MR. PRESIDENT, I RISE TODAY TO THANK MY COLLEAGUE, SENATOR FLAKE, FOR HIS WORDS AND TO JOIN HIM IN STANDING UP FOR THE FIRST AMENDMENT. OVER THE LAST RECESS WHEN I WAS AT HOME, I READ SENATOR FLAKE'S BOOK, AND ONE OF THE MANY THINGS I TOOK AWAY FROM THAT BOOK, WHICH I THOUGHT WAS QUITE AN AMAZING BOOK, WAS THE FACT THAT WHEN HE WAS GROWING UP HIS FAMILY HAD A THREE BY FIVE CARD ON THEIR REFRIGERATOR. AND THEY LOOKED AT IT EVERY DAY, AND IT SAID ASSUME THE BEST AND LOOK FOR THE GOOD. AND THE WAY HE HAS ARTICULATELY TALKED ABOUT OUR CONSTITUTION TODAY, HE IS ASSUMING THE BEST, AS WE ALL SHOULD DO, ABOUT THE CITIZENS OF THIS COUNTRY AND THAT THEY WILL LOOK AT THIS DOCUMENT AND CARE ABOUT THIS DOCUMENT AND UNDERSTAND WHY THE FIRST AMENDMENT IS SO IMPORTANT TO OUR FREEDOMS.

FOR ME, THIS STARTED AT HOME. MY DAD WAS A REPORTER HIS ENTIRE LIFE. HE WENT FROM A HARD SCRABBLE MINING TOWN IN ELY, MINNESOTA, TO GO TO A TWO-YEAR COMMUNITY COLLEGE, AND THEN GOT A JOURNALISM DEGREE AT THE UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA AND GOT HIS FIRST JOB AT THE BISMARCK PAPER IN NORTH DAKOTA, SERVED DURING THE KOREAN WAR AND FINALLY ENDED UP AT THE STAR TRIBUNE IN MINNEAPOLIS. HE WENT FROM THAT MINING TOWN AND SAW THE WORLD AND HE GOT TO INTERVIEW EVERYONE FROM RONALD REAGAN TO THE CHICAGO BEARS COACH MIKE DID DITKA, TO GINGER ROGERS. THROUGH IT ALL, HE SAW HIS MISSION AS A MISSION OF SERVING FOR THE TRUTH WHETHER IT WAS STANDING OUTSIDE OF POLITICAL CONVENTIONS TO DEAR GAS -- TEAR GAS OR WHETHER IT WAS CALLING THE ELECTION IN 1960 WHEN HE WAS WITH THE A.P. FOR JOHN F. KENNEDY.

BUT THE WORLD HAS CHANGED SINCE MY DAD WAS A JOURNALIST. BUT THE ROLE OF JOURNALISM HASN'T CHANGED IN ANY WAY. WE NEED THIS PROTECTION OF THE FIRST AMENDMENT NOW MORE THAN EVER. AS SENATOR FLAKE HAS POINTED OUT, IT WAS THOMAS JEFFERSON AND OUR FOUNDING FATHERS WHO SAW THE IMPORTANCE OF JOURNALISM AND THE IMPORTANCE OF THE FIRST AMENDMENT. THOMAS JEFFERSON ONCE WROTE THAT OUR FIRST OBJECTIVE SHOULD BE TO LEAVE OPEN ALL AVENUES TO TRUTH, AND THE MOST EFFECTIVE WAY OF DOING THAT IS THROUGH THE FREEDOM OF THE PRESS. WHILE THE MOST EXTREME FORMS OF ANTIPRESS BEHAVIOR HAVE HAPPENED ABROAD, AS POINTED OUT BY SENATOR FLAKE, WITH JOURNALISTS BEING MURDERED, BEING PUT IN FEAR OF THEIR VERY LIVES, THEIR FAMILY LIVES, THERE HAS BEEN A GROWING AGGRESSION TOWARD JOURNALISTS IN OUR OWN COUNTRY.

DURING THE CAMPAIGN, THEN-CANDIDATE TRUMP MOCKED AD DISABLED REPORTER. DURING HIS PRESIDENCY HE REFERRED TO JOURNALISTS AS DISHONEST, AS DISGUSTING, AS SCUM. DURING PRESIDENT TRUMP'S FIRST MONTH IN OFFICE THIS ADMINISTRATION COINED THE PHRASE ALTERNATIVE FACTS, ATTEMPTING TO UNDERMINE THE FACT-CHECKING EFFORTS OF REPORTERS. THAT SAME WEEK ANOTHER SENIOR WHITE HOUSE OFFICIAL SAID THAT THE PRESS SHOULD, QUOTE, KEEP ITS MOUTH SHUT. THE PRESIDENT HAS TAKEN TO TWITTER COUNTLESS TIMES TO ATTACK NEWS ORGANIZATIONS AND DISCREDIT SPECIFIC JOURNALISTS. HE'S THREATENED TO CHALLENGE THE LICENSES OF SPECIFIC NEWS NETWORKS, AND THESE NETWORKS THAT RAN NEGATIVE STORIES. THERE ARE EVEN REPORTS THAT THE ADMINISTRATION IS USING ANTITRUST ENFORCEMENT AUTHORITY AS LEVERAGE TO SECURE POSITIVE MEDIA COVERAGE. AND JUST LAST WEEK THE PRESIDENT SUGGESTED WEAKENING THE VERY LAWS THAT PROTECT JOURNALISTS. HE THREATENED TO OPEN UP OUR LIBEL LAWS SO THAT HE COULD SUE THE MEDIA FOR WRITING NEGATIVE OR UNFAVORABLE STORIES. THIS IS UNACCEPTABLE. THIS IS UNACCEPTABLE BECAUSE WE ARE A BEACON FOR THE FREEDOMS ACROSS THE WORLD.

BUT IT'S ALSO UNACCEPTABLE HERE AT HOME. SO WHAT CAN WE DO ABOUT IT? WE CAN MAKE SURE THAT THIS ADMINISTRATION'S VIEWS, FIRST OF ALL, ARE NOT CARRIED THROUGH TO THE ACTIONS OF THE DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE. WE MUST ENSURE THAT THE DEPARTMENT CONTINUES TO FOLLOW THE GUIDELINES THAT HAVE BEEN IN PLACE FOR A NUMBER OF YEARS TO PROTECT JOURNALISTS, EVEN IF THOSE JOURNALISTS CRITICIZE THE GOVERNMENT. EVEN IF THEY UNCOVER FACTS THAT ARE UNCOMFORTABLE FOR THE GOVERNMENT. ATTORNEY GENERAL ERIC HOLDER COMMITTED DURING HIS TIME IN OFFICE NOT TO PUT REPORTERS IN JAIL FOR DOING THEIR JOB. HE ALSO STRENGTHENED THE JUSTICE DEPARTMENT PROTECTIONS FOR JOURNALISTS AND THEIR SOURCES. THE LOOPHOLE WAS CLOSED THAT ALLOWED THE GOVERNMENT TO GET AROUND BANS ON SEARCH WARRANTS FOR REPORTING MATERIAL. THEY TIGHTENED GUIDELINES FOR USING, THAT ARE USED TO ISSUE SUBPOENAS THAT WOULD REQUIRE JOURNALISTS TO DISCLOSE THEIR CONFIDENTIAL SOURCES. THEY UNDERSTOOD THE ROLE THESE GUIDELINES PLAY IN OUR DEMOCRACY, AND ATTORNEY GENERAL HOLDER SAID THEY STRIKE AN APPROPRIATE BALANCE BETWEEN LAW ENFORCEMENT'S NEED TO PROTECT THE AMERICAN PEOPLE AND THE NEWS MEDIA'S ROLE IN ENSURING THE FREE FLOW OF INFORMATION.

OVER THE LAST YEAR, DURING JUDICIARY HEARINGS, I'VE ASKED ATTORNEY GENERAL SESSIONS TWICE IF HE'D COMMIT TO PROTECTING SKWRURPBLGTS -- JOURNALISTS FROM BEING JAILED FOR DOING THEIR JOBS. IT WAS A SIMPLE QUESTION. HE WOULDN'T, BOTH TIMES WOULD NOT COMMIT, AND HE SAID HE HAD TO REVIEW THE RULES. WELL, IT HAS BEEN NEARLY A YEAR, AND THERE HAS BEEN ENOUGH TIME TO REVIEW THE RULES. I STILL HAVE NOT RECEIVED AN ANSWER TO MY QUESTION. AND I THINK WE'D ALL AGREE THAT AFTER ALMOST A YEAR AS A LEADER OF THE JUSTICE DEPARTMENT, IT'S PAST TIME HE MADE THIS COMMITMENT. AND LET ME BE CLEAR, THE PRESIDENT DOESN'T HAVE THE LEGAL AUTHORITY TO UNDERCUT OUR LIBEL LAWS.

NO MATTER WHAT HE SAYS, OUR COURTS STILL UPHOLD THE SAFEGUARDS AND MUST UPHOLD THE SAFEGUARDS WE PLACE ON THE PRESS FREEDOM. IN "NEW YORK TIMES" V. SULLIVAN, IT IS CRYSTAL CLEAR IN ITS PROTECTION OF JOURNALISTS WHO COVER PUBLIC OFFICIALS. THE STANDARD FOR LIBEL IS WELL ESTABLISHED. IT IS NOT SUBJECT TO THE WHIMS OF THE POLITICS ON ANY GIVEN DAY. WHILE SUPREME COURT JUSTICE KNEEL GORSUCH AND I -- NEIL GORSUCH AND I DO NOT AGREE ON MUCH, I QUESTION HIM ON THAT LANDMARK DECISION AND HE AGREED THAT THE PRECEDENT IS CLEAR ON FIRST AMENDMENT PROTECTION FOR JOURNALISTS. THE AMERICAN PEOPLE DESERVE THE TRUTH, AND WE RELY ON JOURNALISTS TO KEEP DIGGING FOR IT. THAT'S SOMETHING TO CELEBRATE, NOT TO UNDERMINE. STANDING UP FOR THE FREEDOMS, EVEN ONE AS FUNDAMENTAL AS THE FREEDOM OF THE PRESS, ISN'T ALWAYS EASY BUT IT IS VITALLY IMPORTANT. THE FUTURE OF OUR DEMOCRACY DEPENDS ON THE ABILITY OF JOURNALISTS TO DO OUR JOBS. WE MUST UPHOLD THIS FREEDOM EVERY SINGLE DAY. SO WITH ALL OF THIS IN MIND, MR. PRESIDENT, I THANK SENATOR FLAKE FOR HIS VERY IMPORTANT REMARKS, AND I URGE THIS CHAMBER TO DO EVERYTHING WE CAN TO LIVE UP TO JEFFERSON'S WORDS AND PROTECT THIS ESSENTIAL AVENUE TO TRUTH. THANK YOU. I YIELD THE FLOOR.