[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 27 (Monday, February 10, 2020)]
[Senate]
[Pages S949-S951]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
Impeachment Trial Acknowledgments
Mr. President, on a totally unrelated matter, as the impeachment
trial ended last week, I offered preliminary thanks to a few of the
individuals whose outstanding service helped the institution fulfill
this unique and challenging responsibility.
Rising to the occasion for just the third time in Senate history, it
took herculean efforts from a long list of hard-working and dedicated
people. So I would like to take a little bit of time this afternoon to
share some Senate gratitude that too often goes unexpressed.
After I name some key individuals and offices within the Senate, I
will submit a fuller list for the Record.
First, thanks to the Sergeant at Arms, Mike Stenger, and his entire
team, especially the tremendous efforts of our Deputy Sergeant at Arms,
Jennifer Hemingway; our protocol experts, including Becky Schaaf and
Carly Flick; Krista Beale and Bob Shelton of Capitol and Chamber
Operations; and, of course, Grace Ridgeway and her remarkable Capitol
Facilities team.
Many other offices had to go far above and beyond their normal
duties:
[[Page S950]]
the executive office, doorkeepers, Press Gallery directors, Printing
and Graphics, the Counsel, the Recording Studio, the Appointments Desk,
the Switchboard, and the Chief Information Officer.
Thanks, of course, to the Secretary of the Senate, Julie Adams, and
all of those vital Senate offices.
In particular, I have to single out our Parliamentarians, Elizabeth
MacDonough and Leigh Hildebrand, and Parliamentary Clerk Christy
Amatos. This expert team of professionals sacrificed nights, weekends,
and holidays to ensure that this institution was ready to navigate
little-charted waters, follow infrequently used rules, and track with
the letter of the rules at every turn. We are so grateful.
Many others made huge contributions as well: the offices of the
Legislative Clerk, the Official Reporters of Debates, the Journal
Clerk, Captioning Services, the Senate Historian, Senate Security, the
Curator's Office, the Senate Library, and the Office of Printing and
Document Services.
Thanks also to the Architect of the Capitol's team for making sure
our physical plant was up to snuff, to Chairman Roy Blunt on the Rules
Committee and their staff, and to the Office of Senate Legal Counsel
and the Government Publishing Office.
As I mentioned last week, we are hugely grateful to the Capitol
Police, the Senate pages, and the Chief Justice of the United States,
John Roberts, and his staff.
I would like to recognize Erin Sager Vaughn, on the staff of the
Democratic Leader, Senator Schumer, for her many efforts, and all the
offices on both sides, particularly the staff assistants whose days
became far busier during matters of especially great public interest.
Before I conclude, I need to thank several more players,
specifically, on the Republican side and in my own office. Thanks to
Chairman Lindsey Graham's staff on the Judiciary Committee, who poured
enormous work into this process, particularly Brendan Chestnut and Gabi
Michalak; to Chairman Grassley's team on Senate Finance and to our
Majority Whip, Senator Thune, and the Whip office.
I am enormously grateful to Laura Dove, the Secretary for the
Majority, for literally working around the clock to listen carefully to
our Members and map out the complex strategy for the Senate to fulfill
our duty. Laura sat on the dais for this trial just like her father
Robert Dove before her, who was serving as Senate Parliamentarian in
1999.
Huge thanks to Robert Duncan, the Assistant Secretary, and their
entirely stellar Cloakroom team: Chris Tuck, Megan Mercer, Noelle
Ringel, Tony Hanagan, Katherine Foster, Brian Canfield, and Abigail
Baker. We very simply could not have done this without you.
And last, but certainly not least, I need to thank my own staff.
Working for Senate leadership tends to mean there is no normal. There
is no easy day. Call it an occupational hazard, but even by those
standards, the past several months have required extraordinary efforts
from my talented team. Andrew Ferguson, my chief counsel, became a
leading expert on every component of impeachment seemingly overnight
and offered invaluable counsel, guidance, and leadership at every
single stage of this process.
Thanks as well to Robert Karem, my national security adviser, and Jim
Neill and Erica Suares; to my communications director, David Popp and
the entire team he oversees, led by Doug Andres, Andrew Quinn, and
Scott Sloofman, including Dylan Vorbach, and, especially, the crack
research team of Robert Utsey and David Hauptmann.
Thanks to Sarah Fairchild, Alexandra Jenkins, and our operations team
of Victoria Mason, Spencer Abraham, and Elise Stebick.
Thanks to my Kentucky office team, led by Phil Maxson, and my in-
State offices, led by Terry Carmack, for continuing their crucial work
while Washington was literally consumed by impeachment.
Most of all, I need to thank my staff's fearless leaders, Scott Raab,
deputy chief of staff for Policy; Stefanie Muchow, my deputy chief of
staff for operations, for her enormous efforts day and night; and
Sharon Soderstrom, my chief of staff. I rely on Sharon's wisdom,
expertise, and impeccable judgment every single day. I cannot thank her
enough.
With that, Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the more
comprehensive list of individuals to thank be printed in the Record.
There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in
the Record, as follows:
ln addition to the individuals I just named, I want to
express the Senate's sincere gratitude to the following
individuals for their essential contributions to the historic
undertaking of a presidential impeachment trial.
In the Office of the Chief Justice: Jeff Minear, George
Everly, Megan Braun, and Craig Carroll.
On the staff of the Senate Judiciary Committee: Tim
Rodriguez, Watson Homer, Mike Fragoso, Zach Somers, Elliott
Walden, Chris Ventura, Lindsey Keiser, Raija Churchill, and
Arthur Baker.
On the staff of the Senate Finance Committee: Joshua Flynn-
Brown, Delisa Ragsdale, Taylor Foy, George Hartmann, and
Michel Zona.
On the staff of the Senate Rules Committee: Fitzhugh Elder
and Rachelle Schroeder.
On the staff of the Majority Whip: Nick Rossi, Geoff
Antell, Jason Van Beek, Daffnei Riedel, and the entire Whip
team.
In the Office of the Secretary of the Senate: the Assistant
Secretary of the Senate, Mary Suit Jones, as well as Dan
Schwager, Rachel Creviston, Sydney Butler, and Vanessa
VandeHey.
=========================== NOTE ===========================
On page S950, February 10, 2020, second column, the following
appears: In the Office of the Secretary of the Senate: Dan
Schwager, Rachel Creviston, Sydney Butler, and Vanessa VandeHey.
The online Record has been corrected to read:In the Office of
the Secretary of the Senate: the Assistant Secretary of the
Senate, Mary Suit Jones, as well as Dan Schwager, Rachel
Creviston, Sydney Butler, and Vanessa VandeHey.
========================= END NOTE =========================
Among the many people it takes to run the Senate floor,
Cassandra Byrd, Allys Lasky, Billy Walsh, Megan Pickel, Adam
Gottlieb, John Merlino, Mary Anne Clarkson, Sara Schwartzman,
and Lindsay Gibmeyer.
In the Office of Conservation and Preservation: Beverly
Adams and Susan Rapuano.
In the Senate Curator's Office: Melinda Smith, Sasha
Lourie, Megan Hipsley, Jennifer Krafchik, Theresa Malanum,
and Corey Purtell.
In the Senate Historical Office: Betty Koed, Kate Scott,
Dan Holt, Karen Paul, Amy Camilleri, Beth Hahn, and Mary
Baumann.
In the Senate Library: Leona Faust, Kara Baer, Meghan Dunn,
Annelisa Cobleigh. Rachel Donelson, Meg Kuhagen, Rachel
Sharrow, and Jessica Sprigings.
In the Office of Captioning Services: Sandra Schumm, Doreen
Chendorain, Laurie Harris, Brenda Jamerson, and Jennifer
Smoilka.
In the Office of Official Reporters of Debates: Dorothy
Rull, Susie Nguyen, Patrice Boyd, Mary Carpenter, Octavio
Colominas, Carole Darche, Diane Dorhamer, Chantal Geneus,
Alice Haddow, Andrea Huston, Catalina Kerr, Julia LaCava,
Michele Melhorn, Adrian Swann, and Shannon Taylor-Scott, and
Julia Jones.
In the Office of Printing and Document Services: Laura Rush
and Robert Braggs Ill.
In the Office of Senate Security: Mike DiSilvestro and
Ronny Howard.
In the Office of Senate Legal Counsel: Pat Bryan and Morgan
Frankel.
In the Office of the Sergeant at Arms: Garrett Burns, Jeff
Kent, Laura Lytle, Mike Mastrian, Justin Wilson, Brian Trott,
Terence Liley, Bob Swanner, Karl Jackson, Mele Williams, Joan
Sartori, Debbie Tyler, Chris Jordan, Lynden Armstrong, and
Brian McGinty.
=========================== NOTE ===========================
On page S950, February 10, 2020, third column, the following
appears: In the Office of the Sergeant at Arms: Jeff Kent, Laura
Lytle, Mike Mastrian, Justin Wilson, Brian Trott, Terence Liley,
Bob Swanner, Karl Jackson, Mele Williams, Joan Sartori, Debbie
Tyler, Chris Jordan, Lynden Armstrong, and Brian McGinty.
The online Record has been corrected to read: In the Office of
the Sergeant at Arms: Garrett Burns, Jeff Kent, Laura Lytle, Mike
Mastrian, Justin Wilson, Brian Trott, Terence Liley, Bob Swanner,
Karl Jackson, Mele Williams, Joan Sartori, Debbie Tyler, Chris
Jordan, Lynden Armstrong, and Brian McGinty.
========================= END NOTE =========================
In the Capitol Facilities Office: Monique Beckford, James
Banavong, Jamie Becker, Hugh Bennett, James Hardwick, Jim
Hoover, Andy Mohammed, Eileen Penot, Carlos Abarca, Leopoldo
Aldayuz, Edward Cooper, John Davis, Jonathan Everett,
Lawrence Ford, Steve Hall, Anthony Maree, James Montgomery,
Olga Morales, Ana Orellana, Gary Richardson, Thomas Shaw,
Misael Ulloa, Shariff Washington, Lyndon Webb, Sharif
Amirgholi, Kelly Butler, Brenda Byrd, Verona Clemmons, Johnny
Dixon, Ronald Gibson, Clydette Greer, Cleveland Johnson, Leon
Jones, James Kennedy, Christina Mischel, Carlos Perez, Donnie
Proctor, Alfredo Romero, Albert Sandidge, James Shird,
Kenneth Vick, Branden Waters, Dominique Williams, Patrick
Williams, Patricia Browne, Nandranie Gourzis, Christopher
Hauser, Le'Moine Simpson, Elmer Villatoro, and Jermaine
Washington.
In the Capitol Operations office: Laverne Allen, Tyson
Allison, Spencer Barks, Gwen Barnhardt, Dan Benedix, Lauren
Cavignano, Tyler Chandler, Gail Daniels, Katherine Edwards,
Michelle Enfiejian, Marcella Ferguson, Tom Ford, Wyatt
Fulghum, Elizabeth Garcia, Rocketa Gillis, Tony Goldsmith,
Patrick Green, Ryan Hoban, Denis Houlihan, Randi Hutchinson,
Alex Johnson, Della Jones, Jim Jordan, Jacob Kaufman, Cindy
Kesler, Emily Lamb, Raciee Leake, Shahwan Mason, Philip
Norton, Mickey Oldaker, Timothy O'Neill, Jonathan Pacheco,
Essence Patterson, Patrick Pettey, Julie Pfister, Megan
Sheffield, David Straszheim, Todd Trautman, German Vasquez,
Delta Whitfield, Narcy Bonilla, Dottie Bright, Merriell
Briscoe, Ava Burleson, Barbara Callands, Adrianne Culver,
Monica Thomas- Hawkins, Logan Johnson, Karen Jones, Khavin
Kry, Tori Mayo, Marcela Samuels, April Foxx-Shird, Tina
Stewart, Stella Strozier, Nellie Taylor, Lisa Thompson,
Rochelle Thorpe, and Carol Yearwood.
In the Senate Recording Studio: Jeff Horne, John Buszinski,
Tim Heacock, John Judge, Bill Steinhour, Chris Wilde, Scott
Mead, Rob Strickland, John Grutzik, Gregg Brunclik, Paul
Casasco, Blair Cooper, Stewart Grace, Jennifer Johnson, Chris
Langley,
[[Page S951]]
Kevin Neale, Kirby Reitz, Thinh Pham, Bryan Whitney, Eric
Zeitlin, Lori Thabet, Luke Gallagher, Mariano Molina, Carlos
Velado, Rogelio Velado, Ward Webster, Bob Becker, Kristen
Betsill, Matt Commeree, Kristy Dyson, Torgunn Eckroad, John
Evanko, Lori Helm, Lolita Graef, Carol Anne Jarrett, Kevin
Loftus, Nate Russell, Angelo Skarlatos, Diego Torres, and
John Viscardi.
In the Office of the Chief Information Officer: Jonathan
Braxton, Tiffany Deliberto, David Gately, John Hartsfield,
Bill Hill, Chris Humphrey, Rudolph Janifer, Katie Miller,
Eric Quintos, Jack Reynolds, Bryan Steward and Tony Williams.
In the Office of Security and Emergency Preparedness: Wendy
Colmore, Gordon Liscomb, and Ronda Stewart.
In the Printing, Graphics and Direct Mail Office: Julio
Benitez, Shayna Mack, George Thompson, Scott Wilson, John
Zupko.
The Architect of the Capitol, Brett Blanton and Mark Reed.
In the Government Publishing Office, Hugh Halpern and his
team.
And last but certainly not least, in my own Office of the
Majority Leader: Valerie Chicola, Katherine Grayson, Emily
Hauck, and Suzanne Youngblood.
=========================== NOTE ===========================
On page S951, February 10, 2020, first column, the following
appears: In the Printing, Graphics and Direct Mail Office: Julio
Benitez, Shayna Mack, George Thompson, Scott Wilson, John Zupko.
And last but certainly not least, in my own Office of the Majority
Leader: Valerie Chicola, Katherine Grayson, Emily Hauck, and
Suzanne Youngblood.
The online Record has been corrected to read: In the Printing,
Graphics and Direct Mail Office: Julio Benitez, Shayna Mack,
George Thompson, Scott Wilson, John Zupko. The Architect of the
Capitol, Brett Blanton and Mark Reed. In the Government Publishing
Office, Hugh Halpern and his team. And last but certainly not
least, in my own Office of the Majority Leader: Valerie Chicola,
Katherine Grayson, Emily Hauck, and Suzanne Youngblood.
========================= END NOTE =========================
A great many talented and dedicated professionals went far
above and beyond the ordinary course of their duties to help
the U.S. Senate complete this unusual but essential
constitutional duty. This institution is not good enough at
saying ``thank you,'' let alone after an undertaking of
literally historic proportions. We are grateful to all of you
for your work--these past days and every day.
Mr. McCONNELL. I suggest the absence of a quorum.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
The bill clerk proceeded to call the roll.
Mr. CORNYN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for
the quorum call be rescinded.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.