[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.
____________________