his application. >> rod and steve, who was a trial attorney in the civil rights division ended up coming to the office at the same time. >> we got hired the same day. rod and i worked in that office

for six years together. he had an amazing ability to remain focused, to look at the big picture. that was a time i have this claim to fame. someone have the horrible judgment to make me his supervisor. anyone will tell you, it is interesting its bond, rod became the attorney in maryland, but steve, we had a couple other guys who became u.s. attorneys. ♪ rod recognized when he became u.s. attorney, that the key problem was violent crime. he was determined to do something about that. historically has had public corruption cases. >> there was a corruption case

where we were prosecuting state and local partners. there was sensitivity. we also needed their help to get the case done. concernedreful and about making sure we were partners with our state and we areinvolved but also going to have to answer to the comethat some officers had involved in this corruption matter. >> he knew what was going on. >> he loved hearing about the trials. he missed trial work. trial as asix week second chair when he was u.s. attorney. it was really hard for him to be out of the office for six weeks but he loved it and it was a great case. >> we know him as rod. we know him that way because he always put the community first.

law enforcement is a local thing. it is really not a national thing. it is local. resolve problems, handle issues, and affect the community locally. that was rod. >> he did a great job is working -- a great job working as part of the u.s. attorney community. people come and go. rod was always a mainstay. he knew what being a u.s. attorney was all about. ♪ >> when you look at his background, experience and accomplishments, how could you do any better than rod rosenstein as the deputy attorney general of the united states? i don't think you could. >> the first time i met him was when he became the nominee. i got the opportunity to sit hen with him and tell him

was stuck with me to help shepherd him through the confirmation process. i remember being blown away by his intellect, his passion, knowledge, confidence. i remember thinking, oh my gosh, this individual is the full package. >> one of the things that made him such an attractive candidate was his broad base of support. his confirmation process ended spectacularly. he had a great hearing, ultimately confirmed 94 votes which in this era is unheard of. ♪ tradition for high-ranking officials at the doj during the course of tenure to argue before the supreme court of the united states. he was particularly interested in this because he had served in

the appellant. >> he gave a supreme court argument, i everything else going on, and they were left thinking, this guy has got it. >> he hadn't served for more than -- he had surfer more than 25 years -- served more than 25 years, a number of issues percolating throughout the department. >> one of the projects he undertook was redoing the u.s. attorney manual. he went section by section, taking out anything no longer applicable or redundant or superseded and created the justice manual. we now have a true operating manual for the department of justice. he undertook a review and revision of the corporate fraud policies. you get a lot of scrutiny within

the white-collar enforcement. he spent a lot of time looking at this in his focus was, how do we make things more efficient? these policies have to work real world. our criminal and civil attorneys have to be able to apply these policies in real life. he made them more user-friendly for the department attorneys and to give more certainty for folks on the enforcement side of the community. >> his ability to recruit such quality people to come to the department of justice, and all of the u.s. attorneys offices. wayas been impressed by the they have carried out what he hoped to have been the department's agenda. i know he is very proud of that. ♪ >> the investors are ceremony, baltimore, one of the things i

said to children in the audience was working with the deputy attorney general and director wray was like working with superheroes. you knew they were utterly committed to keeping us safe and doing the right thing. >> given the times we live in now, rod was the right man for the job, both deputy attorney general, someone who had the background to assume that office, having worked his way up from a line prosecutor in the department all the way to u.s. attorney, having spent time at the u.s.tice and attorney's office. that is what it is all about. it is an honor to call myself a friend. >> would be surprised if rod

took a breather. and we are is 2030, having a similar celebration, but it is rod being sworn into the supreme court. >> i could see him working again for me. >> i know he will be sending staffers emails at 2 a.m., making sure his clients are well served. >> i hope he is taking vacations, getting time with his family. >> he would be a great college university president. placeope i see him in a where he has taken it down a notch, relaxing, getting to take some vacation time he didn't take over the last three decades and spending time with lisa and the kids. >> i absolutely could see him coaching the orioles. he played on our softball team every year. we were the usa.

he already has a head start. so now hefor the o's, can coach them. ♪ one of our favorite -- my sister and i, with our dad, is going on on planned road trips. we have a general destination in mind. nothing firm. my dad would just drive until he got tired and we would pull into a mcdonald's, cracker barrel, we would quickly find a hotel, it definitely got us into places we would not necessarily have been before. we definitely enjoyed the adventurous part of that, not necessarily knowing where we were going, not having a plan, which definitely changed once the marshals came in, because they really like to have a plan. one of the things i love most is

that he always makes time for me, my sister and my mom. no matter what his day or week is. he is always there for me. what kind ofwhat, assignments, i need a question answered on, he will always face that text me, tried to get question answered. >> before soccer tryouts, i used to watch this motivational video. it had that rocky balboa quote. it became one of our quotes. >> he would say it to me when i have things going on. i would say it to him. for his birthday, i got it inscribed on a plaque and he has it in his office. it became twitter famous when he talked about it in one of his speeches. >> i could see him being a

professor, maybe not at my college but if i decide to go to law school, it would be cool if he was a professor at whatever school i decide to go to. >> he may find himself in little rock, arkansas. i don't think my dad will stop working anytime soon. i hope in the future he takes a few breaks every once in a while on the weekends and drives to the beach. ♪ it is bittersweet. i'm looking forward to the next chapter and seeing what happens. i definitely think him being in this position has taught me a lot, how to stand up for what you believe in and how to do the right thing despite whatever other people might say. >> one of my favorite things to do on a friday or saturday is to

watch a movie with my dad. my friends don't feel that way. whenever their parents are home, they don't want to do something. there have been so many times my friends have asked me, do you want to go out? do you want to watch a movie with my dad? we end up spending more time together because we have less time to spend together. that has been a great thing. >> it has been an experience that has brought our family together, my mom, my sister and i especially, because it is something we share. we can talk about it. it brings us closer. it is unique to us. we will have that for the rest of our lives. one of my guys federate songs, is humbling -- favorite songs, is humbling kind. i see him as someone very humble and kind. he will sometimes play it in his

office when he is doing work. it makes me smile. that is how i see him. elseis how i hope everyone season. -- sees him. ♪

[applause] >> finally, it is time to hear from today's guest of honor. much could be and has been said

about the deputy attorney general, 30 years of distinguished service to the doj. you are all closely acquainted with his a commas wins. he has often reminded us that our system of government is not self-executing, relies on wisdom and self-restraint. throughout his career with the department, rod rosenstein has tempered zeal with kindness, seeking the truth, serving the law and he is approached each task with humility. he has served as a guardian of the rule of law and preserved it in his time for many future generations. i have no doubt justice jackson would approve. please welcome, deputy attorney general, rod rosenstein. [applause] >> thank you very much.

[applause] >> thank you. thank you. [applause] thank you. [applause] thank you. [applause] thank you very much. [applause] thank you very much. represent the united states. byse other words spoken department of justice attorneys at the start of every federal trial. each of us represents the united states, the entire united states. we represent everyone of the citizens, all ideologies, affiliations, races, religions,

supporters, critics, victims and criminals. our oath of office begins with a promise to support and defend the constitution. the point is to establish a legal duty that overrides loyalty to anyone else and a final clause, we swear to well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office. you can only fulfill that charge if you understand the duties. presidents,er five nine senate confirmed attorneys general, 10 if you count william barr twice -- we are not quite sure about that -- [laughter] i spent most of my career outside washington but in the early 1990's, as a trial earlyey, 4 years in the 2000 as a supervisor and in my current job. speak about

this building, the art it contains, the people it employs and the principles it represents. building hasf this reminders of friends, heroes, mentors. when it comes to individual cases, this department stands apart from politics. jeff sessions told us to follow regular order and ensure the nonpartisan administration of justice. that is what we did every day. that is what the department will continue to do under attorney general bill barr. what is it that secures liberty in america? it is not just the words of law. it is about the character of people. when you exit this great call and walk into the courtyard, if you look up, you will see a latin inscription. it means, when you accept a

privilege, you incur an obligation. privilege ofthe joining this department, seek the truth and learn the law and follow our policies and procedures. a former judge put it this way, "the department of justice wields in norma's power over people's lives, much of it beyond political review. with power comes responsibility, moral and legal, prudent and restraint exercise. and responsibility implies knowledge, experience and sound judgment, not just good faith." our justice department employees undergo rigorous screening interviews, periodic background checks, with few exceptions, they demonstrate great intellect and integrity, patriotism and wisdom, courage and resilience. 115,000ization with employees -- our virtuous

culture and discipline procedures promote objectivity and fairness. we are required to comply with laws, regulations, ethical rules. we maintain experienced, internal watchdogs to investigate credible misconduct allegations. we face external scrutiny by judges and b authoritiesar. we correct mistakes and punish wrongdoers. the rule of law is not just a talking point. it is an operating principal. the rule of law requires us to ignore partisan politics, to tune out the new cycle and base our decisions on credible evidence. many people have the luxury of dismissing facts inconsistent with previous beliefs. we face the exacting scrutiny of the federal courtroom. that imposes powerful discipline. we cannot prove cases with hearsay or anonymous witnesses. we need to produce eyewitnesses

and satisfy the rules of evidence, meet our burden of proof, the satisfaction of a neutral judge and an unbiased jury. do you know how difficult it is to persuade random citizens of anything? we need unanimous support to win cases. we face those rigorous rules because our allegations carry severe consequences. those rules motivate us to seek the truth. pursuing the truth requires us to keep an open mind and avoid confirmation bias. the truth may not match our preconceptions, it may not satisfy hopes, but the truth is essential to justice. the most important women to my office is a plaque -- important momento in my office, is a plaque. do not tell me what i need to hear, just tell me what i need to know. there was an exceptional team to

follow that advice. we stayed the course and we accomplished what we set out to do. there were many people in this room who stood with me to defend the ramparts of justice. we are in the right. we keep moving forward. our confidence is not naive. it flows from an appreciation of history and the traditions of this great institution. one of the most important lessons for litigators is to begin with the end in mind, decide what evidence you need for closing argument and stay focused on it, whatever the ups and downs of a trial. trial lawyers understand the most emetic moments may have little impact on the final verdict. we learned to ignore fleeting distractions and focus on the things that matter. consider what happens when you use a smartphone map to plan a trip. many things can go wrong during the trip. traffic may be unexpectedly heavy.

accidents can obstruct. you might make a wrong turn. whenever unexpected challenges occur, the program call me recalculates and keeps you on a path to your destination. i'm grateful to the friends and relatives who join me on this journey. lisa made many sacrifices and support of my public service, particularly over the past two years. my daughters, who you saw quite a bit of, which i did not expect, cheerfully tolerated the disruption that arrives when a parent is in the arena. congressional hearings are now one of julie's favorite forms of entertainment. [laughter] i kid you not. house, not senate. [laughter] me that is reminding was mistaken when i told her deputy ag was a low-profile job.

[laughter] my parents never wavered in their confidence. lisa's mother, alice, another steadfast supporter. she arrived today with my sister and veronica and patrick, there are friends here from elementary, high school, college, law school, judges, defense attorneys who shared some of my most memorable expenses. colleagues and supervisors, administrative employees who kept the work flowing, law enforcement agents, spent nights and weekends with me interviewing witnesses, prosecutors who joined me in the trenches. these are the men and women of federal law enforcement. they are some of america's best, brightest and most patriotic citizens. they deserve our admiration and respect. thank you. [applause]

i have to admit, some of the agents i worked with a retired but i appreciate some of you who came back for the ceremony. in my hearing i pledged to defend the independence of the doj, to protect public safety, to preserve civil rights and seek justice. i promised her jaw on my personal experience -- i promised to draw on my personal sought thatnd i've every day. we should exercise caution whenever unpleasant circumstances tempt us to disregard timeless principles. it is most important to follow the rules and the stakes are high. sticking with traditions is usually the best course, not always, but usually. after all, that is why they

became traditions. thomas jefferson repeatedly gave this advice. "on matters of style, stick with the current. on matters of principle, stand like a rock." the challenge is to distinguish between principal and style, between the things that matter most and least. our justice department team focused on important goals. we use results driven management to improve efficiency and enhance impact of our $28 billion budget. we made rapid progress on the law enforcement priorities jeff sessions set, reducing violent crime, curtailing oh you are to be used, protecting consumers, immigration forstmann and building confidence in police, while preserving national security and strengthening efforts in other areas. this department is not just about law enforcement. we represent the government in civil lawsuits, other agencies,

house principles, administer grants, collaborate with local, state and tribal authorities and international partners. our influence in america is broad and deep. that influence gives us a unique platform to foster stability. speaking from this stage on april 1, 1940, attorney general robert jackson -- who else? [laughter] sensitivity to fairplay and sportsmanship is perhaps the best protection against the abuse of power and citizen safety lies in the prosecutor who tempers zeal with kindness, seeks truth, not victims, serves the law and who approaches the task with humility." we follow that mandate every day. if kindness and humility are in short supply outside the walls of justice, that is all the more

reason for us to set a good example. i joined the department because i believe in the mission. i stayed because i believe in the people. i watched you pursue justice with ceaseless devotion. sacrifice andonal sometimes physical risk. it is a privilege to work with such honorable principled trustworthy public servants. some of my role models were famous political appointees but many were career public servants like david, who was renowned for his irreverence and his love for this department. david gave me advice about integrity, a quarter century ago that stayed with me to this day. i want to thank his wife debbie and his daughters for being with us here today. in my final moments, on this grand stage, i want to leave colleagues who remain behind with these words from another former attorney general.

unique and difficult position of enormous responsibility to our society. many citizens learn what kind of country this is by watching you. includegs they learn what kindness and decency we honor as a people." i hope you do your part to carry justice with kindness and decency and to pass it safely to the next generation. when you walk the halls of justice, i hope they echo for you with the voices of heroes, mentors and friends, as they do for me. to those who taught me, worked beside me and those who stood behind me, i'm grateful for your friendship and i'm thankful for your accomplishments. i leave here confident, justice is in good hands.

it is in your hands. thank you and farewell. [applause] >> thank you. we have one more presentation. we serve as the principal associate deputy attorney general, i have been in that role for the last year. after hearing the

accomplishments of the dag over his career, you may wonder what people do to support the dag. one thing mthe dag does not beard,or chris wray, the what does the beard have to do with supporting the dag. some examples of how the beard has supported the dag. last fall, when he went through rocky times, the beard was here to give him some support and comfort. [laughter] in a difficult time. calledequently, the dag upon my board -- beard for as,bit sauce -- gravity t when he announced indictments of russians in the 2016

interference with the election. the beard has been used most recently to focus attention on important issues such as, who is the bearded guy behind the ag? the same day some report was issued. [laughter] sir, over this incredible journey with you, my beard has become a signature feature and it will be good to be known for something. such a profound and gratifying journey for me to be with you, i have struggled after seeing all these presenters to figure out what i could bestow on you to commemorate our time together. we have all heard about the phrase that he would give you the shirt off his back and i would do that but i do not think that would be appropriate and i don't think you need a shirt. -- i do believe that

[laughter] [applause] to commemorate our time together -- [laughter] [applause] that concludes our program today. i wanted to thank all the people who put this wonderful program together. rosenstein family for sharing rod and the united states for the last almost 30 years. thank you for coming and helping us celebrate rod rosenstein. thank you very much. [applause]

[captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2019] [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. visit ncicap.org]

>> coming up live friday on the c-span networks, the house at 9:00 a.m. eastern and we will debate the $17.4 billion defense belief bill. at 7:00 p.m., john delaney campaigning in new hampshire. on c-span2, a discussion on the news of the day with house minority whip steve scalise of louisiana and intelligence chairman adam schiff. and jim baker talks about the mueller report. later, tears and gillibrand campaigning in new hampshire. on c-span3, the house select modernization of commerce committee meets on legislation to provide greater transparency in the legislative process at 9:00 a.m., followed by the former fda commissioner talking about his time at the agency at 1:00 p.m. >> once tv was three giant

networks and they government provided service called pbs but in 1979 a small network with an unusual name rolled out a big idea, let viewers decide on the round what was important to them . c-span open the doors to washington policymaking for all to see, bring you unfiltered content from congress and beyond. in the age of power to the people, this was true people power and in 40 years the landscape has changed with no monolithic media, broadcasting given way to narrowcasting and youtube stars, but c-span's big idea is more relevant today than ever. no government money support c-span, nonpartisan coverage of washington is funded as a public service by your cable or celeb online,, on television, c-span is your unfiltered view of government so you can make up your own mind. ♪ >> at the close of legislative

business thursday, democrats, led by jan schakowsky of illinois, spoke on the house floor, reading experts from the redacted mueller report. this is about 20 minutes. >> thank you, madam speaker. of the investigation into russian interference in the 2016 presidential election or more commonly known as the mueller report, outlines efforts by the russian government to manipulate the united states election system and directly attack american democracy. it outlines alleged coordination between individuals associated with one camp and russia to influence our elections. it documents multiple instances of potential obstruction of justice.