At a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing before the Congressional recess, Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) and Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) spoke about the Epstein files.
00:00The clerk will call the roll. Mr. Chairman, point of order. So his second degree, which had nothing to do with immigration, which was to conceal the Epstein file. Senator Cornyn's effort to conceal the Epstein files right here on one and two has now violated my amendment. There is no amendment anymore. It passed.
00:25That's right. And Cornyn is saying, yes, I passed. I did something to stop the American public from seeing the Epstein files. It renders my amendment moot. That was the intention of Senator Cornyn's amendment that he just passed, which was to conceal. I have to respond. Nothing we were voting on today is going to change any of the debate about the Epstein files.
00:47That debate will continue. That is not true.
00:54If you don't acknowledge that, I just have to, I really question whether your amendment is actually in good faith or not, because nothing's going to change that.
01:07But Mr. Chairman, my second degree amendment passed, which included a striking the Senator Booker's amendment. I believe we've spoken.
01:13Committee's spoken. May I respond? He directly referenced me. May I respond?
01:19Mr. Chairman. Go ahead.
01:21So you, Mr. Cornyn claims that nothing about this would end debate. We're not seeking to end debate.
01:27We're seeking to pass legislation out of this committee that would force the disclosure and the transparency and the truth being made public.
01:39We had a chance today that Senator Cornyn blocked to make the truth known to the American public.
01:47We had the power today, the possibility today, to force out the truth regarding the Epstein files and the lies and the obfuscation that is happening by this administration.
02:02What Senator Cornyn did today was to block the truth about what's happening with the Department of Justice in the Epstein file.
02:10It is that on its plain truth, no matter how much he wants to try to dodge that truth.
02:17Mr. Chairman, I have to respond.
02:20Well, quickly, because Graham wants to speak.
02:21I will respond quickly.
02:23What Senator Booker is trying to do is to kill this underlying bipartisan bill that will hopefully save hundreds, maybe thousands of lives because of the opioid crisis.
02:41It's already taken tens of thousands of lives in this country over recent years because of the Biden open border policies.
02:49So I'm simply trying to preserve this bipartisan legislation, again, that will save lives.
02:57The debate that he and I are having over the Epstein files, I doubt, will be resolved today based on any amendments either he or I offer.
03:07So that's the reason for my amendment, because I want to save lives from the opioid crisis.
03:15And I believe his amendment is a distraction from that and actually will jeopardize seeing this bipartisan legislation enacted into law.
03:25Mr. Chairman.
03:28Mr. Chairman.
03:30Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
03:31Mr. Chairman, may I respond?
03:31No, I'm calling on Graham.
03:33I thought you were going back and forth, sir.
03:35I didn't know that.
03:35I'll be real quick.
03:36So, if Senator Booker's problem is with the bill itself, which it seems to be, I understand that.
03:44Hopefully we can work out a way to get money to your state you think does justice for New Jersey.
03:51I got that.
03:52That makes perfect sense.
03:54But the Epstein amendment presented some other way.
04:02It's not going away.
04:04What we're trying to do with this bill is really good.
04:08And there's no end to this way of doing business here.
04:13If this is a headline about Cornyn blocks transparency of Epstein, then that would be sad because he's responding to your amendment that would make the bill, quite frankly, fail.
04:29I want to help Senator Booker with your problem.
04:35But what you're doing, I don't think is helpful to the bill.
04:41I don't think it's helpful to the committee.
04:43I don't think it's helpful to your problem.
04:45Senator Graham, there's not been a time in my career where you said you want to help me, that you didn't.
04:48So, I'm going to take you up on that.
04:50And I'm going to withdraw my amendment.
04:52You're a good man, and I will try to deliver with Senator Grassley the best I can.
04:58Mr. Chairman, I would also ask leave to withdraw my amendment and vote on the underlying bill.
05:05Those in favor of 1098, say aye.
05:09Those opposed, say no.
05:10The 1098 is reported.
05:14Now, the last bill that we have on the agenda is the Child Act.
05:20I co-lead this bill with Senator Durbin.
05:23The bill ensures that all individuals with unsupervised access to children as authorized to receive nationwide background checks.
05:32I'd like to recognize the bill's lead sponsors, Senator Durbin.
