[Congressional Record Volume 159, Number 108 (Thursday, July 25, 2013)]
[Senate]
[Page S5964]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        TRIBUTE TO KEVIN COVERT

  Mr. CARDIN. Mr. President, I wish to recognize Kevin Covert, our 
human rights officer at the U.S. Embassy in Moscow. Very shortly, he 
will move on to another assignment as is the usual practice at the 
Department of State. During his recent tour, Mr. Covert brought a 
remarkable level of initiative and leadership to his job. A diplomatic 
first responder to raids, attacks, and show trials, his was the face of 
American diplomacy there to listen to the stories of civil society 
leaders who found themselves branded foreign agents for simply working 
to better their own country. His handshake was there to remind those 
Russians who dared meet with him that the United States is committed to 
telling their story for the record and will not forget them--and Mr. 
Covert did just that as a lead drafter of the Russia section of the 
annual Country Reports on Human Rights Practices as well as through 
objective and incisive reporting chronicling an assault on rights 
unprecedented in modern Russia. All the while, his composure, and 
likely a good sense of humor, enabled him to listen patiently to host 
government interlocutors as American concerns were disingenuously 
construed as so much meddling while he politely, and with good judgment 
and integrity, reminded his counterparts of their own freely undertaken 
commitments to the rule of law and democracy.
  As chairman of the U.S. Helsinki Commission and a senior member of 
the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, I have the regular opportunity, 
and distinct honor, to interact with the hard-working men and women of 
the Foreign Service. They do not wear uniforms, but they make numerous 
sacrifices, take significant risks, and serve our country honorably.
  Our relations with Russia are at the heart of a truly comprehensive 
security and cooperation in Europe and I have paid close attention to 
this country in recent years. In that context, I am acutely aware of 
the challenges that our diplomats, serving in Russia under the 
leadership of Ambassador Mike McFaul, face. Over the past year, as a 
crackdown on fundamental freedoms gained scope and speed, professionals 
at our embassy in Russia never wavered in their support for the 
universal values that we as Americans hold especially dear. Our 
personnel, particularly those covering sensitive issues such as human 
rights, met adversity with poise and served our Nation with great 
dedication. They represent this country well and do us all proud.
  Mr. Covert will be missed in Moscow by his colleagues at Post, as 
well as by countless Russians who got to know him in recent years. I 
salute Kevin Covert and all his State Department colleagues working the 
Russia beat during this difficult, but exciting, period of change.

                          ____________________