American Recovery And Reinvestment Act Of 2009
Floor Speech
American Recovery And Reinvestment Act Of 2009
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Mr. CHAMBLISS. Madam President, I rise to discuss my support for Eric Holder's nomination. When Mr. Holder was first nominated I had serious concerns--concerns about his stance on the second amendment, which is important to me and so many Georgians I represent, concerns about the potential prosecution of those who interrogated detainees in accordance with legal opinions issued by the Department of Justice's Office of Legal Counsel, and concerns about his role as Deputy Attorney General in some of President Clinton's pardons.
I had a long discussion with Mr. Holder last week and we talked extensively about the concerns that I had and that I know many of my constituents have. After our conversation, I was convinced that he will competently serve as our next Attorney General, and will keep the best interests of the American people in mind.
With respect to the second amendment, Mr. Holder recognizes the decision of the U.S. Supreme Court in District of Columbia v. Heller, holding the second amendment to be an individual right, to be the law of the land. With respect to former interrogators, he recognized that it does not make sense to prosecute those clearly acting under the authority of the Office of Legal Counsel. Finally, with respect to his role in President Clinton's pardoning of Marc Rich, Mr. Holder fully recognized his mistakes and stated if he had to do it again, he would have done things differently. I believe he will take that learning experience with him into his role as Attorney General.
Finally, Mr. Holder has been unanimously confirmed by the U.S. Senate on three separate occasions. He was praised by a Georgian and former Attorney General, Griffin Bell, who recently passed away and for whom I had the utmost respect. President Obama deserves great deference in filling out his Cabinet positions, and because of the very candid conversation I had with Mr. Holder, and my belief that he is up for the task before him, I am pleased to support his nomination.
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