Executive Session

Floor Speech

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Mr. SCHUMER. Madam President, I rise today to discuss the nomination of Loretta Lynch, a proud New Yorker and soon-to-be Attorney General of the United States of America. She was born in North Carolina, and her father was a fourth-generation Baptist minister, a man who grew up in the segregated South, and her mother picked cotton when she was a girl so her daughter would never have to. Their daughter grew up to be one of the keenest legal minds our country has to offer, someone who has excelled at every stage of her education and her career while cultivating a reputation--well deserved--as someone who is level-headed, fair, judicious, and eminently likable.

If there is an American dream story, Loretta Lynch is it. Still, despite her intellectual and career achievements, Ms. Lynch has always been a nose-to-the-grindstone type, rarely seeking acclaim, only a job well done.

Throughout her career, she has had a yearning to serve the public, which began when she took a 75-percent pay cut to join the Eastern District as a prosecutor. There, she found her calling, handling some of the toughest litigation cases in the country on cyber crime, public corruption, financial fraud, police abuse, gang activity, organized crime, and especially terrorism.

When you look at the breadth and the depth of the cases she has handled, it is clear that Loretta Lynch is law enforcement's Renaissance woman. Because of her judicious, balanced, and careful approach to prosecuting on complex and emotional community-police relations matters, Ms. Lynch has always emerged with praise from both community leaders and the police. America needs this kind of leadership in our top law enforcement position.

In this age of global terrorism, the Attorney General's role in national security has never been more important.

I know her well. I was the person who recommended her to the President to be U.S. attorney twice. I know how good she is. In some of the most difficult cases--cases where the community was on one side and the police were on the other--she emerged with fair decisions that made both sides praise her. In this difficult world we are in, where we have so much tension, she is going to be great. That is why I was so proud when the President nominated her for Attorney General. She is just great. But one sad note--there is one cloud on this sunny day, and that is the long time it took to confirm her.

We heard about a whole lot of issues completely unrelated to her experience or her qualifications. No one can assail Loretta Lynch--who she is, what she has done, how good an Attorney General she would be.

One quick story about Ms. Lynch. As I mentioned, I originally recommended Loretta Lynch for the position of U.S. attorney in 1999 because I thought she was excellent. Sure enough, she was.

When President Bush took office, Ms. Lynch went to the private sector to earn some money. When I had the opportunity to recommend a candidate for U.S. attorney again when President Obama became President in 2009, I was certain I wanted Ms. Lynch to serve again. She had only served for about 1 1/2 years. She had done such a good job, I said, we need her back. But she had a good life. She was making a lot of money and had gotten married in the interim.

Knowing what a great person she is, I decided I would call her late on a Friday afternoon. I was confident that with the weekend to think it over, she would be drawn to answer the call to public service. When I called her Friday afternoon, she said to me, I was dreading this call, because she was happy in her life. But sure enough on Monday morning she called me back and said, I cannot turn this down because my desire to serve is so strong.

She is a great person in every way. On top of decades of experience at the highest levels of law enforcement and a sterling track record, Loretta Lynch brings a passion and deep commitment to public service befitting of the high office she is about to attain.

She will make an outstanding Attorney General. I believe every Member of this body will be proud of her, and I look forward to voting for her with great enthusiasm.

I yield the floor.

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