Attorney general

Obama At Attorney General Loretta Lynch Swearing In Ceremony

• Report rights infringement
• published: 18 Jun 2015
• views: 379

Partial transcription: In fact, it’s funny that we are “installing” Loretta today -- it’s not like she’s been waiting around for the embossed invitation. She hit the ground running from day one. She’s already made her mark here at home and abroad because of her laser focus on the core mission of the Justice Department -- the protection of the American people. And she understands the importance of policing and improving relationships between law enforcement and communities. She went on a six-city tour to spotlight the challenges in community policing and the progress that’s being made. She understands the importance of criminal justice reform -- that we have to be smart on crime, not just tough. That’s why she’s committed to working as a partner to leaders with both parties who want to pursue reform that continues the trend of a falling crime rate and a falling incarceration rate. She understands the importance of protecting our national security while also securing our civil liberties. That’s why she will safeguard the programs that are critical to protecting American lives and Americans’ privacy. I see our FBI Director, Jim Comey, who’s here, and I know he’s committed to doing the same thing. She lives out the words of one of our greatest Attorney Generals, Robert F. Kennedy: “The glory of justice and the majesty of the law are created not just by the Constitution, nor by the courts, nor by the officers of the law, nor by the lawyers, but by the men and women who constitute our society -– who are protectors of the law as they are themselves protected by the law.” That’s always been the story of our nation. Our strength does not come from the words we’ve written on the page, or the laws we’ve put down on the books. It comes from ordinary citizens, generation after generation, who do their part to uphold our founding ideals. It comes from an unshakable faith in our ability to stand up for what is right, and to admit where we’ve fallen short and then choose a better way forward. That was the cause to which Loretta dedicated her life long before she became America’s top law enforcement officer. Today, the American people can have no greater advocate for their right to equality under the law, no greater partner in securing justice for all than our Attorney General, Loretta Lynch. (Applause.)