Chairman Goodlatte, Ranking Member Nadler, and members of
the Committee, I welcome the opportunity to testify as part of your oversight
of the United States Department of Justice.
As Deputy Attorney General, my job is to help the Attorney
General manage our Department’s components, including seven Main Justice
litigating divisions; 94 U.S. Attorney’s Offices; the Federal Bureau of
Investigation; the Drug Enforcement Administration; the Bureau of Alcohol,
Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; the United States Marshals Service; the
Office of Justice Programs; the Federal Bureau of Prisons; the Office of the
Inspector General; and many others.
Our Department includes over 115,000 employees and tens of
thousands of contractors stationed in every state and territory, and in many
foreign nations.
We prevent terrorism and violent crime, illegal drug
distribution, fraud, corruption, child abuse, civil rights violations, and
countless other threats to the American people. We enforce tax laws, antitrust
laws, and environmental laws. We represent the United States in the Supreme
Court, the Courts of Appeals, and the District Courts, and in state and
territorial courts. We protect federal judges, manage federal prisons, review
parole applications, oversee the bankruptcy system, assist tribal governments,
and adjudicate immigration cases. We provide legal advice to the President and
to every federal agency. We implement grant programs, and support state and
local law enforcement agencies. We combat waste, fraud, and other misconduct
involving employees and contractors. We resolve foreign claims and represent
our government in international law enforcement forums. We collect, analyze,
and disseminate law enforcement data. And we perform countless other important
functions.
Department of Justice employees are united by a shared
understanding that our mission is to pursue justice, protect public safety,
preserve government property, defend civil rights, and promote the rule of law.
The mission attracted me to law enforcement, but the people
who carry out the mission are what I treasure most about my job. With very few
exceptions, they are honorable, principled and trustworthy.
America’s federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies
are more professional today than ever. Rigorous scrutiny by internal affairs
offices and external oversight agencies has resulted in increased
accountability and higher standards.
When wrongdoing occurs, we are more likely to discover it,
and we remedy it. That is critical to building and maintaining public
confidence.
Over the past eight months, I have spoken with thousands of
Department employees across the country. I remind them that Justice is not only
our name, it is our mission.
Justice requires a fair and impartial process. That is why
we have a special responsibility to follow ethical and professional standards.
In 1941, Attorney General Robert Jackson said that “the
citizen’s safety lies in the prosecutor who tempers zeal with human kindness, …
seeks truth and not victims, serves the law and not factional purposes, and …
approaches [the] task with humility.”
Under the leadership of Attorney General Jeff Sessions and
an experienced team appointed by President Trump, the Department of Justice is
working tirelessly to protect American citizens and uphold the rule of law.
Today, I look forward to discussing some of our Department’s
important work.
Following the U.S. Attorneys’ Manual and the example set by
past Department of Justice officials, we always seek to accommodate
congressional oversight requests while protecting the integrity of
investigations, preserving the Department’s independence, and safeguarding
sensitive information.
I look forward to your questions.
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