Following Yesterday’s Cruel DHS Operation At A Preschool In Illinois, Durbin Again Calls For Secretary Noem To Testify In Front Of The Senate Judiciary Committee

Following Yesterday's Cruel DHS Operation At A Preschool In Illinois, Durbin Again Calls For Secretary Noem To Testify In Front Of The Senate Judiciary Committee

During a Senate Judiciary Committee executive business meeting, Durbin also called on his Republican colleagues to allow Special Counsel Jack Smith to testify

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, delivered an opening statement during today's Senate Judiciary Committee executive business meeting, in which he condemned the Trump Administration's so-called "Operation Midway Blitz" in Illinois. Just yesterday, Department of Homeland Security (DHS) agents arrested a preschool teacher inside the school where she worked. Durbin has repeatedly called on DHS Secretary Kristi Noem to testify in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee in light of DHS operations across the country-and as part of the Committee's regular oversight hearings, as has been done in past Administrations.

Durbin began by condemning President Trump for pardoning the founder of the world's largest crypto exchange Binance, Changpeng Zhao, who pleaded guilty to money laundering in 2023. Durbin said, "It just so happens that Binance hosts the Trump family's crypto platform-known as World Liberty Financial-through which Trump and his family have made more than $5 billion. While Mr. Zhao was seeking a pardon, Binance accepted a $2 billion investment in a World Liberty token-essentially a $2 billion deposit for the Trump family's cryptocurrency scheme. But when he was asked about the pardon this weekend in an interview with 60 Minutes, he said, 'I know nothing about it … I can only tell you this. My sons are into it. I'm glad they are, because it's probably a great industry, crypto.'"

Durbin then spoke on President Trump's weaponization of the Justice Department, and specifically his efforts to rewrite the history of the January 6 insurrection. Durbin said, "On his first day in office, the President issued a full and unconditional pardon of nearly 1,600 January 6 rioters, including more than 600 charged with assaulting or impeding law enforcement… Then, Attorney General Bondi hired January 6 rioter Jared Wise as a senior official at DOJ, even though he was filmed urging his fellow rioters to kill police officers defending the Capitol."

Durbin next spoke about "Operation Midway Blitz" and cited the incident yesterday at an Illinois preschool. Durbin said, "In hot pursuit of President Trump's 'worst of the worst' criminals… They made a daring raid on a preschool without permission or a warrant to arrest one of the teachers. The children in that school, all under the age of six, were, according to one parent of a three-year-old, 'crying, terrified and huddled together' as the ICE agents tried to apprehend this one teacher… One parent said, 'there is no low these people won't stoop to'… [DHS agents are] racially profiling and arresting U.S. citizens, simply because they are Hispanic or speak Spanish; zip-tying and traumatizing innocent children; and tear-gassing journalists, pastors, and police officers. Instead of addressing these violations of law, White House advisor Stephen Miller and Deputy Attorney General Blanche are threatening to prosecute my state's governor with baseless claims that he could be arrested for 'seditious conspiracy.'"

Durbin then called on his Republican colleagues to allow Special Counsel Jack Smith to testify. Durbin said, "[Mr. Smith] has offered to come. And yet, he's not being called. Perhaps there is an explanation for it, but I think we should call an official timeout on Senators commenting on this matter so long as we won't bring Mr. Smith here under oath to answer our questions. He's willing to do it. There's no excuse."

Durbin concluded his remarks by calling on DHS Secretary Noem to testify in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing. Durbin said, "It's time for DHS Secretary Noem to take time [out] from her glossy promo campaign in Chicago and come testify under oath before this Committee. I've been on this Committee for more than 20 years, and I've never encountered this level of obstruction that we're witnessing with this Administration."

Video of Durbin's opening statement is available here.

Audio of Durbin's opening statement is available here.

Footage of Durbin's opening statement is available herefor TV Stations.

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