[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 36 (Monday, February 24, 2020)]
[Senate]
[Pages S1095-S1096]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 TRIBUTE TO VICE ADMIRAL JOSEPH MAGUIRE

  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, first, this afternoon I would like to 
recognize the career and public service of retired VADM Joseph Maguire, 
whose

[[Page S1096]]

tenure as Acting Director of National Intelligence and Director of 
National Counterterrorism Center concluded last week.
  Joe Maguire spent 36 years serving our Nation as a U.S. Navy special 
operator. His leadership record included SEAL Team 2 and the U.S. Navy 
Special Warfare Command, where he guided some of our Nation's most 
sensitive military operations.
  Admiral Maguire retired from the Navy in 2010, but it was not long 
before public service came calling again. In 2018, the President asked 
him to direct the NCTC. The Senate confirmed him on a voice vote.
  He took on an even more challenging assignment last summer when he 
agreed to follow our former colleague Senator Dan Coats and act in the 
role of the DNI.
  Our Nation asks our intelligence community to fulfill an enormous 
array of sensitive missions. These men and women work day and night to 
protect the homeland from terrorists. They fight nuclear proliferation. 
They keep watch on dangerous adversaries, like Russia and China. They 
guard against what hostile intelligence services are doing in our 
Nation, and they work to protect American elections from foreign 
interference that seeks to sow division and chaos and reduce public 
confidence in our democracy.
  Recent reports suggest that adversaries, including Russia, are likely 
continuing efforts aimed at dividing Americans, sowing chaos in our 
politics, and undermining confidence in our elections. Fortunately, in 
stark contrast to the failures of the Obama administration in 2016, the 
Trump administration, once again, appears to be doing the right thing--
in this case, by promptly providing a specific counterintelligence 
briefing to a Democratic Presidential candidate in question. This is 
just the latest example of the vigilance and the action we have seen 
from this administration on this crucial issue.
  In parallel with hundreds of millions that Congress has appropriated 
in new election security assistance for State and local authorities, 
the administration has taken major proactive steps. The Treasury 
Department has sanctioned numerous Russian entities involved in the 
2016 interference. The Department of Homeland Security has worked 
closely with States, local jurisdictions, and the private sector to 
bolster our cyber security defenses.
  The Obama administration's naive and belated efforts failed to deter 
or to defend against Russian interference in 2016 and failed to provide 
substantive counterintelligence briefings to the Trump and Clinton 
campaigns. By contrast, the Trump administration has been vigilant and 
appears to be providing timely warnings to candidates affected by 
foreign intelligence activities. This is critically important work, and 
it wouldn't be possible without the hard work of our intelligence 
community to identify the hostile activities.
  This is just one of many critical tasks the intelligence community 
performs for our country. Our country is safer and stronger when they 
have the tools and the resources they need and leadership that 
understands that political bias must have no quarter in intelligence 
work and that all Americans' rights need protecting.

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