[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 82 (Thursday, May 17, 2007)]
[Senate]
[Pages S6310-S6311]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 SENATE RESOLUTION 207--CALLING ON THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES 
   IMMEDIATELY TO RECOMMEND NEW CANDIDATES FOR THE POSITIONS OF THE 
    ATTORNEY GENERAL OF THE UNITED STATES AND THE PRESIDENT OF THE 
 INTERNATIONAL BANK FOR RECONSTRUCTION AND DEVELOPMENT (COMMONLY KNOWN 
   AS THE ``WORLD BANK'') IN ORDER TO PRESERVE THE INTEGRITY AND THE 
        EFFICACY OF THE DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE AND THE WORLD BANK

  Mr. DODD submitted the following resolution; which was referred to 
the Committee on the Judiciary:

                              S. Res. 207

       Whereas the Department of Justice is responsible for 
     upholding and enforcing the law throughout the United States 
     of America;
       Whereas the Attorney General, as the Nation's chief law 
     enforcement official, must place the rule of law above 
     partisan political gain;
       Whereas Attorney General Alberto Gonzales has consistently 
     provided misleading and incomplete testimony to Congress 
     regarding his role in the inappropriate and politically 
     motivated firings of at least 8 United States Attorneys, as 
     well as refusing to acknowledge widespread concern within the 
     Department of Justice on the legality of its domestic 
     surveillance program;
       Whereas, according to the testimony of former Deputy 
     Attorney General James Comey, Attorney General Alberto 
     Gonzales, while White House Counsel, attempted to pressure 
     then-Attorney General John Ashcroft to authorize a domestic 
     surveillance program that the Department of Justice itself 
     had determined had ``no legal basis'', while he was in the 
     intensive care unit of George Washington University Hospital 
     and had relinquished the powers of the Attorney General;
       Whereas the current controversies surrounding the Attorney 
     General have undermined the effectiveness and integrity of 
     the Department of Justice and have contributed to a reduction 
     in morale among employees who have important work to 
     accomplish;
       Whereas the International Bank for Reconstruction and 
     Development, in this resolution referred to as the ``World 
     Bank'', plays a vital role in global efforts to reduce 
     poverty, aid development, and promote good governance in all 
     nations in which it operates;
       Whereas anti-corruption efforts have been a key element of 
     the World Bank strategy under both the current and previous 
     Bank Presidents;
       Whereas Paul D. Wolfowitz, President of the World Bank, 
     arranged for a pay and promotion package for Shaha Ali Riza, 
     a bank employee with whom he had a personal relationship, 
     upon becoming President in 2005;
       Whereas, on May 14, 2007, an Ethics Committee of the World 
     Bank investigating this incident reported to the World Bank's 
     Board of Directors that ``Mr. Wolfowitz's contract requiring 
     that he adhere to the Code of Conduct for board officials and 
     that he avoid any conflict of interest, real or apparent, 
     were violated'' in arranging for a pay raise and promotion 
     for Shaha Ali Riza, thus contravening World Bank ethical and 
     governance rules;
       Whereas, on April 26, 2007, more than 40 members of the 
     Bank's anti-corruption unit issued a statement declaring that 
     due to corruption allegations against Mr. Wolfowitz, ``The 
     credibility of our front-line staff is eroding in the face of 
     legitimate questions from our clients about the bank's 
     ability to practice what it preaches on governance'';
       Whereas several of the World Bank's largest donors, 
     including European nations who supply a major portion of the 
     World Bank's operating revenue, have warned that they might 
     withhold funds for the World Bank so long as Mr. Wolfowitz 
     remains in office; and
       Whereas the actions of Attorney General Gonzales and Mr. 
     Wolfowitz have created a crisis of confidence and credibility 
     within two vital institutions with serious national and 
     international consequences and merit decisive action by the 
     President of the United States: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Senate calls on the President of the 
     United States immediately to recommend new candidates for the 
     positions of the Attorney General of the United States and 
     the President of the World Bank in order to preserve the 
     integrity and the efficacy of the Department of Justice and 
     the World Bank.

  Mr. DODD. Mr. President, I send a resolution to the desk, which next 
week I will ask my colleagues to consider. I do so with some 
reluctance, but we have reached a point where the concerns revolving 
around the Attorney General's Office as well as the head of the World 
Bank have come to a point where I think this body ought to express 
itself, given the concerns that are mounting about these individuals' 
ability to perform their functions.
  Washington, DC, has always been home to controversies. We know that. 
But the ones currently swirling around the Department of Justice and 
the World Bank are simply unacceptable and I think must come to an end. 
The President, in my view, must assume the responsibility here.
  We are focused on calling for resignations, but the Commander in 
Chief, the President, is where the buck stops. He bears the 
responsibility to replace these individuals if they have reached a 
point where they no longer have the ability to run these institutions, 
instilling the kind of confidence and global support the American 
public would expect.
  I do not say this with any sense of glee at all, but I think we have 
arrived at a moment where a change of leadership in these two offices 
is essential.
  Let me begin with Mr. Gonzales, if I may, whose saga continues to 
unfold, with each revelation more disturbing than the last.
  The Attorney General is the chief law enforcement officer of the 
country. He must be above politics, and put administration of justice 
above partisan gain. Clearly, that is not the case here. It is now 
abundantly clear the Attorney General has placed his friendship and 
allegiance to the President above the sworn duty to defend and protect 
the Constitution. These are not allegations I have made alone; others 
have also made these points.
  We heard Tuesday in the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing the 
shocking testimony of the former Deputy Attorney General of the United 
States

[[Page S6311]]

about Mr. Gonzales' role while White House Counsel, attempting to 
pressure then-Attorney General John Ashcroft to authorize domestic 
surveillance despite the fact that the Justice Department, under John 
Ashcroft, determined that would be illegal. He went to Attorney General 
Ashcroft's bedside when he was in critical condition to try to secure 
his signature to allow those practices to go forward. This is not 
healthy. It is hurting our country, hurting the morale of the Justice 
Department, and it is time for the President to step forward and 
appoint a new Attorney General.
  Let me, if I quickly can, turn to the President of the World Bank, 
Mr. Wolfowitz. The World Bank, as we all know, plays a vital role in 
global efforts to reduce poverty, aid development, and promote good 
governance in all nations in which it operates. Mr. Wolfowitz in 
particular made fighting corruption his signature issue at the bank; 
yet we know of the allegations here. I don't need to go into detail 
about them. My colleagues know what they are; they have been widely 
reported. A World Bank ethics committee investigating this incident 
reported to the World Bank's Board of Directors:

       Mr. Wolfowitz's contract requiring that he adhere to the 
     Code of Conduct for board officials and that he avoid any 
     conflict of interest, real or apparent, was violated.

  That is their conclusion. In short, I believe Mr. Wolfowitz broke the 
World Bank's ethical and governance rules, and instead of combating 
corruption abroad, as he pledged to do, his actions brought it to the 
heart of the World Bank.
  I point out that 40 members of the Bank's anti-corruption unit issued 
a statement saying this:

       The credibility of our front-line staff is eroding in the 
     face of legitimate questions from our clients about the 
     bank's ability to practice what it preaches on governance.

  These are not my words; again, these are the words of the World Bank 
staff. Their work is being compromised by the actions of their 
President.
  Moreover, several of the World Bank's largest donors, including 
European nations who supply a major portion of the World Bank's 
operating revenue, have warned they might withhold these funds for the 
World Bank so long as Mr. Wolfowitz remains in office.
  I don't take any pleasure in suggesting this. But when the Justice 
Department and the World Bank are under assault because of the actions 
of their two leaders, it is time for the American President, who has 
the authority to replace these individuals, to do so. I know there is 
reluctance on the part of my colleagues to involve themselves in some 
of these matters, but when institutions as important as the Justice 
Department and the World Bank are suffering from loss of credibility, I 
think it is incumbent on this body to express itself.
  At an appropriate time next week I will ask for this resolution to be 
considered by this body. I know we have the important matter of 
immigration to consider, but this matter is also important.
  Of course, should the President move forward and call for the 
resignations and replace these individuals, then this resolution would 
be moot. In the meantime, I intend to press forward with this idea. I 
urge my colleagues in both parties to support this resolution, 
regardless of their feelings about these individuals or their personal 
relationships with them--we bear a responsibility that goes beyond 
personalities here.
  The Justice Department deserves better. The World Bank deserves 
better. I hope my colleagues will join in a bipartisan way to express 
the sense of the Senate that the President ought to replace these 
individuals and restore the confidence and the good feelings we all 
ought to have about both of these institutions.

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