[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.