Key Takeaways
- •The Committee favorably reported three bipartisan bills—the SAFE Cloud Storage Act, GUARD Act, and Drone Espionage Act—along with three U.S. Attorney nominees to the Senate floor.
- •Senator Durbin (Democratic-IL) highlighted a New York Times article detailing how a surge in immigration cases in Minnesota led to ignored court orders and U.S. Attorney resignations.
- •Senator Durbin (Democratic-IL) pressed Senator Moody (Republican-FL) on whether the GUARD Act would specifically address crypto ATM scams targeting seniors, which Moody confirmed it would cover broadly.
- •Republican members largely supported the U.S. Attorney nominees, while most Democratic members voted against Thomas Govan and Ryan Raybould, showing a partisan split on these appointments.
- •All three bills and three U.S. Attorney nominations, having been favorably reported by the committee, will now advance to the full Senate floor for a final vote.
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Hearing Analysis
Overview
On February 5, 2026, the Senate Judiciary Committee, chaired by Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA), held a business meeting to consider three U.S. Attorney nominations and three bipartisan pieces of legislation. The meeting was marked by significant bipartisan cooperation on the legislative agenda, contrasted by sharp partisan disagreements regarding the administration’s immigration enforcement tactics and concerns over federal involvement in domestic election administration.
The committee successfully reported three U.S. Attorney nominees to the full Senate. Thomas Govan, Jr., nominated for the Middle District of Alabama, was reported by a vote of 12-10. Sen. Katie Boyd Britt (R-AL) spoke strongly in favor of Govan, highlighting his 18 years of service in the Alabama Attorney General’s Office and as an Assistant U.S. Attorney. Zachary Keller, nominated for the Western District of Louisiana, was reported 13-9. Ryan Raybould, nominated for the Northern District of Texas, was reported 14-8 after Sen. Richard J. Durbin (D-IL) changed his vote from "no" to "aye." Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) noted that Raybould had previously served as his Chief of Staff.
The legislative portion of the meeting focused on three bills, all of which were reported to the floor by voice vote. The first, S.3023, the SAFE Cloud Storage Act, was introduced by Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) and Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN). This bill allows law enforcement-approved vendors to use secure, cloud-based storage for child sexual abuse material (CSAM) evidence. Sen. Blackburn emphasized that the bill modernizes investigations by allowing the same secure transfer protections previously granted to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) to be extended to private vendors, provided they meet National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) cybersecurity frameworks and undergo annual audits.
The committee then considered S.2544, the GUARD Act, sponsored by Sen. Britt and Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY). This legislation aims to combat elder financial fraud by allowing state and local law enforcement to use federal grant funds to hire and train staff in blockchain technology and digital asset tracing. Sen. Britt noted that seniors lost over $4.8 billion to scammers in 2024. During the discussion, Sen. Durbin raised concerns about "crypto ATM machines" being used to fleece seniors. Sen. Britt clarified that while the bill does not specifically target ATMs, it provides the tools necessary for law enforcement to investigate any fraudulent operations involving blockchain and digital assets.
Policy Proposals
The final bill, S.1809, the Drone Espionage Act, was introduced by Sen. Ashley Moody (R-FL) and Sen. Elissa Slotkin (D-MI). The bill updates the Espionage Act of 1917 to include "videography" of sensitive national defense sites as a criminal offense, whereas the current law only specifies "photographs." Sen. Moody cited several instances in Florida and California where foreign nationals used drones to record military installations, such as Cape Canaveral Space Force Station and Key West Naval Air Station, highlighting a technical gap in federal law that this bill seeks to close.
Despite the legislative consensus, the meeting featured heated remarks from Democratic members regarding executive branch conduct. Sen. Durbin and Sen. Klobuchar raised alarms regarding "Operation Metro Surge" in Minnesota. Sen. Durbin criticized the Department of Justice (DOJ) and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) for allegedly ignoring court orders to release detainees, citing a New York Times report about a prosecutor who was fired after testifying about the system's "buckling" weight. Sen. Klobuchar added that the Minnesota U.S. Attorney’s Office has seen 14 resignations, including lead fraud prosecutors, because staff felt the administration was forcing them into unethical participation in immigration sweeps that targeted individuals with legal status and families.
Overview
Furthermore, Sen. Adam B. Schiff (D-CA) used the meeting to voice concerns about the upcoming midterm elections. He criticized the President’s comments on nationalizing elections and expressed alarm over reports that the Director of National Intelligence (DNI) was overseeing the execution of search warrants for ballot boxes in Georgia and voting machines in Puerto Rico. Sen. Schiff also noted threats from administration advisors to deploy ICE agents to polling stations, which he characterized as voter intimidation. He formally requested an oversight hearing to investigate the involvement of intelligence agencies in domestic law enforcement actions related to elections.
The meeting concluded with the successful reporting of all three bills and three nominees to the Senate floor. While the committee demonstrated a functional bipartisan path for specialized law enforcement tools and criminal justice updates, the underlying tension regarding immigration policy and election integrity suggests significant oversight battles ahead for the committee. Organizations affected by these developments include cloud service providers, blockchain and cryptocurrency firms, and defense contractors managing sensitive military sites. Agencies mentioned as central to these policies include the DOJ, DHS, ICE, FBI, and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI).
Transcript
It's okay with Senator Durbin if we move on while we get a quorum to vote here. On today's agenda, we have three nominations and seven bills listed. Four of those bills are listed for the first time, so naturally they will be held over for future consideration. Today we'll vote on three U.S. Attorney nominees: Thomas Govan for the Middle District of Alabama, Zachary Keller, Western District Louisiana, and Ryan Raybould for the Northern District Texas. The bills are S.2545, the GUARD Act, S.1809, the Drone Espionage Act, and S.3023, the SAFE Cloud Storage Act. Thomas Govan has served as Assistant U.S. Attorney General, Alabama, as well as Assistant U.S. Attorney, Middle District Alabama. He has nearly two decades of high-stake criminal and civil experience at both the state and federal levels, and Mr. Govan's elite practice has included several cases before the U.S. Supreme Court. Zachary Keller has extensive trial and litigation experience in both private practice and in public service. Mr. Keller worked for the FTC, litigating consumer fraud, and he's held various civil, criminal, and appellate roles with the U.S. Attorney's Office in the Southern District Florida and the Western District Louisiana. Ryan Raybould also has impressive qualifications. In addition to his time in private practice, he's served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Middle District Tennessee and Deputy Chief of White Collar and Public Corruption in the Northern District Texas. Mr. Raybould also supported this committee as Senator Cornyn's Chief of Staff for four years. I'm confident that all three nominees will do a great job, and I encourage my colleagues to join me in supporting them. On the rest of the agenda, three bills that we're voting on today are part of a bipartisan effort to tackle crime and protect vulnerable populations. The GUARD Act is bipartisan bill led by Senator Britt and Senator Gillibrand. It equips law enforcement with critical tools they need to protect people, including the elderly, and from sophisticated scams and financial funds frauds. The Drone Espionage Act is a bipartisan bill led by Senator Moody and Senator Slotkin and co-sponsored by Senators Lee, Tillis, Cruz, Blackburn, and Britt. It protects critical military installations from unauthorized surveillance. The SAFE Cloud Storage Act is also a bipartisan bill led by Senators Blackburn, Klobuchar, Cornyn, and Blumenthal, with Britt, Coons, and Lee also co-sponsoring. It helps those who work alongside law enforcement in the fight against child sexual exploitation. I really want to thank Senator Durbin, the ranking member, and his staff as well for working with me to put together this agenda. I also like to thank members of this committee for their work on these important bipartisan bills. Senator Durbin.
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