mrs. lynch's support of that policy. senators are bound by oath to uphold the constitution. ms. lynch's prior laudable record has a federal prosecutor cannot overcome her commitment to violating the constitution. requestings "we have a right to assert that. we're paid to make decisions about that. and i think mr. mccarthy is correct. congress was given certain powers as a coequal branch of government not only to protect the congress as an institution but to restrain other government branches from overreaching. and one of those powers is the senate's power to confirm or not confirm, and this check on executive powers can be used as congress sees fit. but, it should not be abused, as the president should not use his nominees to abuse the constitution or to advance an unlawful agenda. the attorney general is the top law enforcement officer in the country. this is not a tra -- traditionally a political position. it is a law position. anyone who occupies the office must serve the american people, and under the laws and the constitution of the united states. they're not above it. the s

president we'll be soon voting on confirmation of mrs. lynch to be the attorney general of the united states of america. that office is a part of the president's cabinet, but it also is an office that is the chief law officer for america, and it the top official in our government is required to adhere to the law, even to the point of telling the president "no" if he gets it in his head, as presidents sometimes do, to do to do something that violates the law. as corporate lawyers do for the ceo of corporations. mr. president, you can't do this. this is wrong. don't do this. and at some point attorney generals have been none to -- known to resign before they would carry out policies that violate the law. so we are deeply concerned in this country about the president's executive amnesty, the unlawfulness of it, the breadth of it the arrogance of it to the point that it's a direct assault on congressional power and legitimacy, direct attack on laws passed by the peoples' representatives, and we've got a big problem. ms. lynch has said, flat-out tha

mrs. lynch's support of that policy. senators are bound by oath to uphold the constitution. ms. lynch's prior laudable record has a federal prosecutor cannot overcome her commitment to violating the constitution. requestings "we have a right to assert that. we're paid to make decisions about that. and i think mr. mccarthy is correct. congress was given certain powers as a coequal branch of government not only to protect the congress as an institution but to restrain other government branches from overreaching. and one of those powers is the senate's power to confirm or not confirm, and this check on executive powers can be used as congress sees fit. but, it should not be abused, as the president should not use his nominees to abuse the constitution or to advance an unlawful agenda. the attorney general is the top law enforcement officer in the country. this is not a tra -- traditionally a political position. it is a law position. anyone who occupies the office must serve the american people, and under the laws and the constitution of the united states. they're not above it. the s

chairman chaffetz: i recognize mr. lynch. mr. lynch: this is not good. this is on top of a lot of other incidents we have been talking about at the white house as well. i get the feeling that justice before 9/11, if you visited an airport men's united states, we had very little security going on. if you visited leonardo da vinci airport or heathrow, those countries had dealt with terrorism before us. they were all tooled up, they were ready. they had heavy weapons, they had metal detectors, and yet we were low old into a farce -- lulled into a false sense of security. we are behind the curve again. the facility is involved overseas. you going into any major capital in europe or the middle east and africa, they are taking precautions that we are not. i know there is a balance between public access and security, but we have gotten to the point where i am worried about the president. i'm worried about his family. i'm worried about the security on the ground at the capital. i am worried about the supreme court across the street. i have to say that we had adv

horowitz mr. lynch really hit on something with respect to the good old boy culture and this is my concern that i'm seeing more and more of the good old boy culture as this committee continues its investigation. i mean, we've seen it with the d.e.a. sex parties. we've seen it with some of the things going on in the secret service admittedly, not subject to this. we see -- we see it in a lot of government agencies. in your investigation, do you get a sense that there is a good old boy mentality? is it as bad as i think it is? inspector general horowitz: it's interesting, congressman, you used those words. because our was the good old boy roundups in the 1990's. we did a report in the 1996 about the culture and the need to make it clear about what is permissible and what clearly isn't permissible off-duty and yet we're 20 years later and there are still no departmentwide policies or training. ms. farenthold: ms. leonhart, you run the d.e.a. do you think it's appropriate in your offtime do engage prostitut

mrs. lynch's -- miss lynch's nomination. well this, of course, is inaccurate. no one disputes that she has an impressive legal background. it was her testimony before the committee that caused concerns for many senators including me. after thoroughly reviewing that testimony, i concluded that she won't lead the department in a different direction. and that's very unfortunate because after six years of attorney general holder's leadership, the department desperately needs a change of direction. i'd just like to remind my democrat colleagues that it wasn't too long ago that a majority of democrats voted against judge mukasey for attorney general. not based on his records but instead based upon his testimony before the committee. in fact, then-senator obama had this to say about judge mukasey -- quote -- "while his legal credentials are strong, his views on two critical and related matters are in my view, disqualifying." i asked miss lynch with her views on fast and furious, on the i.r.s. scandal and other ways the department has been politicized. she didn't demon

. >> recognize the ranking member mr. lynch the gentleman from massachusetts, who's the ranking me. >> thank you mr. chairman. i want to thank the ranking member for allowing me to go in his place. how do you hold people accountable if you are not able to discipline them? >> the system in place, it's the three tooered system. the inspectors who -- >> you're not answering me question. briefly, how do you hold people accountable when you cannot discipline them when they do like okay, so, we got 15 to 20 sex parties. 15 to 20. we've got all these allegations. a lot of these agents admitted to prostitution. to so liss itting prostitutes. we don't know their ages. there's been nothing disclosed here. we have them taking weapons. we've got foreign individuals. parts of terrorist groups. come police it in this. we've got national security at risk. and you don't have the ability to discipline these people. when i came to this hearing, i thought my problem was that we weren't disciplining these people. i think the problem here now after

if you think that mrs. lynch is confirmed, since she is mrs. clinton's skeleton in the closet being busted open, is there anything about that? if the irs, that's in the situation. government as usual is throwing money toward the problem thinking it will go away. now it is going into certain people's pockets. which are deep. they're keeping their mouse quiet in order to run this corrupt system. how can you have people being handpicked in positions of authority and expect to turn around and prosecute the criminals that are put in these positions? it's not a question of being racist. i can revert -- this is ridiculous. when bush got caught lying as well as cheney and everybody else you are not american. i'm a veteran. i've given half of my life to this country. it is a point of honesty. the man from new york, i'm certain that if you turn against the government, you are put on a list. it is a proven fact that the irs went after certain people and tried to shut down obama. people will have to wake up. we are the only ones i can solve this, we can't

mr. lynch: okay, great. ms. leonhart and mr.horowitz, in the attorney general's memo are all department personnel dated april 10, 2015, subject prohibition on solicitation of prostitution. it says that solicitation of prostitutes creates a greater demand for human trafficking victims and a consequent increase in number of miners and adult persons trafficked into commercial sex slavery. do you agree with that? do you agree with that assessment? mr. horowitz: i certainly think it raises the risks. miss leonhart: i certainly do. mr. lynch: and also under the department of homeland security regulations and a couple of the statutes we have, what we're talking about here is solicitation of prostitutes for 15 to 20 parties at its codefendant definition of human trafficking, and yet the dea is actually charged, i know that mr. farenthold and myself and mr. issa were down in central america recently, and that's a big part of the epa's mission is really to combat human trafficking. we actually give grants to the department, to the dea int

. >> now recognize the ranking member unser mr. lynche gentleman from massachusetts who is the ranking member on national security. now recognize for five minute. >> thank you, mr. chairman. i want to thank the ranking member for allowing me to go in his place. ms. leonhart, how do you hold people accountable if you are not able to discipline them? >> the system in place a three tiered system, there's the inspector speed you are not answering my question. basically, very briefly because i'll have a couple of minutes how do you hold people accountable when you cannot disciplined them when they do like okay, so we've got 15-26 parties, 15-20. we have all these allegations. all these agents admitted to prostitution, to soliciting prostitutes having sex with prostitutes. we don't know the ages because there's been nothing disclosed here. we have them taking weapons. we've got foreign individuals parts of terrorist groups complicit in this. we've got a national security at risk and you don't have the ability to discipline these people. you kn

mr. lynch: thank you. i am not sure if the memo from attorney general holder has been admitted to evidence, but in case it hasn't -- ok, great. in the attorney general's memo for all department personnel dated april 10 2016, it says that the solicitation of prostitutes creates a greater demand for human trafficking victims, and a consequent increase in the number of minors tracked into commercial sex slavery -- you agree with that? mr. horowitz: i certainly think it raises the risks. ms. leonhart: i certainly doms. leonhart:. mr. lynch: under the department of homeland security regs and statutes what we're talking about here is solicitation of prostitution it is clearly within the definition of human trafficking. yet the dea is charged -- i know we were down in central america recently and that is a big part of the dea's mission, to combat human trafficking. we actually give grants to the department -- to the dea and to the fbi and the state department as part of trafficking victims protection

now recognize that children from massachusetts, mr. lynch. >> thank you, mr. chairman. mr.chairman, i'm not sure if the memo from attorney general holder has been admitted into of us evidence but in case it hasn't which is -- >> without objection, so ordered. >> okay, great. ms. leonhart and mr. horowitz, in the attorney general's memo, are all department personnel dated april 10, 2015 subject prohibition on solicitation of prostitution. it says that solicitation of prostitutes creates a greater demand for human trafficking victims and a consequent increase in number of miners and adult persons trafficked into commercial sex slavery. do you agree with that? do you agree with that assessment? >> i certainly think it raises the risks. >> i certainly do. >> and also under the department of homeland security regulations and a couple of the statutes we have what we're talking about here is solicitation of prostitutes for 15 15 to 21st at its codefendant definition of human trafficking, and yet the dea is actually charged, i know that mr. farenthold and myself and mr. issa were d

now recognize the gentleman from massachusetts, mr. lynch. >> thank you, mr. chairman. mr. chairman, i'm not sure if the memo from attorney general holder has been admitted into evidence. but in case it hasn't, would you -- >> to order. >> okay. great. >> in the attorney general's memo for all department personnel dated april 10th 2015, subject, prohibition on solicitation of prostitution, it says that the solicitation of prostitutes creates a greater demand for human trafficking victims and a consequent increase in the number of pie mors trafficked into commercial sex slavery, do you agree with that assessment? >> i think it raises the risks. >> agree with that? >> i certainly do. >> okay. and also, under the statutes we have what we're talking about here solicitation of prostitutes for 15 to 20 parties is clearly the definition of human trafficking and yet the dea is actually charged. i know that we were down in central america recently and that's a big part of the dea's mission is really to combat human trafficking. and we actually give grants to the department of -- to

. >> recognize mr. lynch, the gentleman from georgia, the ranking member on the subcommittee for security. >> thank you. i want to thank mr. cummings for allowing me to go in his place. ms. leonhart how do you hold people accountable if you are not able to discipline them? >> the system in place it's a three-tiered system. there's the inspectors who -- >> you're not answering my question. basically, very briefly because i only have a couple minutes, how do you hold people accountable when you cannot discipline them when they do -- okay so we got 15 to 20 sex parties. 15 to 20. we've got all these allegations. a lot of these agents admitted to prostitution to soliciting prostitutes, having sex with prostitutes. we don't know their ages because nothing has been disclosed here. we have them taking weapons. we've got foreign individuals, parts of terrorist groups complicit in this. we've got national security at risk. you don't have the ability to discipline these people. you know, when i came to this hearing, i

mr. chairman. >> senator graham is next. >> thank you for a much ms. lynch. congratulations on being chosen by the president. truly an honor i am sure. do you support the debt tunnel to you? >> senator, the death penalty is in effect a penalty. my office most recently was able to achieve. >> how about yes. >> yes. >> okay good. that is good from my point of view. sequestration. have you had a chance to look at the impact of sequestration will create on your ability to defend the nation as attorney general, all those who work for you? >> with that to sequestration i've had an opportunity to review the matter very closely through my work on the attorney general by three committee and also united states attorney dealing with budgetary limits they came down with the implementation of sequestration. as you are familiar, far more than i did constrain the federal budget greatly. >> is this a fair statement? if congress continues to implement sequestration will devastate the department of justice ability to effectively defend the country? >> that is not only fair sta

mr. president loretta lynch is an historic nominee. what i worry about is this body is making history for the wrong reasons. the senate republicans who filibustered her, she becomes the first out of 82 attorneys general in our nation's history to face a filibuster, has had to wait longer than any other. she is an historic nominee. on one hand she's an historic nominee for the right reasons, the first african-american woman, highly, highly qualified, everybody agrees with that. but what a shame that we had the second part of history to have her be the first out of 82 filibustered to be held to this very disturbing double standard. this woman has had to face double standards all her life, why one more? i will parlay vote for her. as to present, i yield back my time. >> today, this and it picks up the nomination of the 83rd attorney general. we all know that the former democrat leadership could have processed this nomination during last year's lame duck, but in the limited time that we had they chose to concentrate on confirming a number

mrs. lynch's -- miss lynch's nomination. well this, of course, is inaccurate. no one disputes that she has an impressive legal background. it was her testimony before the committee that caused concerns for many senators including me. after thoroughly reviewing that testimony, i concluded that she won't lead the department in a different direction. and that's very unfortunate because after six years of attorney general holder's leadership, the department desperately needs a change of direction. i'd just like to remind my democrat colleagues that it wasn't too long ago that a majority of democrats voted against judge mukasey for attorney general. not based on his records but instead based upon his testimony before the committee. in fact, then-senator obama had this to say about judge mukasey -- quote -- "while his legal credentials are strong, his views on two critical and related matters are in my view, disqualifying." i asked miss lynch with her views on fast and furious, on the i.r.s. scandal and other ways the department has been politicized. she didn't demon

. >> this is a modern-day lynching. >> mr. wilkins, now! >> it's a modern-day lynching. >> mr.! >> that's what it is. >> you are not to speak, sir. >> he doesn't have any formal legal experience, and the stakes are high. >> i told you before, i can't tell you how to practice your craft. but, sir, you can't include evidence in questions. you must ask people questions. >> june 26th is the last day of testimony, and officer shawn humphrey is the last witness to take the stand. his testimony is pivotal. it could discredit wilkins' alibi. >> i was there to testify with regards to a female who claims she was with the defendant the day his crime occurred. however, she had reported in to the office to see me that day in dayton. >> mr. humphries, being that sharida didn't notify you that -- >> wilkins begins to cross-examine humphrey, but then all of a sudden he seems to be having a heart attack. >> excuse me. hold on a second. >> he had asked me, i believe, two questions at the time, and then he grabbed his chest, asked the judge if he could have a minute. >> your honor, excuse me for

i look forward to mrs. lynch. thank you for letting me share -- host: that is susan in herndon, virginia. loretta lynch will be sworn in on monday, according to news reports. eric's then maryland. attorney general holder, what do you think? caller: good morning. thank you for allowing me to talk. i can hear legally 10 years ago and earned my citizenship. in 2007, i was in an american university -- in american university, and among the people who believed in president obama then senator obama. i really believed he was a different kind of politician. i just want to say i am so disappointed. almost eight years later, i am extremely disappointed by what he is doing. eric holder is similar. he is the top law enforcement official in our country. i am very disappointed because he seemed to select the law he is going to enforce. the same as -- is doing as far as illegal immigration. he said more than 20 times that he could not do it because the constitution did not allow him to do it, but for political reasons now, he is

based on the amendment offered by mr. lynch, you get another 180 days to go forward to your administrator or whoever is leading your department or agency and say i'm valuable i'm trying but i -- still the leader can say, oh, you know what i'm going to give you a waiver or allow you to continue. but if we don't give them the authority, which they have at the i.r.s., then you limit the tools and you get rid of the people, you're not getting rid of the people who are the bad apples. we can make sure we get the best federal employees but we -- but weed out the bad apples. i want to see people on both sides of the aisle say, let's pat thebacks of the hardworking employees but get rid of the bad apples. that's what this bill does. i urge its passage and yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the question is, will the house suspend the rules and pass the bill h.r. 1563 as amended? those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, 2/3 being in the affirmative -- >> mr. speaker. the speaker

chairman: mr. lynch, the gentleman from massachusetts who is the ranking member. stephen lynch: thank you. how do you hold people accountable if you are not able to discipline them question mar? michelle leonhart: it is a three-tiered system -- stephen lynch: stephen lynch: you are not answering my question. how do you hold people accountable when you cannot discipline them when they do -- ok so we have 15-20 sexed parties. a lot of these agents admitted to prostitution. we do not know their ages because there has been nothing disclosed. we have them taking weapons. we have foreign individuals parts of terrorist groups complicit in this. we have national security at risk. and you do not have the ability to discipline these people. when i came to this hearing i thought my problem was we were not disciplining these people, i think after hearing you testify even though you have said you are not happy, even the you said you were very disappointed, this is a prostitution ring. they are using taxpayer money to solicit and pay for prostitutes. and you are very disappoint

mr. obama nominated lynch back in november. the senate majority leader says he won't even call a vote on lynch until democrats drop their opposition to an unrelated human trafficking bill. democrats object to that bill, because it contains an abortion provision. the wrangling have clearly upset the president. >> there are times where the disfunction in the senate just goes too far. this is an example of it. it's gone too far. enough. enough. call loretta lynch for a vote. get her confirmed. put her in place. let her do her job. this is embarrassing. >> think he's angry there? it's been three decades since the u.s. senate has waited such a long time for a vote on an attorney general nominee. >>> now, the u.s. state of georgia legalized medical marijuana just this week. the new law allows the use of low thc cannabis oil for certain medication resistance disorders. now, it's called haley's hope act, named after 5-year-old haley cox whose parents pleaded for the bill when their daughter was having hundreds of seizures every day. ge

mr. chairman. ms. lynchi sat through six opening statements by potential attorneys general, and i just want to tell you yours was the best. >> thank you. >> i see the combination of steel and velvet. i see your effectiveness before a jury. i see your love for the constitution, and i see the determination which is in your heart and i think you're being. it's very, very impressive. i want to thank you for really 30 years of service. >> thank you senator. >> had hoped it would be a lot longer. mr. chairman, i'd like to place in the record los angeles police departments chief charlie beckwith written testimony on the subject of a president executive action on immigration. >> without objection, so ordered. >> thank you very much. ms. lynch, i'm going to ask you three questions. the first is on x. firing provisions of the foreign intelligence surveillance act which will come to this committee before june of this year and also before the intelligence committee on which i serve. a question about office of legal coun

. >> he says his political games man ship that is keeping loretta lynch from the job. mr. a says nearly all republicans agree that lynch is qualified but he says the five months that she's been waiting is longer than the previous seven attorney general nominees combined. >> call loretta lynch for a vote. get her confirmed. put her in place. let her do her job. >> one of the reasons senate republicans have opposed lynch is for her support of obama's immigration policies. if confirmed she would become the first african-american woman to serve as u.s. attorney general. >> pennsylvania governor tom wolf talked about jobs at a local community college today. toured the advance manufacturing training center in bristol today. he also discussed the importance of new jobs and rebuilding the middle class. the visit part of wolf's jobs that pay tour. the governor's plan calls for cutting the corporate net income tax in half and putting more money into job training. >>> meantime the dupont hotel and country club are going up for sale in wilmington, delaware reportedly. the dupont compan

so let's get rid of this quickly let's get loretta lynch confirmed quickly and move on to other matters. mr. president, on another subject, it's extremely difficult to compare one congress to another. each congress is unique. changing times shifting issues and new administrations with which to work. but one manner of gauging the success of a congress is simply tallying the number of presidential nominees that have confirmed. after all offering advice and consent on nominees is the senate's constitutional duty. if we're to use confirmations as a measuring stick by all accounts the majority leader and senate republicans are failing in spectacular fashion. so far this year the senate confirmed 21 nominees. four months, 21 nominees. unheard of to have such a small small number. that trend continues. the republican-led congress will have 63 nominees this year, 2015. by contrast, in 2007, my first year as majority leader during the bush administration, the senate confirmed 276 executive and judicial nominees. it didn't matter that democrats weren't working with the republican administration. mr.

mr. president i'd like to make a few remarks on loretta lynch. while she should have been confirmed as attorney general months ago, i want to make the following points. her qualifications are really sterling. her education and experience as a united states attorney under two presidents as well as her accomplishments are unavailable -- unassailable. i have never seen a nominee in my 22 years handle a confirmation hearing with such poise and answer questions with such command. during her hearing i said loretta lynch was a combination of steel and velvet and that for me sums her up perfectly. i met with her prior to her hearing and was deeply impressed. i've reviewed her stellar record and find her to be a firm yet fair prosecutor. as a matter of fact, probably the prosecutor in the toughest southern district of new york that exists in america. having led this very large and important united states attorney's office under two presidents, she is a proven leader and she also knows how to bring people together to get the job done. and i think that's im

mr. chairman and thank you ms. lynch for joining us today. thanks for your service to our country. i also appreciated our visit recently when you came to my office and i'm grateful to you for your support. the bipartisan legislation that i'm working on is important and i appreciate your views on that as well. i want to speak with you briefly going back to the prosecutorial discretion. i assume you'd agree with me that there are limits to prosecutorial discretion. it's an intended to be an exception to the rule and not the rule itself. would you agree with me? >> certainly sir, i believe in every instance a prosecutor has to make the best determination of the problems presented in their area. they have to set priorities and exercise discretion. >> so prosecutors inevitably half limited resources and it's understandable why they would choose when they have to priority ties why they would put more resources into punishing bank robbers then pickpocket errors. they might put more resources into going after pickpocket errors and going off to people who exceed the speed limit. at some poi

lynch's support of the president's use of executive action on immigration. nbc justice correspondent pete williams joins me now. you have not far away in baltimore this funeral for mr. grey, and one of the things loretta lynch would like to implement immediately is meeting with the heads of the police departments across the country. >> that's right. i think she feels that it's time for a reset on this debate between majority communities and the police. she feels that it's best for minority communities when they have a good relationship with the police, if the police can protect them that it's a good thing for them. you're looking at the attorney general's conference room, the office is right through that door where the man is standing and the other door goes into the hallway. that's robert f. kennedy's picture in that room and she'll be sworn in there in just a few minutes, and she feels that the interest of police need to be preserved in these meetings as well. that she certainly agrees with her predecessor's views that minorities are sometimes ignored in these situations if the police are a little too quick to use aggressive techniques. but she also feels that so

exactly what the officers did and how the injury was caused and that's going to be the lynch pin for this investigation. >> mru what do you make of all of this so far? when you see how many officers were involved where is the liability here? how does a guy get a broken neck? i mean folks look at this saying he must have beat the kid up, they'll quickly come to that conclusion. >> i'll agree the investigation is ongoing. we don't have all the information. however, i think we have enough to be extremely suspicious about police behavior. how did his neck break? even if there was probable cause to make an arrest, you don't break his neck. you don't stick your knee on his spine, pull up his limbs and break his neck. it's outrageous. police have a tendency if left uncheck to devalue the people in these communities. if you're in a community that's low-income, that's got a crime rate or a moderate crime rate if you let police go unchecked, they will treat people as less than human. i suspect that if a dog was treated the way this man was treated, somebody would be charged with animal cruelty. i admit, all the informa

let's get loretta lynch confirmed quickly and move on to that other matters. >> mr. president from the very beginning of thiys discussion on the trafficking bill and underlyingnd issue members on both sides of the aisle agreed we need to get this bill back on track, as bipartisan effort it should bs because withoutue question survivors ofra trafficking deserve our support. senatoupr klobuchar has done an amazing job getting to us this t point, to get this bill done. i'm pleased we were able to reach a deal that now gets done in the way that does not expand restrictions on women's health to non-taxpayer dollars or new programs and provide survivors with real dedicated funds for the support and services they need. more compromise is perfect. i'm sure senator cornyn would say the same thing. i believe there is more we can d and must do when it comes to strengthening women'sg access toal quality health care but i'm very pleased that senator cornyn andf i along with number of other senators on our side, including senator klobuchar were able to work together in a bipartisa

mr. president, i have indicated gosh, at least for six weeks now we're going to deal with the lynch nomination right after we finish trafficking. i'm optimistic that we'll be able to do trafficking in one day that there are not a huge demand for amendments, and as i have assured my friend the democratic leader and our colleagues, we are -- then we'll move forward on the nominee for attorney general. so therefore i would object to the modification. mr. reid: mr. president. the presiding officer: objection to the modification is heard. mr. reid: thank you mr. president. continuing my reservation as the majority leader is well aware, procedurally the senate provides many opportunities for delay. we're not going to treat the current majority as poorly as the republican minority treated us when we were in the majority, and i'm not going to object to the majority leader's consent today. however, i want everyone to know i'm going to serve notice right now that miss lynch's nomination will not remain in purgatory forever. so i withdraw my objection. the presiding officer: without objection, so ordered

statement -- loretta lynch put out a statement saying the civil rights division and fbi have been ongoing and independent criminal rights investigation into the tragic death of mray. attorney general lynch adding -- that is the attorney general on the activities in baltimore. back to your thoughts on same-sex marriage. springfield, missouri on our oppose line. caller: i'm calling because it seems like everybody is missing the point. i understand -- i sympathize with people who struggle with their natural biological assignments. i even concede -- i can see them as courageous for going against their biological grain. there are challenges that go with that. challenges from within and social challenges. neither religion nor love are going to change the facts of life. it's a simple -- it's nature. religion or love is not going to change the natural function of sex. in regard to acceptance, people who practice same-sex -- practice that way, they are not accepting who they are naturally. they are rejecting that. religion or love, nothing is going to change that natural fact. we should be guided not by religion or love -- with or without it, man is man and woman is wom

mr. president, let's talk a little bit about loretta lynch. we have now passed the first 100 days of the republican-controlled senate. we all remember the lofty promises made by the republican leader and his party before they assumed party but we're still struggling to finish two issues that should have been resolved weeks ago. democrats have been ready to move forward on both the loretta lynch nomination and the so-called doc fix. this doc fix that we're going to talk about a little later is so important, not only for the doctors but also for their patients. medicare is an important part of our health care delivery system and it really benefits older americans. today marks though, the 157th day since president obama first nominated loretta lynch as attorney general. for more than five months, democrats have been ready to take up and confirm loretta lynch's nomination, but in november of last year -- back in november of last year, after she was first nominated the republican leader said -- quote -- -- miss lynch will receive fair consideration

so this is just not just unfair to miss lynch, this is unfair to the american people and it's absolutely unacceptable. >> mrconnell says that they're working on language on the human trafficking, sex trafficking bill and then he would go to the lynch vote and maybe would work it out. why does it have to be attached to a bill congress woman? why are we holding a bill hostage? it's unheard of. we're talking about the attorney general. >> well also let me just tell you, this sex trafficking legislation, the sad thing is this was completely bipartisan. i have a bill that's in that package, voted than mousily sought of the house. we are hurting people by holding up the sex trafficking bill in addition to the damage that's being done to the justice. >> senator u.s. senator, debbie stab anow had called for a vote on the senate floor. listen to this. >> we're not asking that someone vote yes if they want to vote no. they have the right to vote no. we've had enough members now come forward that it's clear she actually has the votes. we have enough members indicate they were a supporter that we know that if we could

lynch nomination under the previous order. the presiding officer: is there objection? mr. sanders: i object. mr. mcconnell: i move -- the presiding officer: objection is heard. mr. sanders: reserving i think reserving the right to object -- sorry. i would withdraw the objection. the presiding officer: without objection, so ordered. mr. mcconnell: i move to adjourn until 9:30 a.m. witness day -- wednesday april 2. the presiding officer: question is non-debatable. ail those in favor say aye. all those opposed no. the the ayes appear to have it. the ayes do have it. the motion is agreed to. the senate reaching a compromise yesterday mostly dealing with money legal aid and health services. loretta lynch attorney general nomination with the possible confirmation vote. follow the vote. follow the senate live here on c-span2 when members gavel backend. >> this saturday, the 2015 white house correspondent association annual dinner. watch our coverage at 6:00 p.m. eastern with a guest arrival along the red carpet. carpet. the more than 2600 attendees will be addressed by president obama. the 2015 white h

lynch's support of the president's use of executive action on immigration. nbc justice correspondent pete williams joins me now. you have not far away in baltimore this funeral for mr immediately is meeting with the heads of the police departments across the co

mrs. clinton. let's take a look at this letter the senator sent to miss lynch. says, he cited the fact during her senate judiciary confirmation committee hearing she talked about fighting corruption as u.s. attorney in brooklyn. he wrote clinton's actions certainly warrant such investigation. if you are confirmed as attorney general eric holder's replacement, will you commit to a vigorous transparent investigation of the allegations that clinton used her personal e-mail account and server to shield politically sensitive material from requests. if your investigation of these allegations demonstrate violations of federal recordkeeping laws, i request that in your capacity as top lawyer for the american public, you appoint a special counsel to prosecute those violations to the full extent of the law. he gave miss lynch april 13th to answer. what would she possibly say and could that torpedo her nomination? >> yeah. i think you're right when you said it puts a monkey wrench into the situation. first vitter was not going to vote for her anyway. the question i have is

mr. gray's injuries. >> the new attorney general loretta lynch has made a remarks about this situation.timore today. are you confident that her involvement will help helm this in the right direction to satisfaction legally for the gray family? >> the gray family hopes and prays that the justice department's investigation will shed some light on the facts that the baltimore city police department neglects to show the public after they released the report on friday yes. >> thank you very much. i appreciate you making time for me. best to the gray family. we want to go now to gabe gutierrez who is also here in the city of baltimore and joins us outside the cvs store. what does it look like there today? >> reporter: good afternoon, we're at the corner of pennsylvania and west north. behind me is the burnt out cvs pharmacy that got so much attention yesterday. part of a remarkable scene playing out behind us. you see dozens of people here. these are mostly volunteers that have been cleaning up the cvs throughout the morning. they are now loading this debris right here to have it carted away.

mr. chairman. i want to thank the members of the committee. it's my great privilege to introduce loretta lynch, a prior new yorker and the nominee to be the next attorney general of the united states. born in north carolina, her father was a fourth generation baptist. her mother picked cotton when she was a girl so her daughter would never have to. well, your daughter grew up to be one of the keenest legal minds that our country has to offer. someone who has excelled at every stage of her education and her career while cultivating a reputation of someone who is levelheaded, fair and likable. levelheaded, fair, and likable. if there is an american dream story, miss lynch is it. adding to the american dream story, her late brother lorenzo was a navy c seal. despite her career achievements she has always been a nose to the ground type. she has earned a reputation for keeping her head down and avoiding the spotlight, just like me. [laughter] at just over 5-foot and with a consistent understated approach to the public spotlight, some might underestimate her. but as hundred as of criminals have lear

let's get loretta lynch confirmed quickly and move on to other matters. >> mr. pres., from the very beginning of this discussion on of the trafficking bill and the underlying issue members on both sides agree we need to get this bill back on track. without question, survivors of trafficking deserve a report. senator clover chair has done an amazing job getting us to this time. i am pleased that we were able to reach a deal analogous this done away that is that expand restrictions to taxpayer dollars in new programs and provides survivors provide survivors with real dedicated support and services. no compromises perfect. i am sure sen. cornyn would say the same thing. there is more that we can and must do when it comes to strengthening women's access to quality healthcare but i am pleased sen. cornyn and i want with a number of others including senator clover chart, were able to work together in a bipartisan way to get this done. i would like to thank him and all of his colleagues. i hope that we can get this legislation passed quickly for survivors and move on t

mr. president, on another topic, i cannot believe i cannot believe that loretta lynch still sits on this executive calendar here of the united states senate. it's put on our desk every day we're in session. she has been on that calendar for a longer period of time than any nominee for attorney general in the last 30 years. senators can vote for or against loretta lynch to be attorney general. that's their right. but an attorney general nominee whose qualifications and character are unquestionable deserves better than the treatment she is seeing from this the united states senate -- united states senate. ms. lynch deserves a timely vote such as every other attorney general nominee of every other president has received. she was reported out of the senate judiciary committee on february 26 in a bipartisan vote nine democrats three republicans voted for this presidential nominee. she has now been pending on the senate calendar right here for 46 days, 46 days on this calendar and not one word has been spoken on this floor in derogation of this fine woman and this fine nominee. the last seven

lynch is coming in. >> i don't look at it as irony because the foundation that mr. holder has laid for us by trying to establish an example, a model for local law enforcement to follow with his 21st century policing, is exactly being addressed in this situation here. and one of the things that the attorney general has done was tour the country and talk with local jurisdictions about what models they should be following. those that addressed reducing racial profiling and eliminating bias in local policing. and so i don't think that loretta lynch, and i'm grateful that she has finally been confirmed, when she comes in is going to change that agenda. what i think is going to happen is that we will see a continuation of that model being spread around the rest of the country, specifically in baltimore as these independent investigations are going on, because again and again, we're seeing local law enforcement be challenged with outside, independent review from state agencies and federal agencies and it's very clear, at least from the federal level, what they expect of lo

mr. president i would like to ask you about iran but i'm hoping at the end of your answer you might also bring us up to speed a little bit on loretta lynch's prospects. have you done enough? where is this thing going? on iran so much as happened so this is going to be one of my three-part questions -- >> just a general. [ laughter ] >> reporter: no. do you believe you have now weathered anymore congressional bids to rerail? or are you concerned that there will be more to fend off. and you have suggested but not said explicitly that there must be a phase-out rather than the immediate lifting of sanctions. can you be definitive on that in exchange -- might you be willing to release part of all of that 100 billion or so in frozen oil assets that iran has in offshore accounts and you seem to be floating the idea that you might want to say something about russia lifting its ban on the sale of missiles to iran. prime minister renzi, i wanted to ask you about drone, but since that shockingly didn't come up there -- there's been some deeply troubling news about some of the migrants trying to come from libya to italy, violence reports of violence b

lynch. a live report is coming up next. >> and before we bring libby in let me just give you a little bit of a taste of the vote that's going on right now. mr. schumer, mr. schumer, aye. mr. bennett, mr. mccain, no. okay so there you go. a couple of jay votes followed by a no from senator john mccain. libby casey is following this for us i guess that's to be expected that senator mccain would vote no, but i guess the question i asked you is about to be answered, libby are the votes there for this? >> it does look like they are. we have seen five republicans vote in the affirmative so far, you can see this is on going, roll call right now but the key number was five republicans who join with democrats and independents. she needs 50 votes technically, if it is a tie joe biden would break that by voting for her but the white house would like to see her get more than that, of course. so as long as all the democrats are present and accounted for and cast a vote yes, this is looking good for her, i have to tell you we are hearing reports that members of the congressional black caucus, on the house side are watching this vote, also members of lore