Denis McDonough quotes:

President Obama understands that, as a nation founded by those who fled religious persecution, freedom of religion is central to who we are as Americans. Our rights are not given to us by government, they are endowed by our Creator.

I'm indebted to the teachers who shaped me - from the Sisters of St. Joseph at St. Croix Catholic elementary to the monks of St. John's in Minnesota to my professors at Georgetown.

The bottom line is this. When it comes to preventing violent extremism and terrorism in the United States, Muslim Americans are not part of the problem, you're part of the solution.

I grew up in Stillwater, Minnesota in a proud Catholic family.

Preventing radicalization that leads to violence here in America is part of our larger strategy to decisively defeat al Qaeda.

As a husband, father and public servant, I'm thankful for the counsel and wisdom of my older brothers - Bill, who was a priest, and Kevin, who is a priest.

Sunday afternoons at a parish center - or a community center - is familiar territory for me.

We're happy to see, obviously, the resounding support for Judge [Merric] Garland, an unbelievable - unbelievably strong, unquestioned excellence as a judge for the last 18 years on the second highest court in the land and somebody who's dedicated his life to the law.

Being religious is quintessentially American.

We've seen some good progress, some good forward momentum. We have about Republican senators who have now indicated that they'll meet with Judge Merric Garland.

Before we announced Judge Merric Garland, people were saying they would not even deign to meet with him. And we're also aware that early in the week, when the Congress comes back, in fact, Senator Collins, the Republican from Maine, has agreed to meet with Judge Garland up in the Senate.