[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 31 (Monday, March 13, 2006)]
[Senate]
[Pages S2047-S2048]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


                           EXECUTIVE CALENDAR

  Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate 
immediately proceed to executive session to consider the following 
nominations on today's Executive Calendar: Calendar Nos. 549, 551, 552, 
554, 555, 557, 558, 559, 560, 562, 563, 564, 565, and all nominations 
on the Secretary's desk.
  I further ask unanimous consent that the nominations be confirmed en 
bloc, the motions to reconsider be laid upon the table, the President 
be immediately notified of the Senate's action, and the Senate then 
return to legislative session.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The nominations considered and confirmed en bloc are as follows:


                         DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE

       Terrance P. Flynn, of New York, to be United States 
     Attorney for the Western District of New York for the term of 
     four years.


                        DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

       Michell C. Clark, of Virginia, to be Assistant Secretary 
     for Management, Department of Education.


                          DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

       Edwin G. Foulke, Jr., of South Carolina, to be an Assistant 
     Secretary of Labor.


           NATIONAL FOUNDATION ON THE ARTS AND THE HUMANITIES

       Jean B. Elshtain, of Tennessee, to be a Member of the 
     National Council on the Humanities for the remainder of the 
     term expiring January 26, 2010.
       Allen C. Guelzo, of Pennsylvania, to be a Member of the 
     National Council on the Humanities for a term expiring 
     January 26, 2012.


              JAMES MADISON MEMORIAL FELLOWSHIP FOUNDATION

       George Perdue, of Georgia, to be a Member of the Board of 
     Trustees of the James Madison Memorial Fellowship Foundation 
     for a term expiring November 5, 2006.


                INSTITUTE OF MUSEUM AND LIBRARY SERVICES

       Anne-Imelda Radice, of Vermont, to be Director of the 
     Institute of Museum and Library Services.


                        DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

       Craig T. Ramey, of West Virginia, to be a Member of the 
     Board of Directors of the National Board for Education 
     Sciences for a term of two years.


                       LEGAL SERVICES CORPORATION

       Sarah M. Singleton, of New Mexico, to be a Member of the 
     Board of Directors of the Legal Services Corporation for a 
     term expiring July 13, 2008.


                         DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE

       Donald J. DeGabrielle, Jr., of Texas, to be United States 
     Attorney for the Southern District of Texas for the term of 
     four years.
       John Charles Richter, of Oklahoma, to be United States 
     Attorney for the Western District of Oklahoma for the term of 
     four years.
       Amul R. Thapar, of Kentucky, to be United States Attorney 
     for the Eastern District of Kentucky for the term of four 
     years.
       Mauricio J. Tamargo, of Florida, to be Chairman of the 
     Foreign Claims Settlement Commission of the United States for 
     a term expiring September 30, 2009.

               Nominations Placed on the Secretary's Desk


                         PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICE

       PN936 Public Health Service nomination of Leah Hill, which 
     was received by the Senate and appeared in the Congressional 
     Record of September 28, 2005.
       PN937 Public Health Service nominations (262) beginning 
     Gregory A. Abbott, and ending Carl A. Huffman III, which 
     nominations

[[Page S2048]]

     were received by the Senate and appeared in the Congressional 
     Record of September 28, 2005.


                 nomination of donald degabrielle, jr.

  Mr. CORNYN. Mr. President, I rise to express my enthusiastic support 
for Don DeGabrielle, an outstanding attorney and committed public 
servant who has been nominated by the President to serve as the U.S. 
attorney for the Southern District of Texas.
  The Southern District of Texas is home to Houston, our Nation's 
fourth largest city. The district extends from Houston to the U.S.-
Mexico border, and includes the cities of Brownsville, McAllen, and 
Laredo--all of which are located on or near the border.
  The position for which Don DeGabrielle is nominated has been vacant 
for some time now. As my colleagues know, the U.S. attorney is each 
district's chief Federal law enforcement officer. So it is critically 
important to the Department of Justice and to the people of the 
Southern District that this vacancy be filled as soon as possible.
  Don DeGabrielle is an outstanding selection for this post. He brings 
extensive and praiseworthy prosecutorial experience. Don DeGabrielle 
has served the Southern District as an assistant U.S. attorney for the 
past 20 years--the last 4 as first assistant U.S. attorney. As first 
assistant, he was responsible for the day-to-day management of the 
district, supervising an extensive criminal, civil, and appellate 
docket.
  Don DeGabrielle has unimpeachable credentials as a prosecutor. He has 
tried nearly 200 cases in both State and Federal courts, has been an 
instructor at the National Advocacy Center, and has provided legal 
instruction to Federal agents.
  Don DeGabrielle's diverse experience includes a stint in 2001 as the 
Resident Legal Adviser to the Republic of South Africa, where he 
advised that nation's prosecutors and helped reorganize its Justice 
Ministry. Prior to his career as a prosecutor, he served as an FBI 
special agent in New Orleans and New York City.
  In short, Don DeGabrielle's unique qualifications make this 
nomination a superb one. I am confident that he will serve this country 
with distinction. And I am proud to support his nomination.


                      nomination of amul r. thapar

  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, it is my great honor and privilege 
today to speak on behalf of Amul R. Thapar, the President's nominee to 
be the next U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky. Mr. 
Thapar is an outstanding man of great credentials and character. He has 
many years of experience successfully prosecuting some of America's 
most wanted criminals, and his confirmation will lead to a safer, more 
just Kentucky.
  Mr. Thapar has served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in Cincinnati 
since 2002. In that position, he has managed the successful prosecution 
of a wide variety of Federal crimes, with an emphasis on public 
corruption, homeland security, and violent crimes.
  Mr. Thapar led the Southern Ohio Mortgage Fraud Task Force, which 
successfully prosecuted approximately 40 perpetrators of mortgage 
fraud. Last year, he led the successful investigation and prosecution 
of a conspiracy ring to provide illegal aliens with fraudulent drivers' 
licenses.
  Mr. Thapar also served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney right here in 
Washington, DC, from 1999 to 2001. He went after violent criminals in 
the District, and had a role in prosecuting the notorious ``Starbucks 
Homicides'' that happened in Georgetown several years ago.
  For his excellence in public service, Mr. Thapar has been recognized 
by the Department of Justice, which honored him with a special 
achievement award; by the Postal Inspection Service, for his many 
successful investigations of violent and white-collar crimes; by the 
Secret Service for his efforts to fight counterfeiting; and the FBI for 
his campaigns against bank fraud and election fraud.
  Mr. Thapar is an accomplished attorney in private practice as well. 
He has worked as an associate at both the prestigious Squire, Sanders & 
Dempsey law firm of Cincinnati and the Williams & Connolly law firm of 
Washington, DC. In both of those jobs, he managed and litigated complex 
cases on behalf of major corporations in both Federal and State courts.
  Mr. Thapar has served as an adjunct professor at Georgetown 
University Law Center, and until recently served as an adjunct 
professor at the University of Cincinnati College of Law, where he 
taught Federal criminal practice. He has clerked for Judge Nathaniel R. 
Jones of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit and Judge S. 
Arthur Spiegel of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of 
Ohio.
  Even while managing such an impressive career, Amul still finds time 
to volunteer in his community. In 1995, he founded the Cincinnati 
chapter of the well-respected Street Law program. Street Law sends law 
school students into underprivileged high schools to teach kids about 
the basic underpinnings of our legal system, and the rights and 
responsibilities inherent in being an American citizen. Hundreds of 
students have benefited from Amul's initiative, and the program is 
larger and more successful than ever after 11 years.
  Amul graduated from the renowned Boalt Hall School of Law of the 
University of California after receiving his undergraduate degree with 
high honors from Boston College. In addition to his remarkable career 
accomplishments, Amul has a remarkable family, and I am sure his wife, 
Kimberly, and his children, Zachary, Carmen and Nicholas, are very 
proud of him and all he has achieved.
  The President has made the right choice by calling on Amul to serve 
the people of Kentucky as the chief law enforcement officer for the 
State's Eastern District. Amul's entire career has prepared him for 
this assignment. He has risen to the top of his field to become a 
stellar career prosecutor. He has gained valuable experience in 
handling all types of cases. And, most importantly, he is a man of 
integrity, intelligence, and spirit, who has a deep desire to seek out 
justice on behalf of those who deserve it.
  I appreciate my fellow Senators' expeditious handling of Mr. Thapar's 
nomination, and I am confident he has the energy and the experience to 
excel as Kentucky's next U.S. Attorney.

                          ____________________