U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin, who serves as Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, delivered an opening statement during the committee’s executive business meeting in Washington. In his remarks, Durbin criticized a recent committee hearing on crime for being partisan and focused on blaming “blue cities” rather than addressing broader issues.
Durbin noted that he had requested a hearing to examine the Trump Administration’s use of military force in American cities, which he described as illegal and unconstitutional. Instead, he said the hearing was used to advance political arguments.
“I have been honored to serve on this Judiciary Committee for more than 20 years. We have our differences, serious differences. You can hear that manifest in the debate on the Floor and the Committee and on specific legislation. I’ve always been heartened by the fact that when it came to certain aspects of law enforcement and law and order and crime, we find common ground,” Durbin said.
He continued: “The hearing yesterday, I felt, was too partisan. I said as much before the Committee yesterday. I hope we can get back to this long-standing tradition of trying to find a bipartisan basis to fight violent crime. I do not accept the premise that if you have a Democratic mayor or Democratic governor, you will be ‘soft on crime.’ I don’t believe there is evidence to support that. There are certainly red counties and red states with crime statistics which are appalling, as well as blue states. I hope we can get back to working together.”
Durbin pointed out concerns about federal funding cuts for public safety under President Trump’s administration and highlighted a shift in federal law enforcement priorities toward immigration enforcement at the expense of drug prosecutions.
“If we are going to have a discussion on that issue though, let’s make sure we tell the whole story. President Trump’s budget has cut hundreds of millions of dollars in public safety funding for state and local law enforcement. That is not a political statement. That is a fact. President Trump has also diverted thousands of FBI, DEA, and ATF agents from their critical missions to carry out the President’s mass deportation agenda. Not surprisingly, as reported in the press and brought up yesterday, federal drug prosecutions this year under the Trump Administration have dropped to the lowest levels in decades.”
He also referenced data indicating that most individuals detained under recent mass deportation efforts did not have criminal records: “How are we doing on mass deportation? Seventy percent of the people who have been detained under the Trump mass deportation banner have no criminal record. No criminal record.”
Addressing presidential pardons related to January 6 events at the U.S. Capitol, Durbin stated: “Of course, President Trump granted full and unconditional pardons to nearly 1,600 of the January 6 insurrectionists, including more than 600 charged with assaulting or impeding law enforcement… Many of these pardoned rioters have been charged and convicted of other offenses since they were given a pardon.”
Durbin cited concerns over appointments within federal agencies: “Jared Wise was filmed on January 6 encouraging his fellow rioters in the Capitol to attack Metropolitan police officers and ‘kill them.’ Mr. Wise now has a new job. Guess what he’s doing? Senior advisor at the Department of Justice. Nothing says ‘tough on crime’ quite like hiring someone who participated in the assault on law enforcement officers as a leader in America’s highest law enforcement agency.”
He accused President Trump of using federal law enforcement for political purposes: “Instead of taking concrete actions to improve public safety, President Trump is weaponizing federal law enforcement to seek vengeance against his perceived political enemies… Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, Erik Siebert, a Republican appointed by President Trump, did not believe there was sufficient evidence to bring criminal charges against New York Attorney General Letitia James or former FBI director James Comey. What was the reward for this Trump nominee? He was forced to resign, and President Trump installed his former personal attorney, someone with no prosecutorial experience, to indict James Comey despite the weakness of the case.”
Durbin further criticized deployments by Homeland Security officials: “Instead of pursuing effective crime prevention policies, President Trump plays a strongman on TV. He has deployed hundreds of troops to American cities and threatened to send more… The videos that portrayed what these officials are doing with the Department of Homeland Security, marching down Michigan Avenue in full combat dress with long rifles is an embarrassment to me. That is not what America should be all about. This is dangerous and un-American and should be opposed by every member.”
Concluding his statement Durbin said: “It’s time for us to get together on a bipartisan basis and support the rule of law and law enforcement. The American people deserve law enforcement that serves them and is not weaponized to serve the whims of a political agenda.”
