Bishop Votes Against Bad Process
“I will dedicate my efforts to reforming the process …”
WASHINGTON – Along with the rest of Utah’s House delegation, Rep. Rob Bishop (UT-01) voted against the $1.3 trillion omnibus spending package, the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2018. Following the vote, Bishop offered this statement:
“This bill finally begins rebuilding the military that has been significantly weakened over the last decade - which is good - but the rest the bill expands the role of government, costs too much money, and misses opportunities to help Utah. This happened because Senate Democrats vetoed good ideas and the rules of the Senate allowed that to happen. Going forward, I will dedicate my efforts to reforming the process that produced this flawed product.”
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Sen. Lee Urges Colleagues to Confirm Ryan Nelson
WASHINGTON – Today, Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) spoke on the Senate floor on the need to confirm Ryan Nelson as solicitor for the Department of the Interior. The speech reads, in part:
“I have known Ryan Nelson for many years. We overlapped for a year at BYU law school. Afterwards, I recruited him to work at the law firm Sidley Austin. After pulling all-nighters alongside Ryan, I can confirm what nearly 50 of his former colleagues wrote about him in a recent letter of support: He is an excellent choice to serve as solicitor.”
You can view the full speech and text here.
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Sens. Grassley and Lee Call for Oversight of DOJ Prosecutors
WASHINGTON – Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-IA) and Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) sent a letter to Department of Justice Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein Thursday, asking for an update on the Justice Department’s inquiry into alleged prosecutorial misconduct regarding Vascular Solutions, Inc.
In February 2016, Vascular Solutions, Inc. was acquitted on all charges of a conspiracy to promote a medical device product for off-label uses. Allegations have since been made that federal prosecutors threatened witnesses to change their testimony during prosecution and have since retaliated against Vascular Solutions CEO Howard Root.
“Taken together, these reports suggest a pattern of threatened and actual retribution against defendants and witnesses borne out of the Department’s disappointment with the outcome of a particular case. This not only casts doubt on the Department’s ability to accept the results of judicial proceedings in a professional manner befitting the nation’s preeminent law enforcement agency, but it significantly undermines our confidence in its commitment to hold government attorneys accountable for questionable actions that may have occurred in the course of this case or other cases.”
The letter goes on to identify seven specific questions for the Department and asks the Department to respond by April 5, 2018.
You can read the full letter here.
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