[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 57 (Tuesday, April 8, 2014)]
[Senate]
[Pages S2231-S2232]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
CARLIN CONFIRMATION
Mrs. FEINSTEIN. Mr. President, I supported the confirmation of Mr.
John Carlin to be Assistant Attorney General for National Security in
the Department of Justice, DOJ.
Mr. Carlin was serving as the Acting Assistant Attorney General for
National Security, the top position in the National Security Division
at the Department of Justice, which brings together the
counterterrorism, intelligence, and counterintelligence efforts within
DOJ.
The National Security Division is also important because it reviews
and approves requests to the FISA Court for surveillance authorities.
Mr. Carlin has superb experience for the position to which he has
been confirmed, having served as the Acting Assistant Attorney General
since his
[[Page S2232]]
predecessor, Lisa Monaco, went to the White House last year to be
President Obama's top advisor for counterterrorism and homeland
security.
Before his position as Acting Assistant Attorney General, Mr. Carlin
was the Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General and chief of staff
for the National Security Division. From 2007 to 2011, he served in
leadership roles at the FBI, including as chief of staff to FBI
Director Robert Mueller.
Mr. Carlin also served in a variety of positions in the Department
between 1999 and 2007, including as a career Federal prosecutor, where
Mr. Carlin served as National Coordinator of DOJ's Computer Hacking and
Intellectual Property, CHIP, program. Before that, he was an assistant
U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia, where he prosecuted cases
ranging from homicide and sex crimes to cyber, fraud, and public
corruption matters.
In one noteworthy case, he obtained a guilty verdict against Modou
Camara on charges of conspiracy, fraud, and money laundering, in
connection with real estate transactions in which Camara persuaded
unqualified buyers to submit fraudulent loan applications through a
first-time homebuyer program run by the Department of Housing and Urban
Development's, HUD, Federal Housing Administration, FHA. Through this
scheme, Camara bought properties at low prices and sold them--usually
on the same day that he purchased them--at an artificially inflated
price for a large profit. When Camara's recruited purchasers failed to
repay their loans, HUD was forced to reimburse the lender. HUD lost
over $1 million due to Camara's scheme.
As a prosecutor, he also obtained convictions in cases against a
defendant who tortured and murdered a baby girl, a defendant who bribed
former Congressman ``Duke'' Cunningham, and a defendant who was charged
with first-degree murder.
Mr. Carlin was approved by the Intelligence Committee on March 4,
2014, and by the Judiciary Committee on February 6, 2014. Both
committees received several letters in support of Mr. Carlin from
senior officials and colleagues from both sides of the aisle.
I fully support Mr. Carlin's confirmation.
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