Senator John Kennedy (R-La.) spoke on the Senate floor to criticize recent comments made by Susan Rice, a former advisor to Presidents Barack Obama and Joe Biden. Rice, who is currently on the board of Netflix, had called for political retribution against supporters of former President Donald Trump.
In his remarks, Kennedy said: “What Ms. Rice is talking about is payback. What Ms. Rice seems to be saying is, ‘Two wrongs don’t make it right, but they do make it even.’ What Ms. Rice seems to be saying, and I don’t know whether she’s speaking on behalf of Netflix or not, but what Ms. Rice seems to be saying is that it’s okay in America today to use the law to prosecute and harass your political enemies. I find that astounding, coming from a person of her stature.
“That’s the sort of thing that doesn’t happen in America. That’s the sort of thing that is only supposed to happen in countries whose Powerball jackpot is 287 chickens and a goat. Not America. We believe in the rule of law. We believe in equal protection. We believe nobody is above the law, but nobody’s beneath it. I can’t think of a more irresponsible statement for somebody to make.”
Kennedy continued: “And I know some are going to say, well, President Trump is doing the same thing. If that’s true, I don’t like that either. In fact, when many of President Trump’s nominees for the Justice Department came and appeared before us for confirmation in the Judiciary [Committee], on which I sat, I talked to him about this. I said, ‘Two wrongs don’t make a right, but they do make it even,’ is wrong.
“It was wrong then, when President Biden did it. It’s wrong now if people are doing it. And it’s going to be wrong if Ms. Rice gets back in government. And it is wrong for her to say this, especially if she’s doing it on behalf of Netflix, a great American company. You can only be young once, but, man, oh, man, you can always be immature.”
The background leading up to Kennedy’s remarks includes an interview given by Susan Rice on Preet Bharara’s podcast “Stay Tuned with Preet Bharara.” During this interview she stated: “it is not going to end well” for businesses supporting the Trump administration and added: “There is likely to be a swing in the other direction… They’re going to be held accountable by those who come in opposition to Trump and win at the ballot box… If these corporations think that Democrats… are going to play by the old rules… I think they got another thing coming.”
Senator Kennedy represents Louisiana statewide and has engaged with constituents through newsletters and public events as detailed on his official website. He operates district offices across several cities including Alexandria and New Orleans (source). His work has focused on issues such as support for veterans and small businesses (source), while serving as chair or member of multiple Senate committees including Banking and Appropriations (source).
