00:00Yes, call the roll.
00:01But we clarify, without a discussion on the second degree amendment?
00:06Don't call the roll yet.
00:07Without discussion or debate?
00:09On the motion?
00:12Go ahead, sir.
00:13I don't want to jump over the ranking member.
00:15I'll defer.
00:16Okay, so I'm reading that Cornyn's second degree,
00:20and he said a lot of really important things about immigration that are worthy to be discussed.
00:27And I'm happy to vote on an immigration bill.
00:30I disagree with the death penalty.
00:32I will vote my conscience on this.
00:34But I want to draw everybody's attention to the first two lines of your second degree.
00:39They have nothing to do about immigration.
00:42They have nothing to do with the death penalty.
00:44I've never seen this before.
00:45His first two line is not to bring up this important issue that should be discussed, debated.
00:51Your first two lines are to strike my amendment in its entirety.
00:54So what we have right here is hidden behind real issues on immigration is really just trying to not vote on the important points that we brought up about transparency
01:09and accountability on the Jeffrey Epstein files.
01:13This is not an amendment to my amendment.
01:15This is an attempt to strike what I have a whole list of prominent Republicans, elected leaders, who want the same thing I want,
01:25which is just to have transparency on this matter.
01:28Can we vote on my second degree?
01:30I've heard some of the comments.
01:30If I can finish, Mr. Chairman.
01:32Go ahead.
01:32I have heard public statements by my Senate colleagues on both sides of the aisle.
01:39I've heard comments from Republicans on the House side and Democrats on the House side
01:44that we want transparency and accountability on a matter of public safety.
01:52Senator Korman said that Jeffrey Epstein is dead yet, but his victims are not.
01:56There are women who have horrific stories of vile violence that was committed against them.
02:08We have Pam Bondi, our Attorney General, who said that there is evidence, truckloads of it, as to these crimes,
02:18potential co-conspirators, potential others involved.
02:23How can we not want to just know what happened?
02:29Why are we trying to simply turn away from the highest law enforcement officers in the land,
02:38from our FBI director to our Attorney General,
02:42who spoke towards crimes committed and others involved in those crimes?
02:47Why are we considering an amendment that is hiding behind real immigration issues,
02:53but real intent is to strike a simple request for transparency,
02:59for accountability that Republican voices all across the spectrum
03:05have been demanding from this President and this Attorney General?
03:09So if Senator Cornyn is going to offer an amendment,
03:13I'm going to offer a third degree that simply strikes his first two lines.
03:16I'll vote on your immigration stuff that you so strongly stated that was the importance of this,
03:24but you hid the fact that you put here the real intention of your amendment.
03:29It has nothing to do with immigration.
03:31It says it right here in the first two lines.
03:33The real effort was just to not have accountability and transparency.
03:37What are you afraid of?
03:39Mr. Chairman, may I respond?
03:41Yeah, you may respond.
03:42Well, I trust the Senate-confirmed Attorney General of the United States
03:51to make the proper legal analysis to determine what of the Jeffrey Epstein files can be released.
04:00He was confirmed by the United States Senate as Chief Law Enforcement Officer of the United States.
04:04I trust her to make the right legal determination.
04:08But I would ask my colleague from New Jersey,
04:10you claim you care about the victims.
04:12Do you care about Tammy Nobles?
04:14Do you care about Marie Vega, the angel moms who lost their loved ones, their children,
04:21to the acts of an illegal alien who never should have been here in the first place?
04:26Do you care about them?
04:29Can I respond to the senator's question?
04:31Sir, I've known you for 14 years.
04:37Because you and I both care about victims of crime.
04:41And to suggest otherwise is stunning to me.
04:44If I may finish, sir, I allow you to finish.
04:47I asked you a question.
04:48Sir, and I'm trying to answer.
04:49I didn't make an accusation.
04:51I asked you a question.
04:52Mr. Chairman, I should have an allowed time to respond to the senator's question.
04:57I did not interrupt him, and now he's interrupting me.
04:59Please, please.
05:00It is another violation of the decorum of this place.
05:02Go ahead, Senator.
05:03Senator Cornyn, both you and I have spent our lives.
05:09I know your record.
05:10I know your history.
05:11I know what you've done.
05:12I would never, ever question whether you care about the victims of a heinous crime.
05:18Mr. Chairman, please help me.
05:20You ask me if I care?
05:22Absolutely.
05:24No, I'm not finished yet.
05:26Well, thank you for answering the question.
05:27Well, I'm going to answer the question in full.
05:31You are not sincere.
05:35Let me explain.
05:36Sir, he has put an amendment in.
05:39Would you allow me?
05:40Trying to use the horrific nature of.
05:43Would you allow me to sponsor this bill?
05:45Sir, I will not pick a fight with Chuck Grassley in the same way that Chuck Grassley won't pick a fight with me.
05:49The reason for his amendment is because your amendment says that this bill that we're working on will not go into effect until we get all these records.
06:01And this bill is an opioid bill to help solve some of the drug problems in this country.
06:07And we ought to get it passed because it's a bipartisan bill and it's very badly needed.
06:15Sir, may I respond?
06:16Yes.
06:17So I said at the top of my comments, my frustrations.
06:20We've said it to your staff.
06:21We've said it to others.
06:23That when funds like this have been made available so far in the first six months, they're clawing back funds from my state.
06:30And that's unfair.
06:31And I would like to deal with those.
06:32We could deal with them.
06:33And given that, I am sticking to an amendment that is not controversial.
06:41I know it's not controversial, sir, because I've seen polling literally on Republican channels that the overwhelming majority of Republicans and Democrats want transparency and accountability.
06:52That the overwhelming majority of Americans has seen that one of these two things is lies.
07:00Is there truckloads full of evidence as to victims of crime not having justice?
07:10Have we been lied to?
07:13Who are we trying to protect?
07:16What are they trying to hide?
07:18This is not controversial.
07:22We have Republican leaders in Congress calling for the same thing that this amendment calls for.
07:28And so for a second degree to be offered to mine, where you're using horrific crimes to hide the real intention of this,
07:38if this amendment is so important, just strike the first two lines that strikes my entire amendment.
07:47The intention of this is clear.
07:50It's to not give the American people accountability, transparency, and truth.
07:56That's what we as the Judiciary Committee should be seeking.
07:59So I offer a third degree amendment, preserving every noble thing that the senator from Texas said he wanted.
08:08You can't offer a third degree amendment.
08:10I can't offer a third degree.
08:11Then I ask that we strike the true intention of his amendment, the first two lines.
08:18At this stage, you can't offer a third degree amendment.
08:21If there's some way for you to do that, I don't know what it is.
08:24May I respond briefly?
08:26Then we'll have a roll call vote, because I know you folks want to get votes on your amendment.
08:32I ask you to withdraw them, and you aren't withdrawing them.
08:35I just want to ask a question, Mr. Chairman.
08:38In your opinion, would the addition of these amendments to the underlying bipartisan bill jeopardize
08:46our ability to pass this underlying bill, anti-opioid bill, out of committee and across the Senate floor
08:56and get it enacted into law, would these amendments jeopardize that?
09:00I see them jeopardize it in ways even beyond what you said.
09:04Because if we pass the legislation with this stuff on, it wouldn't go into effect anyway.
09:11Who knows how far down the road.
09:13When the president signs the bill, I want it to be effective.
09:16That's what I thought, and I appreciate your answering the question.
09:22I think the debate that Senator Booker and I have is not something that's going to be resolved today.
09:27Okay, and so it will continue.
09:33So I think regardless of how we act on the underlying bill, that debate will continue,
09:38and neither he nor I are giving anything up in terms of our ability to continue to debate this topic.
09:45But I'm willing to withdraw my amendment, if Senator Booker's willing to withdraw his amendment,
09:52in the interest of passing this bipartisan anti-opioid bill out of the committee and through the Senate
09:59and seeing it enacted into law and hopefully, hopefully saving some lives in the process.
10:07Senator Booker.
10:08Mr. Grassley, sir, I have asked for someone to address my New Jersey concerns for months now.
10:16There was an incident in which you got a special carve-out for your state when they froze funds,
10:21but I have got no justice for New Jersey.
10:26So if you want to postpone this and address my New Jersey concerns about the resources we are not getting,
10:34and I know you would do that with me in good faith,
10:37I would be happy in our next meeting, but right now I am sticking with my amendment.
10:43It would be faster to address your concerns for New Jersey if you had asked me to help you with the administration
10:52to get something done so you can get your money.
10:57Sir, I've got no, not from you.
11:00Then if you do it through the legislative process, tell me that.
11:06Let me make a conversation with the White House on your issue.
11:11But I'm going to stick with my amendment until I get satisfactional.
11:15The clerk will call the roll.
11:17What are we voting on?
11:18I have no idea.
11:18On my amendment?
11:20No, we're voting.
11:20It's a second degree.
11:22Call the roll on the Corning Amendment.
11:25Mr. Grant.
11:25Aye.
11:26Mr. Corning.
11:27Aye.
11:27Mr. Lee.
11:28Aye.
11:29Mr. Cruz.
11:29Aye.
11:30Mr. Hawley.
11:31Aye.
11:32Mr. Tick.
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