by vice president joe biden. >> narrator: senator ted kaufman was a co-sponsor of the bill. he was an unusual senator. >> when this particular term is up, what are you going to do? >> oh, i am going to leave. i would never run for office. >> narrator: appointed to replace senator joe biden, he had taken no campaign money and was beholden to no lobbyists. >> i want to see people who have committed such fraud and the havoc it's caused this country... frankly, i want to see them go to jail. >> narrator: in early 2009, kaufman joined his colleagues on the senate judiciary committee to discuss bolstering the fbi and justice department's financial crimes units. >> i'm going to ask some questions to each of you. >> my feeling and senator leahy's feeling is that, you know, if you're going to stop crime, the best way is to punish crime, and the best way to do that is to put people in jail. >> senator kaufman. >> narrator: senators were surprised by how unprepared the government was to investigate wall street. >> the deputy director of the fbi gave incredible testimony. >> after 9/11,

. >> guest: his wife and joe, and i talked to his kids and also to ted kaufman, who is his closest aide and was right there at the hospital with them. c-span: you've got quotes from her saying some strong language to the driver. >> guest: yes. you know, they had an ambulance from wilmington, and they were going down to walter reed. the wilmington ambulance guys didn't know where the heck walter reed was on the washington beltway. there were maryland cops supposed to pick them up at the state line, and they never met them. it was the middle of a snowstorm. bo biden, the senator's oldest son, was riding shotgun in the lead cop car, and he had a ball cap on and a parka and the state cop who was leading them must have thought that bo was some kind of federal swat team guy or secret service guy or something they get into maryland, and he turns to bo, who was, i think, at the time about 18 years old, and he said, "where are we going?" bo said, "i don't know where we're going. you're the one who's supposed to know." so they just stopped by the side of the road, and finally jill biden, the sena

ted kaufman used to come down here and on a regular basis and celebrate some of those unsung heroes, and i was proud to continue this tradition last congress and look forward to carrying it on through another session. i start this next congress actually celebrating two great federal employees, both who happen to be virginians, i might add, who serve as excellent role models. they represent the thousands of professionals who work quietly every day across our intelligence community to keep our nation safe. very often these professionals work in anonymity and many risk their lives in troubled spots far away from the limelight. and that is how it should be. as we've seen certain incidents abroad recently, sometimes they paw with the highest sign -- pay with the highest sacrifice in terms of their lives. for their service, for the late nights and early mornings away from their families, for the risks they take and the sacrifices they make every day, and because they do not hear this nearly enough, allow me to say thank you to those members of the intelligence community. today i'd like to

i have admired the way our former colleague ted kaufman used to come down to the floor once a week and tell the story of one individual federal worker. the stories are legion. instead of tearing these people down, we ought to be lifting them up, and i thank them all for the part that they play in our democracy. i will share with you now that i've come to this moment in the journey, i can say, without reservation that nothing prepares you for it. many times now in 29 years i've been at my desk here on the floor starting way over there, number 99, listening as colleagues bid the senate farewell. sometimes a farewell speech signals a complete departure from public life. sometimes a new journey altogether. sometimes forced departure. sometimes a leap for freedom. i'm grateful that at this momentings thanks tmoment, than, serendipity and trust of our president, while i am closing a chapter, it is not the final one. i assure you, amidst the excitement and possibility, i do feel a wistfulness about leaving the united states senate. that's because despite the obvious frustrations of recent day