{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.durbin.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/durbin-urges-chairman-grassley-to-hold-a-hearing-to-investigate-donald-trump-jr-accepting-a-lavish-gift-from-a-russian-oligarch", "Durbin Urges Chairman Grassley To Hold A Hearing To Investigate Donald Trump Jr. Accepting A Lavish Gift from A Russian Oligarch", "2026-09-24", "2026", "2026-09", "Democrat", "Senate", "IL", "Richard J. Durbin", "D000563", "www.durbin.senate.gov", "durbin", "https://www.durbin.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases", "scraper", "Durbin: \u201cIf we ignore this matter in the Senate Judiciary Committee, we run the risk of being complicit in this coverup.\u201d\n\nWASHINGTON \u2013 U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, again backed Senator John Curtis\u2019s (R-UT) call for the Senate Judiciary Committee to investigate the use of presidential family relationships for private financial benefit, preferential treatment, or access by domestic and foreign interests. Curtis\u2019s letter highlights the serious concerns over the lavish wedding reception provided to the President\u2019s son, Donald Trump Jr., by a Russian oligarch. During his opening, Durbin reiterated that the Committee could take up the investigation during the lame duck session\u2014rebutting Republicans\u2019 statements that there is not enough time in the year.\n\nKey Quotes:\n\n\u201cAs I told the Chairman privately, I support Senator Curtis\u2019s request. Corruption at the highest levels of our government should never be tolerated. If we ignore this matter in the Senate Judiciary Committee, we run the risk of being complicit in this coverup. Hunter Biden, who has already given a sworn deposition to Congress on this issue twice, has offered to appear before the Committee voluntarily.\u201d\n\n\u201cSome claim that it\u2019s too late in the year to investigate. Come on. This is September. Putting together the questions for a deposition of Donald Trump Jr. is not going to take more than a week, is it?... Republicans are about to take a six-week recess from the people\u2019s business, but we have staff who can conduct a deposition of Donald Trump Jr. and Hunter Biden and we can hold a hearing when the Senate reconvenes in November.\u201d\n\n\u201cYesterday, the Chairman tried to justify ignoring Senator Curtis\u2019s request by claiming the Democrats failed to conduct oversight during the Biden Administration. Not true. When I was Chair of the Committee, we held regular oversight hearings over the Justice Department, FBI, and DHS. And I frequently criticized the Biden Administration and compelled Biden officials to answer for their actions.\u201d\n\n\u201cBut to try to draw a moral equivalence between the misdeeds of the Biden Administration and the current Administration is ludicrous\u2026 In the first year since he returned to office, the President has tripled his wealth. He has made exponentially more money in office than any other President in history, raking in $1.4 billion from his family\u2019s cryptocurrency businesses in 2025 alone.\u201d\n\n\u201cPresident Trump has already taken a wrecking ball to the White House. This week, he has taken a wrecking ball to the First Amendment, barring several media outlets from the People\u2019s House. This is nothing new from the President, who for years has called the press the \u2018enemy of the people.\u2019 He has done more to dismantle the freedom of the press than any President in modern history.\u201d\n\n\u201cAs I walked into this Committee with my staffers, [I was told] there was an order [from] a local federal judge yesterday, that \u2026allowed three news entities to enter the White House today. It was reported to me that the White House has refused them from entry. An emergency order is being brought before this judge. How many times do we ask nominees, \u2018do you think it is important that you follow the orders of the court?\u2019 Every one of them has said yes, [yet] now at the highest level of the Trump Administration, they are defying a court order to allow three news outlets to cover the President of the United States.\u201d\n\n\u201cThis week, Judge [Patrick] Schiltz granted a rare interview to make clear what is at stake if we don\u2019t stand up to this Administration. He said, \u2018The rule of law to democracy is like oxygen to a human body \u2026If you don\u2019t have it, you have either anarchy or you have authoritarianism. You have Russia or you have China or you have North Korea.\u2019 We would all be wise to heed that warning.\u201d\n\nVideo of Durbin\u2019s opening statement is available here.\n\nAudio of Durbin\u2019s opening statement is available here.\n\nFootage of Durbin\u2019s opening statement is available herefor TV Stations.\n\n-30-", 1, "2026-09-25T10:04:52Z", "2026-09-25T10:05:46Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.durbin.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/durbin-urges-chairman-grassley-to-hold-a-hearing-to-investigate-donald-trump-jr-accepting-a-lavish-gift-from-a-russian-oligarch"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.8500670082867146, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}