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Public disputes concerning political parties, public officials, institutions, political conduct, and governance in the United States.
Counts show individual statements. They do not assign an overall position.
10 statements on this page. Dates: April 8, 2025 to October 21, 2026
10 matching statements. Dates: April 8, 2025 to October 21, 2026
10 published statements. Dates: April 8, 2025 to October 21, 2026
9 published statements. Dates: April 8, 2025 to October 21, 2026
9 statements on this page. Dates: April 8, 2025 to October 21, 2026
Role at the time: Democratic U.S. senator from Illinois
Statement summary
Durbin welcomes Hubbard's release, says he never should have been jailed, and calls describing Putin as a humanitarian a disgrace to the Ukrainian soldiers and civilians Putin has killed.
“Calling the war criminal Vladimir Putin a "humanitarian" is a disgrace to the tens of thousands of Ukrainian soldiers and civilians that Putin has killed as part of his brutal war.”
Durbin's post on X welcoming Hubbard's release and criticizing the description of Putin as a humanitarian.
The case looks at Witkoff calling Putin a humanitarian. Durbin calls that description a disgrace, so we labeled it a condemnation.
Role at the time: US senator from Illinois and co-chair of the Senate Ukraine Caucus
Statement summary
Dick Durbin says negotiations over Ukraine's future must include Ukraine and that its future is not for Trump to sell out to Putin and Xi.
“Any negotiations about the future of Ukraine after years defending against Russian assault must include Ukraine. Ukraine has earned its freedom and right to determine its future—which are not for President Trump to sell out to Putin and Chinese President Xi because his halfhearted efforts to end the war have failed.”
Durbin issued this statement after speaking with Zelenskyy. The release identifies the new sanctions waiver, diesel purchases and reported intelligence limits as the actions at issue.
Archived copy (opens in a new tab)Durbin's statement responds to actions it says further cater to Putin, including the sanctions waiver, and says Ukraine's future is not Trump's to sell out to Putin and Xi.
Role at the time: Senate Judiciary Committee ranking member, writing with committee Democrats
Statement summary
Durbin asks Grassley to provide records and apologize to Smith on the committee's behalf. The letter calls the perjury accusations false.
“apologize to Mr. Smith on behalf of the Committee for the unacceptable personal attacks and false accusations of perjury”
The letter alleges violations of Senate records-access rules and criticizes accusations made during the September 29 hearing. Its assertions are the signers' position.
Archived copy (opens in a new tab)The letter describes the attacks as unacceptable and the accusations as false, expressing condemnation of Schmitt's questioning.
Role at the time: U.S. senator from Illinois and Senate Democratic whip
Statement summary
Sen. Dick Durbin called the Iran war unnecessary and illegal. He said Trump had ignored Congress's constitutional power to declare war and connected the fighting to higher fuel costs.
“Every day you fill up your gas tank, a trucker fills up their diesel tank, a farmer goes out in the field--and we are harvesting now in Illinois--and sees the cost of diesel fuel, every day, you remember this is a creation of the President of the United States for a war that was unnecessary, illegal, and didn't follow the Constitution at its outset.”
The official Congressional Record records Dick Durbin's Senate floor remarks on September 28. The passage describes his position on the Iran war.
Archived copy (opens in a new tab)The case asks about support for the war in Iran. Dick Durbin expressly criticizes the war, so we used Condemned.
Role at the time: U.S. Senator, Illinois
Statement summary
Dick Durbin voted yea on H.Con.Res. 89, a vote to direct the removal of U.S. forces from unauthorized hostilities with Iran.
“On the Concurrent Resolution H.Con.Res. 89: A concurrent resolution directing the President, pursuant to section 5(c) of the War Powers Resolution, to remove United States Armed Forces from hostilities with Iran.”
Official Senate roll call on H.Con.Res. 89, a concurrent resolution directing the President under section 5(c) of the War Powers Resolution to remove U.S. Armed Forces from hostilities with Iran. Rejected 49-50 on September 24, 2026. Fetterman was the only Democratic nay; Republicans Collins, Murkowski, Paul and Tillis voted yea; Alsobrooks did not vote.
Archived copy (opens in a new tab)Voted to direct the removal of U.S. forces from unauthorized hostilities with Iran, a vote to end U.S. involvement absent congressional authorization.
Role at the time: U.S. senator from Illinois and ranking member of the Senate Judiciary Committee
Statement summary
Sen. Dick Durbin said he would support Sen. John Curtis’s request that the Senate Judiciary Committee investigate and subpoena Donald Trump Jr. and Hunter Biden. Durbin said ignoring the matter could risk making the committee complicit in a cover-up.
“For the Committee to ignore this matter is to run the risk of being complicit in a coverup. I will join in supporting Senator Curtis’ request.”
Associated Press reporting published by PBS NewsHour attributes this statement to Sen. Dick Durbin. It is used to record Durbin’s position, not to establish the underlying allegations about Donald Trump Jr. or Umar Kremlev.
Archived copy (opens in a new tab)Durbin supports Curtis’s request for an inquiry and warns against inaction. In the dispute over whether the committee should issue a subpoena, that is a condemnation of declining to investigate.
Role at the time: U.S. Senator, Illinois
Statement summary
Richard Durbin voted Yea on H.Con.Res. 86, the Senate resolution directing the President to remove U.S. Armed Forces from hostilities with Iran.
“On the Concurrent Resolution H.Con.Res. 86: Directing the President, pursuant to section 5(c) of the War Powers Resolution, to remove United States Armed Forces from hostilities with Iran.”
Official Senate roll call on H.Con.Res. 86, directing the President under section 5(c) of the War Powers Resolution to remove U.S. Armed Forces from hostilities with Iran. Agreed to 50-48 on June 23, 2026 — the first Iran war powers resolution to pass both chambers. Republicans Cassidy, Collins, Murkowski and Paul voted yea; Fetterman was the only Democratic nay.
Archived copy (opens in a new tab)A yea vote supported directing the President to remove U.S. Armed Forces from hostilities with Iran, opposing continued U.S. involvement in the war without congressional authorization.
Role at the time: U.S. senator from Illinois and Senate Democratic whip
Statement summary
Durbin calls Citizens United mindless and criticizes treating businesses as having the same constitutional rights as individuals.
“This decision that we face today— Citizens United—was mindless. To say that a business has the same rights as individuals under the Constitution is a mindless conclusion.”
The Congressional Record prints Durbin's January 14 floor remarks. His office published a release the following day. His description of the ruling and its effects is his assessment.
Archived copy (opens in a new tab)The decision protecting corporate independent election spending is the action examined here. Durbin directly rejects its reasoning and criticizes its political effects; he is not merely proposing an unrelated ethics reform.
Role at the time: U.S. senator and Senate Judiciary Committee ranking member
Statement summary
Durbin criticizes the prospect of DOGE avoiding FOIA while exercising power to eliminate federal agencies. He asks what motivates its actions and what it should disclose to the public.
“I worry about where this is headed, if an agency with the power to eliminate Federal agencies is not subject to FOIA. What is motivating these people? What activities are they engaged in? What disclosures should they make to the American public?”
Durbin criticizes DOGE's claim that FOIA does not apply. Kwoka explains the independent-authority test and the preliminary nature of the court ruling.
Archived copy (opens in a new tab)The case concerns the government's effort to keep DOGE outside FOIA and resist discovery into its authority. Durbin criticizes exempting an office with such power from public-records accountability.
1 published statement. Dates: February 10, 2026
1 statement on this page. Dates: February 10, 2026
Role at the time: U.S. senator from Illinois and ranking member of the Senate Judiciary Committee
Statement summary
At a February 10, 2026 Senate Judiciary subcommittee hearing with telephone company executives, Sen. Dick Durbin said the hearing concerned a legal procedure, created by Congress and regularly deployed by federal prosecutors, to collect the toll records of people Donald Trump contacted in his efforts to overturn the 2020 election, and that it was not surprising Smith subpoenaed the call records of those Trump tried to enlist. He said Smith, not the phone companies, should be the witness.
“For reasons that aren't clear to me at all, we're here today to discuss Jack Smith's role in a legal procedure, a procedure created by Congress and regularly deployed by federal prosecutors to collect the toll records of people President Trump contacted in his efforts to overturn the election of 2020. ... Special Counsel Jack Smith investigated this criminal effort by President Trump to overturn the election. So it's not surprising that Mr. Smith subpoenaed the call records of those the President tried to enlist in his conspiracy. To the extent the committee has questions about this, it should be former Special Counsel Smith testifying as a witness today before this committee, not three telecom companies who responded to legally issued subpoenas.”
Senate Judiciary Committee's archived video of the February 10, 2026 subcommittee hearing with representatives of AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon and two former prosecutors. Durbin, the committee's ranking member, spoke before Chairman Grassley.
Archived copy (opens in a new tab)Durbin described the toll-record subpoenas as a routine legal procedure used against people Trump tried to enlist, not as improper conduct. That defends the collection as proper, so we labeled it Defended or excused.
