Memphis

Congressman Clarifies Remarks about The Purple Heart

WASHINGTON – Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09) clarified his remarks at a joint hearing of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee and the Judiciary Committee on which he serves with the following statement:

"I regret mentioning the Purple Heart medal at yesterday's hearing. My intent was to speak metaphorically to make a broader point about attacks against the FBI and Special Counsel Mueller's investigation into a Russian attack on our country.

WASHINGTON – Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09) commended the Justice Department for reopening the Emmett Till murder case that many say galvanized a nascent Civil Rights movement in 1955. The 14-year-old Chicago youth was killed after a white woman claimed he wolf-whistled at her in Money, Mississippi, and his admitted killers were later acquitted by an all-white jury. See Congressman Cohen speaking about the case on the House floor this morning here. He also made the following statement:

WASHINGTON – Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09), the Ranking Member of the House Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution and Civil Law, today questioned the Majority's rationale for seeking the testimony of FBI Agent Peter Strzok after the Department of Justice's Inspector General found no evidence of bias impacting its work on the Hillary Clinton email investigation. See his exchange with Strzok here.

WASHINGTON – Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09) announced a $142,362 grant to the National Civil Rights Museum to build the skills of young African American students and frontline staff members to address the lack of minorities in the museum field. Another grant for $24,855 from the Institute of Museum and Library Services, which was created by Congress in the legislation that authorized building the popular National Museum of African American History and Culture on the National Mall, will go to the Withers Collection Museum and Gallery's sports collection.

WASHINGTON – Congressman Steve Cohen (D-TN), a Member of the bicameral U.S. Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe (known as The Helsinki Commission), was pleased that the House of Representatives today passed his bipartisan resolution expressing support for the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) alliance and reaffirming the sovereignty of our partners in Central and Eastern Europe. The text of the resolution, introduced in April 2017, can be found here.

WASHINGTON – Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09), the Ranking Member of the House Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution and Civil Justice, today introduced amendments to the annual Department of the Interior, Environment and Related Agencies Appropriations Act for Fiscal Year 2019 (H.R. 6147) to prohibit the federal government from spending money at businesses owned by President Trump. The Congressman contends such spending violates a Constitutional anti-corruption provision that prohibit any President from receiving funding from the federal government beyond his salary.

WASHINGTON – Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09) noted today's passing of S.L. Kopald Jr., a respected business leader, and made the following statement:

WASHINGTON – Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09), the Ranking Member of the House Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution and Civil Justice, expressed his opposition to President Trump's nomination of Brett Kavanaugh, saying he fears it will move the nation's highest court further to the right and undermine important civil rights. He made the following statement: