Patrick Leahy

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Mixed Results From Today’s Judiciary Committee Meeting

March 8, 2013 by

There is both good news and bad news from today’s Senate Judiciary Committee business meeting. The meeting agenda had votes on six nominees for US District Court judgeships and four gun control bills.

First, five out of the six the judicial nominees were passed out of committee on voice votes. However, Kenneth John Gonzales, the US Attorney for New Mexico and a nominee for a District Court judgeship, was held over. This would appear to mean that according to Committee Rules at least one member of the Judiciary Committee requested that the vote on Gonzales be held over until the next committee meeting. As I mentioned yesterday, Gonzales and his office have been pursuing a vendetta against the Reese family of Deming, New Mexico. Check out the Tea Party of Luna County for complete info on the prosecution of the Reeses.

Second, three of the four gun control bills were held over. The bad news is that Chairman Patrick Leahy’s S. 54 – Stop Illegal Trafficking in Firearms Act of 2013 made it out of the committee. It passed on a 11 to 7 vote. Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) was the only Republican to vote for the bill.

Grassley did have an amendment to the bill that would require the Attorney General, Deputy Attorney General, or Assistant Attorney General for the Criminal Division to personally review and approve any “Fast and Furious” type of operation. This amendment was adopted unanimously.

The full results of the business meeting with links to the amendments is below:


The Senate Judiciary Committee held an executive business meeting to consider pending nominations and legislation on March 7, 2013. The Committee was not able to complete action on pending matters and the meeting recessed subject to the call of the Chair.

Agenda

I. Nominations

Sheri Polster Chappell, to be United States District Judge for the Middle District of Florida
Ordered Reported by Voice Vote

Kenneth John Gonzales, to be United States District Judge for the District of New Mexico
Held Over

Michael J. McShane, to be United States District Judge for the District of Oregon
Ordered Reported by Voice Vote

Nitza I. Quinones Alejandro, to be United States District Judge for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania
Ordered Reported by Voice Vote

Luis Felipe Restrepo, to be United States District Judge for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania
Ordered Reported by Voice Vote

Jeffrey L. Schmehl, to be United States District Judge for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania
Ordered Reported by Voice Vote

II. Legislation

S.150, Assault Weapons Ban of 2013 (Feinstein)
Held Over

Amendment ALB13141(Grassley)
As Amended, Adopted by Voice Vote

Second Degree Amendment ALB13196 (Coons)
Adopted by Unanimous Consent

Amendment ALB13190 (Grassley)
Failed by Roll Call Vote, 9-9

Amendment OLL13115 (Cornyn)
Failed by Roll Call Vote, 9-9

S.54, Stop Illegal Trafficking in Firearms Act of 2013 (Leahy)
Ordered Reported by Roll Call Vote, 11-7

Substitute Amendment HEN13250 (Leahy)
Adopted by Unanimous Consent

Amendment ALB13193 (Grassley)
Adopted by Unanimous Consent

S.374, Protecting Responsible Gun Sellers Act of 2013 (Schumer)
Held Over

S.146, School Safety Enhancements Act of 2013 (Boxer)
Held Over

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And Now The Senate Gets Into The Act

January 23, 2013 by

Yesterday was the first day that the Senate leadership would allow new bills to be introduced in the 113th Congress. So far five gun control bills have been introduced as well as a stealth bill from Sen. Harry Reid (D-NV) that may or may not be a gun control bill. It is my understanding that Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) plans to introduce her ban on firearms with cosmetic features she doesn’t like on Thursday.

The text of all of these bills has not been received by the Government Printing Office.

S.2 – Harry Reid (D-NV)
Co-Sponsors:
Sen Blumenthal, Richard [D-CT] – 1/22/2013
Sen Boxer, Barbara [D-CA] – 1/22/2013
Sen Brown, Sherrod [D-OH] – 1/22/2013
Sen Cantwell, Maria [D-WA] – 1/22/2013
Sen Coons, Christopher A. [D-DE] – 1/22/2013
Sen Durbin, Richard [D-IL] – 1/22/2013
Sen Feinstein, Dianne [D-CA] – 1/22/2013
Sen Hirono, Mazie K. [D-HI] – 1/22/2013
Sen Lautenberg, Frank R. [D-NJ] – 1/22/2013
Sen Levin, Carl [D-MI] – 1/22/2013
Sen Menendez, Robert [D-NJ] – 1/22/2013
Sen Murphy, Christopher S. [D-CT] – 1/22/2013
Sen Rockefeller, John D., IV [D-WV] – 1/22/2013
Sen Schatz, Brian [D-HI] – 1/22/2013
Sen Schumer, Charles E. [D-NY] – 1/22/2013
A bill to reduce violence and protect the citizens of the United States. 


Referred to the Senate Judiciary Committee

S.22 – Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ)
Co-Sponsors:
Sen Blumenthal, Richard [D-CT] – 1/22/2013
Sen Boxer, Barbara [D-CA] – 1/22/2013
Sen Cardin, Benjamin L. [D-MD] – 1/22/2013
Sen Carper, Thomas R. [D-DE] – 1/22/2013
Sen Coons, Christopher A. [D-DE] – 1/22/2013
Sen Feinstein, Dianne [D-CA] – 1/22/2013
Sen Gillibrand, Kirsten E. [D-NY] – 1/22/2013
Sen Levin, Carl [D-MI] – 1/22/2013
Sen Menendez, Robert [D-NJ] – 1/22/2013
Sen Reed, Jack [D-RI] – 1/22/2013
Sen Schumer, Charles E. [D-NY] – 1/22/2013
Sen Whitehouse, Sheldon [D-RI] – 1/22/2013
Sen Wyden, Ron [D-OR] – 1/22/2013
A bill to establish background check procedures for gun shows
Referred to the Senate Judiciary Committee

S.33 – Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ)
Co-Sponsors:
Sen Blumenthal, Richard [D-CT] – 1/22/2013
Sen Boxer, Barbara [D-CA] – 1/22/2013
Sen Cardin, Benjamin L. [D-MD] – 1/22/2013
Sen Carper, Thomas R. [D-DE] – 1/22/2013
Sen Coons, Christopher A. [D-DE] – 1/22/2013
Sen Durbin, Richard [D-IL] – 1/22/2013
Sen Feinstein, Dianne [D-CA] – 1/22/2013
Sen Franken, Al [D-MN] – 1/22/2013
Sen Gillibrand, Kirsten E. [D-NY] – 1/22/2013
Sen Harkin, Tom [D-IA] – 1/22/2013
Sen Levin, Carl [D-MI] – 1/22/2013
Sen Menendez, Robert [D-NJ] – 1/22/2013
Sen Murphy, Christopher S. [D-CT] – 1/22/2013
Sen Reed, Jack [D-RI] – 1/22/2013
Sen Schumer, Charles E. [D-NY] – 1/22/2013
Sen Whitehouse, Sheldon [D-RI] – 1/22/2013
A bill to prohibit the transfer or possession of large capacity ammunition feeding devices, and for other purposes.
Referred to the Senate Judiciary Committee

S.34 – Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ)
Co-Sponsors:
Sen Blumenthal, Richard [D-CT] – 1/22/2013
Sen Boxer, Barbara [D-CA] – 1/22/2013
Sen Durbin, Richard [D-IL] – 1/22/2013
Sen Feinstein, Dianne [D-CA] – 1/22/2013
Sen Gillibrand, Kirsten E. [D-NY] – 1/22/2013
Sen Levin, Carl [D-MI] – 1/22/2013
Sen Menendez, Robert [D-NJ] – 1/22/2013
Sen Reed, Jack [D-RI] – 1/22/2013
Sen Schumer, Charles E. [D-NY] – 1/22/2013
Sen Whitehouse, Sheldon [D-RI] – 1/22/2013
A bill to increase public safety by permitting the Attorney General to deny the transfer of firearms or the issuance of firearms and explosives licenses to known or suspected dangerous terrorists.
Referred to the Senate Judiciary Committee

S.35 – Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ)
Co-Sponsors:
Sen Blumenthal, Richard [D-CT] – 1/22/2013
Sen Boxer, Barbara [D-CA] – 1/22/2013
Sen Feinstein, Dianne [D-CA] – 1/22/2013
Sen Gillibrand, Kirsten E. [D-NY] – 1/22/2013
Sen Reed, Jack [D-RI] – 1/22/2013
Sen Schumer, Charles E. [D-NY] – 1/22/2013
A bill to require face to face purchases of ammunition, to require licensing of ammunition dealers, and to require reporting regarding bulk purchases of ammunition.
Referred to the Senate Judiciary Committee

S.54 – Patrick Leahy (D-VT)
Co-Sponsor:
Sen Durbin, Richard [D-IL] – 1/22/2013
A bill to increase public safety by punishing and deterring firearms trafficking. 
 Referred to the Senate Judiciary Committee

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Melson To Testify According To Report

June 28, 2011 by 1 Comment

The left-leaning on-line news site, The Daily Beast, is reporting that Senators Patrick Leahy and Chuck Grassley have brokered a deal whereby ATF Acting Director Kenneth Melson will cooperate with Senate investigators and testify next month. In exchange, Senator Grassley released the hold he had put on three Department of Justice nominations.

The testimony—expected next month from Kenneth Melson, the acting director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives—was brokered as part of a deal between Senate Judiciary Committee chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) and the committee’s top Republican, Iowa’s Charles Grassley. Grassley and his fellow Republicans were given full access to ATF documents, Melson, and other key witnesses; and in return, Grassley agreed to release three Obama administration nominees he had been blocking, according to correspondence obtained by NEWSWEEK and THE DAILY BEAST.

Grassley had been fighting to get full access for months. He finally got it with a letter Leahy wrote to Attorney General Eric Holder requesting access for both his staff and Grassley’s investigators to the evidence and witnesses in the gun-sting investigation. In return, Grassley agreed to let proceed the nominations of Jim Cole to be deputy attorney general, Lisa Monaco to be assistant attorney general for national security, and Virginia Seitz to be head of the Office of Legal Counsel, the letter shows.

 Melson has been resisting pressure to resign claiming that he had done no wrong in Project Gunwalker and that it had been approved in DOJ. Rep. Darrell Issa and others have flatly stated that the approval goes to the highest levels of the Justice Department.

As head of the agency that conducted the controversial sting, Melson has faced calls for his resignation. But in private conversations with congressional investigators in recent days, Melson has indicated he does not believe he did anything wrong because he carried out his bosses’ wishes and is eager to testify to describe the full picture, according to sources familiar with those conversations.

Issa, who is among those to previously call for Melson’s ouster, is hopeful the acting ATF director can answer crucial questions about what was known above him. “Director Melson has had a long and distinguished career at the Department of Justice. But in the eyes of the public he is, so far, the highest-ranking official who [knew] about gun walking,” Issa told THE DAILY BEAST over the weekend. “[But] I don’t believe he was the highest-ranking official at Justice who knew about or authorized this operation.

“He may still have an opportunity to set the record straight for his agency and get away from being the focus of demands for accountability. We certainly want to hear his full story and see all the evidence about what happened,” Issa said.

I’m surprised that Senator Leahy went along with the agreement. He has always been fiercely partisan and his cooperation will more than likely lead to more trouble for the Obama Administration. If Attorney General Eric Holder survives Project Gunwalker after Melson’s testimony, I’d be surprised.