[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 145 (Tuesday, December 2, 2014)]
[Senate]
[Pages S6240-S6241]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
Bell Nomination
Mr. McCAIN. Mr. President, I don't usually object to the appointments
and nominations by the administration to various ambassadorial
positions around the world. I also understand there are numbers of
political supporters, financial supporters, and that this is
characteristic of Republican and Democratic administrations alike. It
has never disturbed me when I have observed nominees to a Caribbean
country or maybe to London or Paris or Berlin being rewarded for
support both financial and otherwise. But now we are at a point where,
according to the Washington Post, modern Presidents have generally
followed a 70-30 rule on ambassadorial appointments--where 70 percent
are career foreign service and 30 percent are political appointees.
President Obama has defied this historic bipartisan political practice,
and in his second term a shocking 53 percent of ambassadorial nominees
have been political. This brings his 2-term average to 37--far more
than any administration in the past. What is very interesting is that
some of these nominees are in very sensitive positions around the
world. The nomination of Ms. Colleen Bell is probably the most
egregious example of that.
Hungary is a close ally--in many respects--but there is no doubt that
since taking office in 2010 the Hungarian Prime Minister, Mr. Viktor
Orban, has centralized power, has faced scrutiny due to actions that
critics charge are inconsistent with democratic principles and
practices. His government has reduced the independence of Hungary's
courts, pushed through controversial changes to the constitution, and
placed acute restrictions on nongovernmental organizations. In other
words, this is a very important country. This is a very important
country where bad things are going on.
Ms. Bell's experiences have been largely relegated to producing the
television soap opera ``The Bold and the Beautiful.'' Now, I am sure
television viewing is important in Hungary, but the fact is this
nominee is totally unqualified for this position in this country.
Now, if it were, as I say, some Caribbean country or some other, I
would understand that. But here we are in a relationship with a country
where, according to Bloomberg News, ``Orban says he seeks to end
liberal democracy in Hungary. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban
said he wants to abandon liberal democracy in favor of an `illiberal
state,' citing Russia and Turkey as examples.''
By the way, we have an excellent DCM there in Hungary who has been
doing a great job.
Ms. Bell has two qualifications. One is she is a producer of a
television soap opera. She has no experience in foreign policy or
national security, no familiarity with the language, country, or the
region, has never been there, and lacks meaningful knowledge of history
or economics. Her only significant qualification is that she bundled,
as the word is used, $800,000 to President Obama in the last election,
and as part of the California delegation to the 2012 Democratic
convention, she bundled more than $2.1 million for President Obama's
reelection effort.
I want to repeat again that I understand there are awards for
political support and it has grown with ``bundling.'' But when we send
a person who doesn't know the language--has never been to the country,
has no familiarity in foreign policy or national security--to a nation
of this importance, then, my friends, we are making a serious mistake.
The Hungarian Prime Minister is distancing himself from the values
shared by most European Union nations. Orban said civil society
organizers receiving funding from abroad needed to be ``monitored,'' as
he considered those to be agents of foreign powers. We are talking
about the International Republican Institute, the National Democratic
Institute, Freedom House, and others.
He said:
We're not dealing with civil society members but paid
political activists who are trying to help foreign interests
here.
Amazing. Orban, who has fueled employment with public works projects,
said he wants to replace welfare societies with a workfare state. But
the main problem is that Mr. Orban is cozying up to Vladimir Putin. He
has now entered into a nuclear deal, and he is practicing the same
kinds of antidemocratic practices as what seems to be his role model--
Vladimir Putin.
Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that a letter to Mr. Reid from
the 15 former presidents of the American Foreign Service Association be
printed in the Record.
There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in
the Record, as follows:
March 6, 2014.
Dear Senator Reid, Among the nominees for ambassadorships
currently under consideration by the Senate, three have
generated considerable public controversy: George Tsunis
(Norway), Colleen Bell (Hungary), and Noah Mamet (Argentina).
The nominations of Mr. Tsunis and Ms. Bell have been
forwarded to the full Senate by the Senate Foreign Relations
Committee.
As former presidents of the American Foreign Service
Association, the professional association and trade union of
career members of the Foreign Service, we urge you to oppose
granting Senate consent to these three candidates. Although
we have no reason to doubt that the nominees are
conscientious and worthy Americans, the fact that they appear
to have been chosen on the basis of their service in raising
money for electoral campaigns, with minimal demonstrated
qualifications for their posts, has subjected them to
widespread public ridicule, not only in the U.S. but also
abroad. As a result, their effectiveness as U.S.
representatives in their host countries would be severely
impaired from the start. Their nominations also convey a
disrespectful message, that relations with the host country
are not significant enough to demand a chief of mission with
relevant expertise.
These three nominations represent a continuation of an
increasingly unsavory and unwise practice by both parties. In
the words of President Theodore Roosevelt, ``The spoils or
patronage theory is that public office is primarily designed
for partisan plunder.'' Sadly it has persisted, even after
President Nixon's acknowledged rewarding of ambassadorial
nominations to major campaign donors was exposed. Recognizing
that the practice was inconsistent with democratic
principles, the U.S. Congress in the Foreign Service Act of
1980 set the following guidelines:
SEC. 304. APPOINTMENT OF CHIEFS OF MISSION.--
(a)(1)An individual appointed or assigned to be a chief of
mission should possess clearly demonstrated competence to
perform the duties of a chief of mission, including, to the
maximum extent practicable, a useful knowledge of the
principal language or dialect of the country in which the
individual is to serve, and knowledge and understanding of
the history, the culture, the economic and political
institutions, and the interests of that country and its
people.
(2) Given the qualifications specified in paragraph (1),
positions as chief of mission should normally be accorded to
career members of the Service, though circumstances will
warrant appointments from time to time of qualified
individuals who are not career members of the Service.
[[Page S6241]]
(3) Contributions to political campaigns should not be a
factor in the appointment of an individual as a chief of
mission.
(4) The President shall provide the Committee on Foreign
Relations of the Senate, with each nomination for an
appointment as a chief of mission, a report on the
demonstrated competence of that nominee to perform the duties
of the position in which he or she is to serve.
(b)( 1) In order to assist the President in selecting
qualified candidates for appointment or assignment as chiefs
of mission, the Secretary of State shall from time to time
furnish the President with the names of career members of the
Service who are qualified to serve as chiefs of mission,
together with pertinent information about such members.
(2) Each individual nominated by the President to be a
chief of mission, ambassador at large, or minister shall, at
the time of nomination, file with the Committee on Foreign
Relations of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of
Representatives a report of contributions made by such
individual and by members of his or her immediate family
during the period beginning on the first day of the fourth
calendar year preceding the calendar year of the nomination
and ending on the date of the nomination. The report shall be
verified by the oath of the nominee, taken before any
individual authorized to administer oaths. The chairman of
the Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate shall have
each such report printed in the Congressional Record. As used
in this paragraph, the term ``contribution'' has the same
meaning given such term by section 301(8) of the Federal
Election Campaign Act of 1971 (2 U.S.C. 431(8)), and the term
``immediate family'' means the spouse of the nominee, and any
child, parent, grandparent, brother, or sister of the nominee
and the spouses of any of them.
During his 2008 election campaign, President Obama
recognized the appropriateness of these guidelines, and
promised to respect them. The time for the Senate to begin
enforcing its own guidelines set forth in law for U.S.
diplomatic chiefs of mission is now. The nation cannot afford
otherwise.
Sincerely,
Fifteen former presidents of the American Foreign Service
Association--Marshall Adair, Thomas Boyatt, Kenneth
Bleakley, Theodore Eliot, Franklyn A Harris, William
Harrop, Dennis Hays, J. Anthony Holmes, Lars Hydle,
Susan Johnson, Alphonse La Porta, John Limbert, John
Naland, Lannon Walker, Theodore Wilkinson.
Mr. McCAIN. They say:
As former presidents of the American Foreign Service
Association, the professional association and trade union
career members of the Foreign Service, we urge you to oppose
granting Senate consent to these three candidates . . .
They mention George Tsunis to Norway, Colleen Bell to Hungary, and
Noah Mamet to Argentina. I think we should pay attention to these
former distinguished members of the diplomatic corps.
I urge my colleagues for once to vote against a totally unsuitable
nominee to be Ambassador to a very critical country in a struggle that
is going to go on for a long time, as Colonel Vladimir Putin tries to
extend the reach of Russia and restore the old Russian Empire. We will
be sending a message by this appointment that it really isn't that
important. I urge my colleagues to cast a ``no'' vote.
I yield the floor, and I suggest the absence of a quorum.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
The legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
Mr. McCAIN. I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum
call be rescinded.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
The question is, will the Senate advise and consent to the nomination
of Noah Bryson Mamet, of California, to be Ambassador Extraordinary and
Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to the Argentine
Republic?
Mr. McCAIN. I ask for the yeas and nays.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there a sufficient second?
There appears to be a sufficient second.
The clerk will call the roll.
The legislative clerk called the roll.
Mr. DURBIN. I announce that the Senator from Ohio (Mr. Brown), the
Senator from Louisiana (Ms. Landrieu), and the Senator from West
Virginia (Mr. Rockefeller) are necessarily absent.
Mr. CORNYN. The following Senators are necessarily absent: the
Senator from Oklahoma (Mr. Coburn), the Senator from Mississippi (Mr.
Cochran), the Senator from Alaska (Ms. Murkowski), and the Senator from
Kansas (Mr. Roberts).
The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Schatz). Are there any other Senators in
the Chamber desiring to vote?
The result was announced--yeas 50, nays 43, as follows:
[Rollcall Vote No. 293 Ex.]
YEAS--50
Baldwin
Begich
Bennet
Blumenthal
Booker
Boxer
Cantwell
Cardin
Carper
Casey
Coons
Donnelly
Durbin
Feinstein
Franken
Gillibrand
Hagan
Harkin
Heitkamp
Hirono
Johnson (SD)
Kaine
Klobuchar
Leahy
Levin
Manchin
Markey
McCaskill
Menendez
Merkley
Mikulski
Murphy
Murray
Nelson
Pryor
Reed
Reid
Sanders
Schatz
Schumer
Shaheen
Stabenow
Tester
Udall (CO)
Udall (NM)
Walsh
Warner
Warren
Whitehouse
Wyden
NAYS--43
Alexander
Ayotte
Barrasso
Blunt
Boozman
Burr
Chambliss
Coats
Collins
Corker
Cornyn
Crapo
Cruz
Enzi
Fischer
Flake
Graham
Grassley
Hatch
Heinrich
Heller
Hoeven
Inhofe
Isakson
Johanns
Johnson (WI)
King
Kirk
Lee
McCain
McConnell
Moran
Paul
Portman
Risch
Rubio
Scott
Sessions
Shelby
Thune
Toomey
Vitter
Wicker
NOT VOTING--7
Brown
Coburn
Cochran
Landrieu
Murkowski
Roberts
Rockefeller
The nomination was confirmed.
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