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Floor Speech

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Mr. SCHUMER. Well, in a few moments, Mr. President, Senate Republicans will vote to advance another Donald Trump loyalist to the Federal bench, Edward L. Artau of the Southern District of Florida.

Mr. Artau's nomination is a textbook example of a quid pro quo if there ever was one. Listen to this: While Artau was actively lobbying the White House for a Federal judgeship in the aftermath of Donald Trump's election last year--while he was begging Donald Trump for a nomination to the bench while he was meeting with Republican Senators to angle for their recommendation--he was, at the same time, part of a panel of Florida State judges hearing Donald Trump's defamation case against the Pulitzer Prize Board earlier this February.

Did Mr. Artau do the right thing and recuse himself from the case? Of course not. Did he inform anyone about this potential conflict of interest? Of course not. Instead, Artau stayed on the case and-- surprise, surprise--ruled in favor of Donald Trump. That is no coincidence; that is no accident. That is Donald Trump rigging our courts with his loyalists. Donald Trump gave Artau the chance to prove his fealty to him. Artau eagerly obliged, and Donald Trump rewarded him with a nomination for a Federal judgeship.

This nomination is just another example of Donald Trump making a total mockery of our Federal judiciary. And it proves the point that the only thing--the only thing--Trump cares about when it comes to judges is unyielding fealty to him and why we need to vote on these judges and be able to speak about these judges--because there is so much--so much--bad stuff and corruption going on.

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