Thank you, John, for that kind introduction. I am grateful
to you for your outstanding leadership as both Principal Deputy Assistant
Attorney General and now Acting Assistant Attorney General for the Criminal
Division. It is a pleasure to join you
and many other distinguished members of the Justice Department family, in
celebrating today’s award recipients.
I started my career in the Criminal Division. They swore me
in on December 3, 1990. I took the same oath as you.
Nobody ever swears you out.
Our oath of office is an obligation. It requires us to
support and defend the Constitution; to bear true faith and allegiance; and to
well and faithfully discharge our duties.
I am so proud to work with you to defend the integrity and
independence of the Justice Department; to protect public safety; to preserve
civil rights; to seek justice; to advance the rule of law; and to promote
public confidence.
I want to speak briefly today about those last two issues,
the rule of law, and public confidence.
I have served under nine Attorneys General. On every floor
of this Main Justice Building, there are reminders of heroes, mentors and
friends who have worked here.
They taught me that the Department of Justice stands for the
principle that every American deserves equal protection under the rule of law.
Our enemies deserve it, and our friends deserve it. They
deserve it whether they are guilty or innocent. They deserve it whether they
are rich or poor. They deserve it whether they are Republican or Democrat.
The rule of law is not just about words. It depends upon the
character of the people who enforce the law.
Judge Learned Hand said, “If we are to keep our democracy,
there must be one commandment: Thou
shalt not ration justice.”
In this Department, Justice is our name. And justice is our
mission.
Justice is not just about winning a particular case, or
sending a particular person to prison. It is about a fair and impartial
process.
A prosecutor must be zealous in the pursuit of truth, which
is central to the achievement of justice.
Truth is about solid evidence, not strong opinions.
Our job is always to find the truth and make the right
choice.
The right choice is not always the easy choice.
Our Department employs 115,000 people. Sometimes people do
the wrong thing, or make mistakes, and they deserve criticism.
Many times, people get criticized even when they do the
right thing. That is the nature of our work.
Promoting public confidence in our work is sometimes
challenging, particularly in the modern era of nonstop so-called breaking news.
Talking heads and commentators are not constrained by the
need to find credible eyewitnesses and determine the facts beyond any
reasonable doubt before reaching a verdict.
Sometimes critics are not constrained by the facts at all.
But we must remain focused on the things that matter.
It is rare that we take a step back from the hectic pace of
our daily lives to celebrate accomplishments.
Today’s event serves an important function: by recognizing excellence, we promote
excellence in the future.
I am proud to call attention to the extraordinary
contributions of our dedicated colleagues.
These hardworking men and women are united in the goal of protecting
people from harm. Today we thank them for their tireless service and sacrifice
over the past year; for their commitment to the highest standards of
professionalism; and for their good judgment, integrity, and strong work ethic.
It is an honor to help welcome all of your proud family
members and friends here today. Your
support is essential to everything that our awardees have accomplished.
Every day, this year’s Criminal Division award recipients
strive to fulfill the Department’s central mission: equal justice under law. You have helped achieve justice in cities,
towns, and communities across the country.
You have worked tirelessly to keep dangerous criminals off the streets;
to safeguard the American public; to thwart fraud and corporate greed; to fight
public corruption; and to shield our nation’s most vulnerable citizens from
violence and exploitation.
Your work saves lives.
Over the past year, our award recipients made outstanding
and historic strides in advancing the cause of justice.
You sought justice for HSI Special Agents Jaime Zapata and
Victor Avila, who were ambushed by Mexican cartel members as they drove in an
armored vehicle with diplomatic plates.
Special Agent Zapata was killed as a result of that attack, and Special
Agent Avila wounded. As a result of your
efforts, two of their attackers were sentenced to life in prison.
You dismantled AlphaBay, the largest black market in the
history of the world, which offered hundreds of thousands of listings,
including drugs, weapons, and other illegal materials.
You have worked feverishly over the past year to award more
than $1.1 billion to more than 2,000 U.S. victims of terrorist acts sponsored
by foreign nations.
You worked collaboratively to use advanced technology to
thwart a global child exploitation enterprise.
Your work in that case alone resulted in 348 arrests, the prosecution of
more than 50 alleged hands-on child sex abusers, and the identification or
rescue of more than 50 American children subjected to sexual abuse and
exploitation at the hands of these defendants.
You secured the conviction and sentence of one of the
world’s largest manufacturers of airbags for causing 11 deaths and injuring
more than 100 of our fellow citizens.
And you obtained a forfeiture of $586 million in one of the
most significant Bank Secrecy Act and consumer fraud cases in history.
In doing this work, you have shown a tremendous capacity to
work collaboratively in service of our common goals. Your shared drive and passion for the
Department’s mission are critical to the successes we celebrate today.
Today we recognize 173 talented and deserving attorneys,
investigators, paralegals, support staff members, and law enforcement
personnel. But I also want to take this
opportunity to thank every one of the Division’s employees and their families
for all that they have done in the name of public service. Your exemplary service and sacrifice to this
Department and this nation inspire us all.
I want to leave you with this final thought.
Attorney General Robert Jackson stood in this very spot 76
years ago. He told the assembled crowed that “the citizen’s safety lies in the
prosecutor who tempers zeal with human kindness, who seeks truth and not
victims, who serves the law and not factional purposes, and who approaches
[the] task with humility.”
So be zealous. Be honest. But always be humble and kind.
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