[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 171 (Tuesday, December 11, 2001)]
[Senate]
[Pages S12854-S12856]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   NOMINATION OF JORGE L. ARRIZURIETA

  Mr. ALLEN. Madam President, I rise today in strong support of 
President Bush's nominee to be U.S. Alternative Executive Director to 
the Inter-American Development Bank, Jorge L. Arrizurieta. I ask 
unanimous consent that letters of support for this nomination from our 
colleagues, Senator Graham and Senator Frist, as well as letters of 
support from Governor Bush of Florida, the Undersecretary of the 
Treasury for International Affairs, Mr. John Taylor, and the Special 
Assistant to the Assistant Attorney General, Mr. Jeffrey Ross, be 
printed in the Record at the conclusion of my remarks.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  (See Exhibit 1.)
  Mr. ALLEN. Mr. Arrizurieta's background represents a strong 
combination of public service at the Federal, State, and local levels. 
Previously, Mr. Arrizurieta worked for five years as the Director of 
State Projects for our former colleague Senator Mack where he did an 
outstanding job. He was also appointed by Governor Jeb Bush of Florida 
to the Post Secondary Education Planning Commission, where he was 
elected Vice Chairman by his colleagues.
  For the past eight years, Mr. Arrizurieta has been closely associated 
with corporate ventures of Mr. Wayne Huizenga, a southern Florida 
entrepreneur. As Vice President of Public Affairs for Huizenga 
Holdings, Mr. Arrizurieta has had the opportunity to meet and work with 
a broad variety of government and business leaders throughout the 
country and the Western Hemisphere. In this capacity he has worked on 
developing extensive business development outreach efforts in the Latin 
American and Caribbean region.
  Aside from these commitments, Mr. Arrizurieta has devoted his time 
and effort to many charitable, community and business organizations, 
including the Make A Wish Foundation, the Florida Chamber of Commerce, 
La Liga Contra el Cancer, and the Florida FTAA, Free Trade Area of the 
Americas, initiative as a founding member of its Board of Directors.
  Jorge Arrizurieta is the son of Cuban immigrants, is fluent in 
Spanish, and has a strong understanding of Latin American culture. His 
government affairs and community relations background will serve him 
well in a position where people and diplomatic skills are highly valued 
to advance the interests of the United States, and the efficacy of the 
bank as a political institution.
  I would like to note that a misimpression may have been left by 
questions raised at Mr. Arrizurieta's nomination hearing before the 
Committee on Foreign Relations, regarding a bank on whose board he 
serves. I call my colleagues' attention to the very helpful letter of 
clarification from the Department of Justice which I have entered into 
the Record and which should resolve any questions that arose during the 
Committee hearing.
  The nomination of Mr. Arrizurieta will come before the Committee on 
Foreign Relations soon. I urge my colleagues on the Committee to join 
me in voting to favorably report this nomination. Once the nomination 
has been reported from the Committee, I urge the Majority Leader to 
bring the nomination promptly before the Senate so that President Bush 
and the American people will have the benefit of Mr. Arrizurieta's 
strong background and

[[Page S12855]]

experience on the Inter-American Development Bank.

                               Exhibit 1


                                                  U.S. Senate,

                                Washington, DC, November 27, 2001.
     Hon. Joseph R. Biden, Jr.,
     Chairman, Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Dirksen 
         Building, U.S. Senate, Washington, DC.
       Dear Chairman Biden: I write today to support the 
     Administration's nominee for U.S. Alternate Executive 
     Director to the Inter-American Development Bank, Jorge 
     Arrizurieta, and ask that you also support this nomination.
       The son of Cuban immigrants, Jorge is a fellow Floridian, 
     and an American success story. Coupled with his fluency in 
     Spanish and strong understanding of the Latin American 
     culture, Jorge has a strong background in government and 
     community relations in Florida's large Latin-American 
     community.
       Mr. Arrizurieta's work with Senator Mack was well regarded 
     and extremely valuable to the Senator and all Floridians. At 
     the Huizenga organization he began his work as the Director 
     of Community Relations for the Florida Marlins Baseball Club. 
     The team's focus on marketing to Latin America and the 
     Caribbean allowed Mr. Arrizurieta the opportunity to meet and 
     work with many government and business leaders in the region 
     and assist the team in their efforts to become ``The Team of 
     the Americas.''
       His current duties at Huizenga Holdings include managing 
     the government relations for its business interests as 
     diverse as the Miami Dolphins Football Club, Pro Player 
     Stadium, and Autonation, Inc., the largest automotive 
     retailer in the world.
       Notwithstanding these responsibilities, Mr. Arrizurieta has 
     continued to make time to give back to his community. His 
     unselfish devotion to the Make A Wish Foundation, his work 
     with the Annenberg Educational Challenge, his key role with 
     the Florida FTAA (Free Trade Area of the Americas) effort as 
     a member of its Board of Directors and his appointed position 
     to the State of Florida's Post Secondary Education Planning 
     Commission, where he was elected Vice Chairman by his 
     colleagues, have prepared Mr. Arrizurieta very well for this 
     important position.
       Jorge Arrizurieta's proven background in community and 
     government relations will serve him well in a position where 
     people and diplomatic skills are highly valued to advance the 
     partnership between the U.S. and in the Americas. I urge you 
     to support his nomination.
           Sincerely,
                                                       Bob Graham,
     U.S. Senator.
                                  ____



                                                  U.S. Senate,

                                 Washington, DC, December 5, 2001.
     Hon. Joseph R. Biden, Jr.,
     Committee on Foreign Relations, U.S. Senate, Washington, DC.
       Dear Chairman Biden: I write today to support the 
     Administration's nominee for U.S. Alternate Executive 
     Director to the Inter-American Development Bank, Jorge 
     Arrizurieta.
       Mr. Arrizurieta is currently Vice-President of Public 
     Affairs for Huizenga Holding, Inc., managing government 
     relations for its business interests as diverse as The Miami 
     Dolphins Football Club, Pro-Player Stadium, various real 
     estate holdings, and AutoNation, Inc., the largest automotive 
     retailer in the world.
       In addition, Mr. Arrizurieta is no stranger to public 
     service. He served as Senator Connie Mack's Director of State 
     Projects, and was Vice-Chairman of the State of Florida's 
     Post Secondary Education Planning Commission. Mr. Arrizurieta 
     has always distinguished himself as an accomplished and 
     trusted leader. His integrity and commitment to his community 
     will serve him well.
       Mr. Arrizurieta has the talents and skills required to be 
     an effective and respected representative for the United 
     States at the InterAmerican Development Bank, and I urge your 
     favorable consideration of him for U.S. Alternative Executive 
     Director.
           Sincerely,
                                                       Bill Frist,
     U.S. Senator.
                                  ____



                             Governor of the State of Florida,

                                                November 30, 2001.
     Hon. Joseph R. Biden, Jr.,
     Chairman, Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Dirksen 
         Building, U.S. Senate, Washington, DC.
       Dear Chairman Biden: I write today to strongly support the 
     nomination of, Jorge Arrizurieta for US Alternate Executive 
     Director of the InterAmerican Development Bank, and that you 
     also support this nomination.
       I have known Jorge for over 15 years. The Arrizurieta 
     family was among the first families I came to know upon my 
     move to Miami. I have watched Jorge for many years in a 
     variety of political, business and community efforts. I can 
     assure you Jorge has the ability, the integrity and 
     dedication that will be required of him in this most 
     important position.
       Jorge's abilities and good work were very visible during 
     his five years with Senator Connie Mack's office. For the 
     last eight years he has been associated with Wayne Huizenga's 
     organization in a variety of positions. From the Director of 
     Community Relations position with the Florida Marlins, to the 
     current position where he serves as the holding company's 
     Vice President of Public Affairs, he has always been very 
     effective and enjoyed the respect of his peers. These 
     positions have prepared him very well for his return to 
     public service.
       I appointed Jorge to a position on the State's Post 
     Secondary Education Planning Commission, where his colleagues 
     elected him Vice Chairman. Here again he served successfully 
     and with extreme dedication. Through his role on the 
     commission, he was very helpful to our efforts in the 
     reorganization of the state's education system.
       Jorge has all the ingredients required to do an effective 
     job in an area where diplomatic and business skills are 
     required in equal measure. Jorge has always made me proud of 
     his work and commitment to our nation. I know he will serve 
     our country very successfully and effectively. I urge you to 
     support this excellent nomination.
           Sincerely,
     Jeb Bush.
                                  ____



                                   Department of the Treasury,

                                Washington, DC, November 27, 2001.
     Hon. Joseph R. Biden, Jr.,
     Chairman, Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Dirksen 
         Building, U.S. Senate, Washington, DC.
       Dear Chairman Biden: I write today to strongly support the 
     Administration's nominee for U.S. Alternate Executive 
     Director to the Inter-American Development Bank, Jorge 
     Arrizurieta, and ask that you also support this nomination.
       Mr. Arrizurieta's background is a strong combination of 
     public service and government and community relations in 
     Florida's Latin-American community. Previously, Mr. 
     Arrizurieta performed public service in government as the 
     Director of State Projects for Senator Connie Mack, in which 
     I understand his work was extremely well regarded. He was 
     also appointed to the State of Florida Post Secondary 
     Education Planning Commission and was elected Vice Chairman 
     by his colleagues.
       Mr. Arrizurieta was also the Director of Community 
     Relations for the Florida Marlins Baseball Club. The team's 
     focus on marketing to Latin America and the Caribbean allowed 
     Mr. Arrizurieta the opportunity to meet and work with many 
     government and business leaders in the region and assist the 
     team in their efforts to become ``The Team of the Americas.'' 
     In this capacity he worked in developing extensive business 
     development outreach efforts in the Latin American and 
     Caribbean region.
       His responsibilities at Huizenga Holdings include managing 
     the government relations for its business interests as 
     diverse as the Miami Dolphins Football Club, Pro Player 
     Stadium, Autonation, Inc. (the largest automotive retailer in 
     the world) and Alamo and National Rental Car.
       Notwithstanding these commitments, Mr. Arrizurieta has 
     donated his time and effort to our society through his 
     devotion to many charitable, community and business 
     organizations--including the Make A Wish Foundation and the 
     Florida FTAA (Free Trade Area of the Americas) effort as a 
     founding member of its Board of Directors.
       To sum up, Jorge Arrizurieta is an accomplished Hispanic-
     American. He is the son of Cuban immigrants, is fluent in 
     Spanish, and has a strong understanding of the Latin American 
     culture. His proven background in government affairs and 
     community relations will serve him well in a position where 
     people and diplomatic skills are highly valued to advance the 
     interests and influence of the U.S. The Atlantic U.S. 
     Executive Director to the Inter-American Development Bank 
     takes policy direction from the Treasury Department, and I 
     hope to have the opportunity to work, and achieve success 
     with, Mr. Arrizurieta in this capacity.
       If you or your staff would like to meet Mr. Arrizurieta, he 
     is available at any time. I urge you to support this 
     excellent nomination.
           Sincerely,
                                                   John B. Taylor,
     Under Secretary for International Affairs.
                                  ____

                                       U.S. Department of Justice,


                                            Criminal Division,

                                    Washington, DC, June 12, 1998.
     Mr. Javier Aguirre,
     Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer, 
         International Finance Bank, Miami, FL.
       Dear Mr. Aguirre: The purpose of this letter is to correct 
     any misimpressions that might have resulted from the May 20, 
     1998, joint U.S. Department of the Treasury and Department of 
     Justice press release captioned: ``Operation Casablanca 
     Continues Its Sweep: Money Laundering Case Extends to 
     Venezuela.'' The press release misidentified International 
     Finance Bank as being a Venezuelan bank. Further, the press 
     release should be read as stating only that accounts at 
     International Finance Bank received funds wired through the 
     undercover operation. Neither International Finance Bank nor 
     any of its employees were the subject of the criminal 
     indictments returned as a result of Operation Casablanca.
       We understand that, despite this fact, you are concerned 
     over downstream news accounts suggesting or even stating that 
     your institution or its employees were involved in the 
     laundering of drug money through accounts in your bank. The 
     public material released from the Justice and Treasury 
     Departments does not indicate that your bank or any bank 
     employee was charged with any criminal wrongdoing. I know you 
     feel the

[[Page S12856]]

     public may reach a contrary conclusion because the name of 
     your bank was mentioned in public documents, but I again 
     assure you that the indictment and public statements convey 
     nothing more than a list of the Venezuelan banks through 
     which undercover drug funds were laundered.
       Please feel free to circulate the contents of this letter 
     as you deem appropriate.
           Sincerely,

                                              L. Jeffrey Ross,

                                          Special Assistant to the
     Assistant Attorney General.

                          ____________________