[Congressional Record Volume 159, Number 108 (Thursday, July 25, 2013)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5933-S5934]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


   NOMINATION OF DEREK ANTHONY WEST TO BE ASSOCIATE ATTORNEY GENERAL

  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. Under the previous order, the 
Senate will proceed to executive session to consider the following 
nomination, which the clerk will report.
  The assistant legislative clerk read the nomination of Derek Anthony 
West, of California, to be Associate Attorney General.
  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. Under the previous order, there 
will be 1 hour of debate equally divided and controlled in the usual 
form prior to a vote on the nomination.
  Mr. LEAHY. Mr. President, today the Senate considers President 
Obama's nomination of Tony West to be the Associate Attorney General, 
the No. 3 position at the Justice Department. He is a superbly 
qualified veteran of the Department of Justice who has been serving in 
this position in an acting capacity for over a year. He had previously 
been confirmed by the Senate to be the Assistant Attorney General for 
the Civil Division.
  Before his work in the Justice Department, Mr. West spent 8 years in 
private practice in San Francisco, where he was a partner at a well-
respected law firm and specialized in complex commercial litigation. He 
also served as a special assistant attorney general in the California 
Department of Justice, as an assistant U.S. attorney for the Northern 
District of California, and as a special assistant to two Deputy 
Attorneys General at the U.S. Department of Justice. Mr. West earned 
his B.A. from Harvard, and his J.D. from Stanford University Law 
School, where he was elected president of the Stanford Law Review.
  The Judiciary Committee received dozens of letters in support of Tony 
West from various individuals and organizations, including the 
International Association of Chiefs of Police, the U.S. Conference of 
Mayors, the National Association of Attorneys General, the National 
Sheriff's Association, and Taxpayers Against Fraud. The National 
Association of Black Law Enforcement Executives wrote that ``throughout 
Mr. West's career, he has proven to be an effective partner to law 
enforcement. With this experience, we believe him to be well-qualified 
to serve as Associate Attorney General and look forward to working with 
him on a broad range of law enforcement and public safety issues. It is 
our hope that the Senate will confirm Mr. West promptly to serve as the 
Associate Attorney General of the United States.''

[[Page S5934]]

This endorsement is typical of the many letters sent in support of Mr. 
West. I ask unanimous consent that a list of all 36 letters of support 
for Mr. West's nomination be printed in the Record at the conclusion of 
my statement.
  I am confident that Tony West is well-qualified to be Associate 
Attorney General, and I hope he will be confirmed without further 
delay.
  There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in 
the Record, as follows:

                     Letters received for Tony West

       May 14, 2013--Esta Soler, President and Founder, Futures 
     Without Violence
       May 14, 2013--Ann Harkins, President and CEO, National 
     Crime Prevention Counsel
       May 14, 2013--William J. Bratton, President and CEO, The 
     Bratton Group LLC
       May 15, 2013--Randy I. Bellows, Circuit Court Judge, 
     Fairfax County
       May 15, 2013--Gregory P. Suhr, Chief of Police, San 
     Franciso
       May 15, 2013--Robert Wolf, CEO, 32 Advisors, LLC
       May 15, 2013--Anthony W. Batts, Police Commissioner, 
     Baltimore Police Department
       May 15, 2013--Charlie Beck, Chief of Police, LAPD
       May 16, 2013--Christine Varney, former AAG (Antitrust)
       May 16, 2013--Aaron D. Kennard, Executive Director, 
     National Sheriff's Association
       May 16, 2013--Richard Parsons, Senior Advisor, Providence 
     Equity
       May 16, 2013--Kim J. Raney, President, California Police 
     Chiefs Association
       May 16, 2013--Scott R. Seaman, Chief of Police, Los Gatos/
     Monte Sereno Police Department
       May 16, 2013--Jamie S. Gorelick, former DAG
       May 17, 2013--Luis G. Fortuno, Former Governor, Puerto Rico
       May 17, 2013--Alejandro J. Garcia-Padilla, Governor, Puerto 
     Rico
       May 17, 2013--National Organization of Black Law 
     Enforcement Executives
       May 20, 2013--Jefferson Keel, President, National Congress 
     of American Indians
       May 20, 2013--Marcia L. Fudge, Chair, Congressional Black 
     Caucus
       May 20, 2013--David S. Kris, former AAG (National Security)
       May 20, 2013--NAACP
       May 20, 2013--William M. Lansdowne, Chief of Police, San 
     Diego
       May 20, 2013--Bill Lee, former AAG (Civil Rights)
       May 20, 2013--Ken Salazar, former Secretary of the Interior
       May 21, 2013--Mai Fernandez, Executive Director, National 
     Center for Victims of Crime
       May 21, 2013--Bernard K. Melekian, former director, DOJ 
     Office of Community Policing Services
       May 22, 2013--State Attorneys General
       May 22, 2013--Craig T. Steckler, President, International 
     Association of Chiefs of Police
       May 22, 2013--Leadership Conference
       May 22, 2013--Michael A. Nutter, Mayor of Philadelphia, 
     President of the U.S. Conference of Mayors
       May 22, 2013--Mark L. Shurtleff, former Utah Attorney 
     General
       May 22, 2013--Catherine W. Sanz, President, WIFLE 
     Foundation, Inc.
       May 23, 2013--National Association of Attorneys General
       May 23, 2013--Janet Murguia, President and CEO, NCLR
       May 28, 2013--Neil Getnick, Chairman, Taxpayers Against 
     Fraud
       May 28, 2013--Michael Brune, Executive Director, Sierra 
     Club

  Mrs. FEINSTEIN. Mr. President, I am pleased that the Senate is 
considering Tony West's nomination to be Associate Attorney General of 
the United States today. I have a great deal of respect for Tony. As a 
fellow Californian, I know he will serve the position of Associate 
Attorney General with distinction.
  The role of the Associate Attorney General--the third-highest ranking 
position at the Department--is to help lead the Justice Department and 
to oversee the Department's civil units, such as the Civil Division, 
Antitrust Division, and Tax Division, as well as the Office of Justice 
Programs, which provides grants, including to State and local law 
enforcement.
  Mr. West's qualifications for this position are unquestionable. He 
has served as Acting Associate Attorney General since March 2012. He 
also spent 3 years as Assistant Attorney General of the Civil Division, 
so he is no stranger to the responsibilities and demands of leadership 
in the Justice Department.
  From 2001 to 2009, Mr. West was a partner at Morrison & Foerster LLP, 
where he represented major corporations in securities litigation, 
antitrust cases, and white-collar criminal defense.
  From 1994 to 1999, he served as assistant U.S. attorney in the 
Northern District of California for 5 years. He prosecuted high-tech 
crimes, bank robberies, fraud schemes, and sexual exploitation 
offenses.
  He received his bachelor's degree from Harvard University and later 
earned his law degree at Stanford Law School, where he was president of 
the Stanford Law Review.
  Simply put, Tony West brings a great deal of experience in Justice 
Department leadership, private practice, and criminal prosecution to 
this position.
  I am confident he will do an outstanding job, and I urge my 
colleagues to support his nomination.
  Mrs. MURRAY. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the time 
under the quorum call be divided equally.
  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. Without objection, it is so 
ordered.
  Mrs. MURRAY. Mr. President, I yield the floor and I suggest the 
absence of a quorum.
  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The clerk will call the roll.
  The assistant legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. VITTER. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for 
the quorum call be rescinded.
  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. Without objection, it is so 
ordered.