Press Releases
Currently showing results related to Justice and Civil Rights
Durbin, Duckworth Warn Of Breakdown Of Bipartisan Selection Process For Federal Judicial & U.S. Attorney Nominees Under Shimkus
WASHINGTON-U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today called on U.S. Representative John Shimkus (R-IL) to honor the decades-long tradition of bipartisanship in the selection of U.S. Attorneys, U.S. Marshals, and Federal District Court Judges in Illinois. Rep. Shimkus has delayed reestablishing this bipartisan process in order to consult with the Trump Administration-a process that is more urgently needed since last Friday when Attorney General Jeff Sessions fired all … Continue Reading
March 08, 2017
Durbin To Trump: Generating Real Solutions To Chicago’s Violence Requires More Than 140 Characters
WASHINGTON - In anticipation of the release of President Donald Trump's first budget request to Congress, U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL), a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, today pressed the President to include increased investments in federal programs that will help Chicago reduce violence by expanding economic opportunities and addressing health and education disparities in the hardest-hit communities. In a letter to President Trump, Durbin broadly outlined the need for a … Continue Reading
March 07, 2017
Durbin: Nothing Ordinary About Investigation Into Russian Connection
WASHINGTON - With newly-confirmed U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions facing mounting scrutiny over previously undisclosed contact with Russian officials, U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today grilled Deputy Attorney General nominee Rod Rosenstein regarding the Justice Department's investigation into Russia's cyber act of war against the 2016 U.S. presidential election. If confirmed, Rosenstein would oversee any Justice Department … Continue Reading
March 02, 2017
Durbin Statement On Sessions False Testimony On Russian Connection
WASHINGTON-U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) released the following statement regarding Attorney General Jeff Sessions: At Senator Sessions' confirmation hearing before the Judiciary Committee, I called on him to commit to recuse himself from Justice Department investigations into the Trump campaign's illegal dealings with the Russian government. During that hearing, Sessions said, "I have not had any communications with the Russians." That is false, and he said it under oath. The … Continue Reading
March 01, 2017
Durbin Meets With Intel Director Nominee Sen. Dan Coats
WASHINGTON-U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) released the following statement after meeting with President Trump's nominee to be Director of National Intelligence, Senator Dan Coats of Indiana: I've known and respected Dan for decades as a person of integrity-the challenges facing our intelligence community, both foreign and domestic, call for a leader like him. In our meeting, Senator Coats pledged to provide information and cooperate with investigations of Russia's cyberattacks … Continue Reading
March 01, 2017
Durbin: Biggest Omission Of President Trump’s Address: Russia
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today spoke on the Senate floor about President Donald Trump's decision to ignore the topic of Russia in his first address to Congress despite mounting evidence that members of his Administration may have been compromised by the hostile foreign government. Senator Durbin also renewed his call for an independent, transparent investigation of Russia's efforts to meddle in the 2016 presidential election. "I listened carefully, as did … Continue Reading
February 28, 2017
Durbin Statement on Trump Address to Congress
WASHINGTON-U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) released the following statement on President Trump's address to a Joint Session of Congress: Tonight, President Trump continued to make big promises but didn't offer any real plans to achieve them. He has yet to propose a concrete strategy to create jobs in America, which jeopardizes the historic job growth of the past eight years. The policies he has put forward have already had tragic human costs-tearing families apart and … Continue Reading
February 28, 2017
Durbin: Investigate Trump Administration’s Russian Connection And 2016 Election Cyber-Attack
WASHINGTON - Following recent travel to meet with U.S. allies in Eastern Europe, Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) again called on Senate Republicans to support an independent, transparent investigation into Russia's cyberattacks on the 2016 presidential election, as well as alleged contacts between Trump campaign officials and the Russian government. "Russian President Vladimir Putin launched a cyber-attack of war on the United States and its democracy. November 8, 2016 is a day that … Continue Reading
February 24, 2017
Durbin Joins 26 Senators In Calling For A Full Account Of The Election Assistance Commission’s Efforts To Address Russian Cybersecurity Threats
CHICAGO - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today joined a group of 26 senators in calling for a full account of the Election Assistance Commission's (EAC) efforts to address Russian cybersecurity threats. The EAC played a crucial role before the 2016 general election by working with state and local election officials, the Department of Homeland Security, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation to coordinate an appropriate response to cybersecurity threats to our democracy. In a letter to … Continue Reading
February 22, 2017
Durbin Statement On White House Rollback Of Transgender Student Rights
CHICAGO - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) released the following statement after President Donald Trump issued a new policy ?that rolls back protections for transgender students: "The Trump Administration's decision to subject vulnerable children to intolerance in the name of states' rights is disingenuous and marks a major setback in the fight for civil rights," said Durbin. "Denying transgender students access to the bathroom that matches their gender identity puts them at greater risk of … Continue Reading
February 17, 2017
Durbin: The American People Deserve An Investigation Of Trump’s Russian Connection Now
WASHINGTON-U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today spoke on the Senate floor about the immediate need for an investigation of the Russian connection to President Trump's campaign and administration officials as new revelations pour out of the West Wing following the resignation of President Trump's former National Security Advisor, Michael Flynn. "The American people have a right to know what the Russians did, and they have a right to know if and when members of the Trump campaign … Continue Reading
February 16, 2017
Durbin To Trump: Stop Tweeting And Start Prioritizing Resources To Reduce Gun Violence In Chicago
WASHINGTON-U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today called on President Trump to do more than just tweet about the gun violence epidemic in Chicago, and provide a surge in federal support and resources to assist in public safety and economic development efforts in the city. In a speech on the Senate floor, Durbin pressed President Trump to direct the Department of Justice to enhance programs that improve community policing, such as the Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) … Continue Reading
February 14, 2017
Durbin Meets With President Trump’s Supreme Court Nominee
WASHINGTON-U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today met with President Trump's nominee for the Supreme Court, Judge Neil Gorsuch. "At this pivotal time in our history, the Supreme Court must be an independent check on the Executive branch-its Justices must be unafraid to stand up to the President in the name of the Constitution and the rule of law. With a dizzying array of legal and constitutional disputes already haunting this White … Continue Reading
February 14, 2017
Durbin Statement On Resignation Of Gen. Flynn, Need For Independent Investigation
WASHINGTON-U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) released the following statement on the resignation of President Trump's National Security Advisor Michael Flynn, after revelations that he had discussed sanctions with the Russian government before he and the President had taken office: The American people deserve to know the truth about possibly illegal contacts between the Russian government and the President's campaign and Transition, as well as who else is involved or could be … Continue Reading
February 14, 2017
Durbin: Instead Of Curbing Gun Violence, Republicans Want To Weaken Gun Laws
WASHINGTON-U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today spoke out against efforts by Congressional Republicans to weaken the federal gun background check system through the Congressional Review Act (CRA). The CRA effort would repeal a rule issued by the Social Security Administration (SSA) last year that directs SSA to notify the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) when the SSA has determined, on the basis of medical evidence, that a person receiving disability benefits has a … Continue Reading
February 10, 2017
Durbin, Duckworth To Trump: Stop Tweeting About Chicago And Get Serious About Gun Violence
WASHINGTON-Illinois Senators Dick Durbin and Tammy Duckworth today called on President Trump to do more than just tweet about the gun violence epidemic in Chicago, and join them in providing a surge in federal support and resources to assist in public safety, law enforcement, and economic development efforts in the city. "Tweeting does not break cycles of violence; tweeting does not help lift people out of poverty; tweeting does not save lives. We urge you instead to provide a surge in federal … Continue Reading
February 10, 2017
Durbin Calls On Trump Administration To Release Transcripts Of Flynn’s Secret Conversations With Russia
WASHINGTON-U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) released the following statement: Revelations that White House National Security Advisor Michael Flynn secretly discussed U.S. sanctions with the Russian Ambassador one month before President Trump took office are a chilling new piece of the sinister puzzle of the President's dealings with a hostile foreign power. These allegations warrant a serious and thorough investigation by an independent commission to determine their veracity and … Continue Reading
February 08, 2017
Durbin Opposes Ag Nominee Sen. Sessions
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) issued the following statement after voting against President Trump's nominee for U.S. Attorney General. Senator Jeff Sessions (R-AL) was confirmed by the Senate by a vote of 52-47-1. On issue after issue, Senator Sessions has said that, as Attorney General, he would simply "follow the law." But it is also the duty of our nation's chief law enforcement officer to use his discretion to choose when to enforce the law and when to stand up to the … Continue Reading
February 08, 2017
Durbin: Sen. Sessions’ Record On Voting Rights Should Not Be Whitewashed
WASHINGTON-Following Senate Republicans' move to silence the words of the late Coretta Scott King in the Senate chamber last night, U.S. Senator Dick Durbin today underscored the importance of reviewing the civil rights record of President Donald Trump's Attorney General nominee in the context of recent state efforts aimed at making it more difficult for minority communities to vote. Durbin also noted that Republicans delayed the confirmation of Loretta Lynch, a long-time Justice Department … Continue Reading
February 07, 2017
Durbin: Sessions Is Not The Right Person To Stand Up To President Trump
WASHINGTON - As the Senate debates the nomination of Senator Jeff Sessions (R-AL) to be U.S. Attorney General, Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) spoke on the Senate floor about why he cannot support Sessions becoming the country's chief law enforcement officer. Durbin stressed the need for an independent Attorney General and questioned Sessions' ability to stand up to President Trump if his actions are unlawful. In light of the Attorney General's vast authority and discretion over how the … Continue Reading