Key Takeaways
- •The committee advanced the nominations of Melissa Holyoak and Phil Williams for U.S. Attorney positions to the full Senate following narrow 12-10 party-line votes.
- •Phil Williams stated in records cited by Sen. Britt (R-AL) that the violence of January 6 was unacceptable, despite Democratic claims that he minimized the event.
- •Sen. Durbin (D-IL) and Sen. Lee (R-UT) debated the SAVE America Act, specifically whether its citizenship verification requirements would disenfranchise voters lacking passports.
- •Sen. Durbin (D-IL) labeled the nominees "MAGA extremists," while Sen. Cornyn (R-TX) and other Republicans defended the candidates' qualifications and criticized the Democratic opposition.
- •These nominations move to the floor as Sen. Grassley (R-IA) signaled upcoming bipartisan action on xylazine legislation and continued oversight of Swiss bank investigations.
Read the full transcript
Starting at $350/mo
- Full hearing transcripts
- Speaker timestamps with video verification
- Organization & competitor mentions
- Same-day delivery
- Personalized summaries
30-day money-back guarantee on all paid plans.
Hearing Analysis
Overview
The Senate Judiciary Committee, chaired by Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA), convened on March 12, 2026, to consider the nominations of Melissa Holyoak to be U.S. Attorney for the District of Utah and Phillip Williams, Jr. to be U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Alabama. Both nominees were favorably reported to the full Senate following party-line votes of 12-10. The meeting served as a flashpoint for broader debates regarding the Department of Justice (DOJ), the legacy of the January 6 Capitol riot, and proposed changes to federal voting laws.
Chairman Grassley opened the session by highlighting the committee's recent bipartisan achievements, including legislation to protect children from "sextortion" and a bill to safeguard ATM users from robbery. He announced that the committee would soon consider a bipartisan bill co-sponsored by Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV) to combat the illicit use of xylazine, a sedative known as "tranq" that is increasingly mixed with fentanyl. Grassley emphasized that the bill would protect the drug's legitimate use by veterinarians and ranchers. Additionally, the Chairman provided an update on his oversight of the Swiss Confederation and UBS Group AG (UBS) regarding historical bank accounts linked to Nazis. He criticized UBS for failing to fully answer the committee’s questions and indicated that a second investigative hearing would likely be held in the fall.
The nomination of Phillip Williams, Jr. sparked intense debate. Ranking Member Richard J. Durbin (D-IL) characterized Williams as a "MAGA extremist" who lacks prosecutorial experience. Sen. Durbin criticized Williams for past comments comparing January 6 prosecutions to the "Salem witch trials" and for minimizing the insurrection. Sen. Durbin also used the hearing to condemn President Trump’s recent "full, complete, and unconditional pardon" of nearly 1,600 January 6 rioters, arguing that these individuals pose a public safety threat. He cited recent arrests of pardoned rioters for violent crimes and child abuse, specifically mentioning threats made against the Metropolitan Police Department of the District of Columbia (MPD) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).
In response, Sen. Katie Boyd Britt (R-AL) defended Williams, highlighting his 30-year career in the United States Army (Army), where he reached the rank of colonel and served combat tours in the Republic of Iraq and the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan. She noted his extensive legal career, including over 700 court appearances and 30 trials to verdict. Sen. Britt read a statement from Williams condemning the violence of January 6 and emphasized his support from the Alabama Ethics Commission and other state legal officials.
Organizations & Entities
Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) raised significant concerns regarding a DOJ and FBI search warrant executed in Fulton County, Georgia, to seize election records. Sen. Whitehouse, a former U.S. Attorney, pointed out procedural irregularities, such as the U.S. Attorney from Missouri bypassing the local Georgia U.S. Attorney. He questioned the presence of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) and the "Weaponization Working Group" (which he referred to as "WTF") at the search site, suggesting the investigation might be a "fake" criminal inquiry intended to facilitate election interference.
Overview
The committee also engaged in a sharp exchange over the SAVE America Act. Sen. Durbin argued the bill would disenfranchise millions of Americans by requiring documentation like passports, which many citizens do not possess. Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) and Senator Mike Lee (R-UT) defended the legislation. Sen. Lee noted that the bill includes an "alternative mechanism" allowing citizens to provide a sworn statement of citizenship if they lack documentation, shifting the burden of verification to the state.
Key Testimony
Other organizations mentioned during the hearing included the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), in the context of leadership changes involving Secretary Nielsen and the nomination of Senator Mullen; U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), regarding violence against federal officers; and the Simon Wiesenthal Center, which provided testimony on the Swiss bank investigation. The meeting concluded with the successful reporting of both U.S. Attorney nominees, while other bills and nominations were held over for future consideration.
Transcript
Good morning everybody. We have today's agenda, two bills, seven nominations. Today we'll vote on two U.S. Attorneys, Melissa Holyoak of Utah, Phil Williams, Northern District Alabama. The two bills and the remaining nominations will be held over to the next meeting. Before we vote on nominations, mention that next week our committee will continue our bipartisan work to keep Americans safe. In the last few weeks, our committee has advanced legislation protecting American communities, reporting bills to protect children from predators who coerce them to physically harm themselves, others, and even animals. We've reported a bill that would modernize sentencing guidelines for sexual abuse material for children. We reported a bill that penalizes the extortion and coercion of children using child sex abuse material, commonly known as sextortion. And just last week we reported a bill that would protect Americans who rely on ATMs for cash withdrawal for robbery and violence. As I said a few weeks ago at my town hall meetings in Iowa, people always ask me why Republicans and Democrats can't get along and why we don't speak to each other. Well, it's certainly true that we have our differences. Our recent work demonstrates this committee can work together to tackle real problems affecting the American people. Next week, this committee is going to take another step in this bipartisan direction. We're going to consider a strong bipartisan bill sponsored by Senator Cortez Masto, a Democrat, and this Senator to combat the threat of illicit xylazine and our country's other drug epidemic problems. Our bill will help protect Americans from a toxic sedative commonly known as "tranq" that's often mixed with fentanyl and leads to tragic loss of American lives. This bill does this while protecting its legitimate use by veterinarians, farmers, ranchers, and wildlife personnel. This bill, as I said before, is bipartisan. It's been a priority of both the Biden and the Trump administration and is cosponsored by 14 Democrats and 15 Republicans, including several members of this committee. In drafting this bill, our committee has heard from victims who have lost loved ones to fentanyl and xylazine. Just two days ago, just two days ago, we heard from a mother who lost her son to this poison. Her son will be forever 27 and her grief is palpable. We'll never be able to return lost loved ones to their families, but we can work together to save other families from similar tragedy. I'm looking forward to working with my colleagues once again in a bipartisan way to solve real problems for American people. Just a few other matters regarding leadership changes at the Department of Homeland Security. I appreciate Secretary Nielsen's service. As this committee's oversight hearing showed, improvements can be made. I look forward to Senator Mullen's nomination process and working with him as the new Secretary. I'd also like to quickly bring this committee's bipartisan hearing on Nazis and Swiss banks. The witnesses included UBS, Simon Wiesenthal Center, and Neil Barofsky. The committee has done good bipartisan work on this historic matter and my oversight continues full force. Then accordingly, I'm considering calling a second hearing in the fall, if not earlier, to serve as another investigative update. And finally, due to UBS's failure to fully answer this committee's questions for the record, I've kept the hearing record open for now. Senator Durbin.
Read the full transcript
Starting at $350/mo
- Full hearing transcripts
- Speaker timestamps with video verification
- Organization & competitor mentions
- Same-day delivery
- Personalized summaries
30-day money-back guarantee on all paid plans.
Not ready to subscribe?
Get a free daily digest with hearing summaries ranked by relevance.
Already have an account? Log in
