Attorney General Jeff Sessions and Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, the nation’s top two law enforcement officials, addressed the 65th Annual Attorney General’s Awards Wednesday at Washington, DC’s Daughters of the American Revolution Hall.
More than 200 policemen, federal agents, prosecutors, and other officials received the awards for “outstanding service and dedication to carrying out the missions of the Department of Justice.” Honorees included Patrick Carothers, a U.S. Marshals Service deputy commander shot dead in Georgia last November while serving a warrant on a man already wanted for attempting to kill police.
“Of course, we must also remember some who couldn’t be with us because they gave the last full measure of devotion,” Sessions told the ceremony. “After more than 25 years in law enforcement, Pat could have gotten a desk job or retired. But that just wasn’t who he was. And so, when it was time to serve a warrant for a fugitive wanted for attempting to kill police, Pat was the first one through the door.”
Of Carothers, Sessions said:
He lost his life that day, leaving behind his wife of 30 years, Terry, who is with us this afternoon. Together they had five children, including three sons who are now serving this country in the Armed Forces.
are clearly in their blood.
We are going to remember Patrick Carothers’ story for a long time. And he is going to inspire us to live up to his example of selflessness and bravery.
For Sessions, who first became a DOJ employee in 1975, delivering the ceremony’s keynote of the department’s head had a special significance. “This is my first Awards Ceremony as your Attorney General,” he said. “And, as I stand before you today, I can’t help but think back to my first days at the Department. I don’t mean earlier this year—I mean as an Assistant U.S. Attorney, and then a U.S. Attorney in Mobile, Alabama.”
“I will never forget the feeling of going before a judge and saying, ‘the United States is ready,” said of his first days as a prosecutor. “I will never get over that feeling of knowing that I represented the greatest country in the history of the world. I’m sure that many you feel the same way.”
Deputy AG Rosenstein gave his own address honoring the recipients and introduced the attorney general. His appearance came as part of a busy speaking schedule that saw him address the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s Institute for Legal Reform on the administration’s plans to cut through business-hampering regulations. “The President ordered us to identify regulations that inhibit job creation; that are outdated, unnecessary, or ineffective; or that impose costs that exceed benefits,” Rosenstein told that body.
Rosenstein did not, however, shy away from his department’s focus on white-collar enforcement before the business-friendly crowd. “Prosecutors in our Foreign Corrupt Practices Act unit have obtained convictions in three criminal trials since May,” he said, adding, “Major investigations underway within the Antitrust Division, the Tax Division, and other components will help ensure that businesses that compete unfairly do not gain an advantage over those that follow the rules.”
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