Remarks at the
Swearing-in Ceremony for Richard L. Thornburgh as Attorney General of the
The President. Well, as you obviously
know, we're here today to welcome into the Cabinet a man of great ability,
Dick
Thornburgh comes to this post following a career of enormous distinction: U.S.
Attorney, Assistant Attorney General, Governor of one
of our largest States. Dick Thornburgh has been all these and more. Along the
way, he has put mobsters behind bars, he has fought
for integrity in government, and has shown himself to be a leader under fire.
And now, he's taking over a Department of Justice that is building one of the
proudest records for fighting crime, particularly for fighting drug criminals,
in our history.
Here
are some facts that speak for themselves. Between 1976 and 1980, drug cases
brought by the Justice Department fell by more than 44 percent. Convictions
plunged by nearly 50 percent. Since 1980, Federal drug cases brought have
almost tripled and convictions have gone up nearly 167 percent. To fight the
war against drugs and organized crime, we've hired more than 4,000 new agents
and prosecutors. And under Vice President Bush's leadership, Federal, State,
and local law enforcement officials have been working together as never before
to stop drug runners from smuggling illegal drugs into the
Today
the drug war is international. When we took office, only two nations had drug
eradication programs; today 23 do. And our Justice Department and the Italian
Ministry of Justice have worked together to produce an unprecedented number of
convictions against members of organized crime. Our prosecutors also recently
won the conviction of one of the four founders of the largest Colombian cocaine
cartel, Carlos Lehder. And not long ago, our agents
arrested another major Latin American drug kingpin, Juan Ramon Matta. And he'll be cooling his heels behind bars for a
long time to come.
In
short, we are team-tackling the drug rings, hitting them at their heads and at
their feet and everywhere in between.
Earlier
this week there was an assassination attempt made on the Secretary of State.
Initial reports said the attempt was linked directly or indirectly to the drug
trade. If these reports are true, this desperate move is another sign of how
badly we're hurting the drug trade. We must keep up and step up the pressure.
And
Dick, you're just the man I want taking the helm at the Justice Department at
this critical time. As a prosecutor and as a Governor, you earned a nationwide
reputation for attacking the drug problem head on and cracking down on drug
traffickers. And you've already indicated that as Attorney General you will
again make the war against illegal drugs a top priority.
But
I know that you can't do the job alone. The Senate recognized the importance of
your nomination by acting on it with rare speed, and let me
thank the Senate for its action. The Senators addressed this nomination with
businesslike seriousness. In doing so, they put national interest above all
other interests. And now it's time for the Senate to recognize, as well, the
vital importance of this nation's judges to our efforts in the drug war. It's
time to act on the 30 judicial nominations that we have submitted but have yet
to reach a floor vote. Dick, I know that you mentioned the great need for those
judges at your confirmation hearings. And recently the judicial conference
declared a state of judicial emergency because of the many nominations that the
Senate has hanging. Our law enforcement people can investigate and bring to
court all the drug traffickers in the world, but without an adequately staffed
judiciary of tough-minded judges, many of them may be back on the streets in no
time.
Some
say the Senate is simply playing politics as usual, but this is not politics as
usual. In 1980 only 17 nominations had not been acted on by the end of the
year. And of these, all but five had been nominated on or after the end of
July. Well, some of our nominees have been waiting for a year and a half. For
example, Pamela Rymer, who has already proven herself
to be tough against crime as a district court judge, has been waiting for
Senate approval as an appeals court judge since April, even though she received
the ABA's highest rating of confidence. The Senate's inaction throws a monkeywrench into the wheels of the war on drugs. And Dick,
I know that you'll continue to join me in urging the Senate to act quickly on
our judicial nominees.
And
in the meantime, we're grateful to have you as our nation's leading crime
fighter. I know that you'll continue in your long tradition of serving the
public with excellence, integrity, and distinction. So, Dick and Ginny,
congratulations, and welcome aboard.
Attorney
General Thornburgh. Mr. President, Mr. Vice President, my good friend and
distinguished Justice Nino Scalia, family, friends,
and colleagues, 1 month ago today, Mr. President, you announced your intention
to nominate me to the high office of Attorney General of the United States.
Today I undertake the duties of that office with pride and with enthusiasm.
As
many here know, I have spent much of the last year and a half with young people
-- students, the next generation of American leaders. And as you also know,
Ginny and I have shared the wonderful experience of raising four fine sons of
our own. I have accordingly acquired a special perspective on the priorities
you and I share for Federal law enforcement, Mr. President. For example, I
firmly believe that unless we sustain a vigorous effort to make drug
trafficking and drug abuse public enemy number one, we could well stunt
significantly the capacity of today's young people to contribute to a better
quality of life for tomorrow's
I
accept your challenge as well, Mr. President, to devote every resource of the
Department of Justice, consistent with strict observance of the civil rights
and civil liberties of all our citizens, to fight other unique threats to our
traditional values and institutions -- organized crime and racketeering,
official corruption, and white collar crime -- as well as to protecting the
first civil right of every American, the right to be free from fear in our
homes, on our streets, and in our communities. But as you have often noted, Mr.
President, government cannot offer alone the sole solution to these problems.
Citizens have obligations too.
Today
I took my oath of office on a Bible once belonging to William Penn, the founder
of my beloved
My thanks once again to you, Mr. President. And
my thanks and Godspeed to all of you who have joined us for this most
fulfilling occasion for me and for my family. Thank you very much.
Note: The
President spoke at 11:57 a.m. in the Roosevelt Room at the White House.