Hawley Asks Judicial Nominee Point Blank If He Participated In Meetings On Hunter Biden's Laptop

thanks Senator Roanoke Senator Hawley thank you Mr chairman uh congratulations to to the nominees Mr long I didn't understand your answer to Senator Blackburn so I just want to come back to that for a second if I could she asked you if you participated in any meetings at all related to the hunter Biden laptop was that a yes or a no uh Senator uh as a Department of Justice employee Bound by section 1-7 of the Justice manual as well as a Judicial nominee it's it's not appropriate for me and I'm I'm bound wait wait wait wait wait why isn't it appropriate for you it is a Judicial nominee to set anything to do with any any case that you have right I'm asking you which you did in your former employment as the Deputy Chief of Staff to the FBI director did you participate in any meetings related to the hunter Biden laptop Senator again as a a Department of Justice it sounds like you're not going to answer me is this going to be a I'm not going to answer you type deal Senator I'm bound to follow the code of judicial conduct Dakota judicial conduct doesn't have any bearing on this question whatsoever what possible bearing could it have that's a question mark uh well Senator uh as the code of judicial conduct requires integrity and Independence in the Judiciary it requires um judicial uh officers to act with it's not a get out of jail free card but you don't want to answer questions when you're under oath before a committee who's considering you for a lifetime appointment to the federal bench I'm going to try one last time did you participate in any meetings during your time as Deputy Chief of Staff or acting Chief of Staff related to the hunter Biden laptop yes or no Senator again I'm not permitted to answer oh you are permitted to answer you don't want to answer because it would be inconvenient for you and I have to tell you I find that extremely troubling Mr long extremely troubled not a good start let's see if we can do better on a different topic while you were at the Department of Justice or sorry at the FBI in Your Capacity as as Deputy Chief of Staff and acting Chief of Staff did you ever observe FBI resources being used to monitor pro-life groups or pro-life individuals no Senator I don't have any information about that what about uh Catholic parishes or Catholic groups no senator so now I notice you're happy to answer those questions but you're not happy to answer the hunter Biden question they're not qualitatively different I'd just like to note that for the record you familiar with this memo generated by the FBI field office in February of sorry in January of 2023 regarding the infiltration of Catholic parishes by the FBI I'm sure you've seen this in the news uh I've not seen that memo but I've I've seen news reports relating to that memo well let me tell you what's in the memo in the memo the FBI field office in Richmond recommends infiltrating Catholic parishes that it deems traditionalists associated with the Latin Mass recruiting FBI informants within those parishes to monitor speech within the parises the house Judiciary Committee has later learned this is in a letter dated April 10 2023 that the FBI relied on at least one undercover agent to produce its analysis in this memo and the FBI has proposed that its agents engage in Outreach to Catholic parishes to develop sources among the clergy did any of this occur while you were at the FBI Senator I've not been at the FBI in over some of my questions did any of this occur while you were at the FBI did you see anything like this happening while you're at the FBI I did not Senator do you think it's appropriate Senator I I haven't worked at the FBI and I'm not asking you that I'm asking you do you think that this do you think this is appropriate do you think it's appropriate to recruit informants in Catholic parishes Senator I don't know the circumstances underlying that memo I have not reviewed that memo it wouldn't be appropriate for me to comment on it it's not appropriate for you to comment on whether or not the federal government of the United States should be infiltrating religious entities and organizations and trying to recruit informants and sources in the clergy you don't have an opinion on that you want a lifetime Federal appointment to the Judiciary to conduct impartial justice but you can't say that this is inappropriate you know let me give you a refresher course the Attorney General of the United States sat right where you were sitting and he couldn't sitting and he couldn't run away fast enough from this he said it was a gross abuse of Department Authority he claimed that it had never happened he was not telling the truth it turns out but he said that if it was happening he put a stop to it immediately immediately because it was grossly inconsistent with the First Amendment of the Constitution the United States can you say that Senator that wasn't uh that memo and the conduct that it relates to um wasn't anything that I would have discussed I'm not asking you that I'm asking you whether or not you can say as a jurist as a lawyer as a member of the bar as an American whether this is appropriate to be recruiting informants in Catholic churches to be using federal government resources to go after clergy in Catholic churches to be designating and treating members of Catholic parishes as terrorists is that appropriate or not Senator again based upon my experience at the FBI this was not something that we ever discussed this was not I've never seen that memo before it would not be appropriate for me to comment I cannot believe your answers I I cannot believe that any I can't believe anybody who would come before this committee would look at this and look at what they have tried to do and just listen to the attorney general For Heaven's Sake and would not say it's grossly inappropriate this should never happen I'm absolutely stunned by this and for that reason among others I I cannot support your nomination thank you Mr chairman Senator Lee Mr Maddox I'd like to start with you uh in 2000 you worked for a group called Acorn the association of community organizations for reform now is a left-wing organization an advocacy group Meyer in Scandal over allegations of election

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Length: 6min 22sec (382 seconds)

Published: Mon Jul 17 2023