[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 142 (Wednesday, September 30, 2015)]
[Senate]
[Page S7044]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


                          NOMINATION OBJECTION

  Mr. GRASSLEY. Mr. President, I intend to object to any unanimous 
consent request at the present time relating to the nomination of Brian 
James Egan, of Maryland, to be Legal Adviser of the Department of 
State.
  I will object because the Department of State has failed to fully 
respond to almost a dozen outstanding letters dating back to 2013. In 
addition, on August 20, 2015, my staff met with Department officials in 
an effort to prioritize material for production. The Department has 
failed to comply with its commitments, producing material late, failing 
to provide all requested material, and even failing to provide material 
to the Senate Judiciary Committee contemporaneously with providing the 
same documents to Freedom of Information Act requestors.
  This past August, I warned the Department that if it failed to change 
its ways that I would be forced to escalate the scope of my intent to 
object to unanimous consent requests for Department nominees. Since 
then, the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee chairman 
has joined me in requesting witness interviews of Department employees. 
Despite the Department's commitment to make witnesses available and 
assist in the identification of additional relevant witnesses, none of 
these interviews have actually been scheduled. The Department needs to 
respond in good faith to the Senate Judiciary Committee and the 
Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee. Thus far, it has 
primarily been promises with little or no followthrough. The 
Department's good faith will be measured in documents delivered and 
witnesses provided.
  My objection is not intended to question the credentials of Mr. Egan 
in any way. However, the Department must recognize that it has an 
ongoing obligation to respond to congressional inquiries in a timely 
and reasonable manner.

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