[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 19 (Monday, January 30, 2023)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E73]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   RECOGNIZING ARYA HARIHARAN AND HER SERVICE TO THE HOUSE JUDICIARY 
                               COMMITTEE

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. JERROLD NADLER

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                        Monday, January 30, 2023

  Mr. NADLER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to thank Arya Hariharan for her 
service to the House Judiciary Committee and to honor her unwavering 
commitment to a vision of America that is safer, freer, and more just.
  Arya's early career prepared her well for her time on the Committee. 
She attended American University, where she played Division I varsity 
women's soccer and received a Presidential Merit Scholarship. She also 
graduated from the William & Mary School of Law, where she was the 
executive editor of the Environmental Law & Policy Review and the 
founding editor of the Business Law Review. After passing the bar, she 
worked for several nonprofit organizations dedicated to education and 
economic mobility, access to the justice system, and environmental 
preservation.
  Arya came to Capitol Hill in 2015 and served as Representative Hank 
Johnson's Legislative Director and Senior Legislative Counsel. In that 
role, she managed Mr. Johnson's policy agenda and prepared him for his 
work on the House Judiciary, House Armed Services, and House 
Transportation and Infrastructure Committees. In those early years on 
the Hill, she also began to develop a reputation as a fiercely loyal 
friend and counsel--protecting her coworkers and her Member from any 
threat, willing to take on any challenge in service of the larger 
cause.
  In 2017, as we settled in for what would be a years-long fight with 
an Administration that would challenge the Congress on a daily basis, 
the Democratic staff of the House Judiciary Committee had an 
opportunity to bring in some help. There was really only one choice. 
Arya joined us that year as Democratic Oversight Counsel--and perhaps 
it was only then that the battle was well and truly joined.
  In her position as Oversight Counsel and, later, as Chief Oversight 
Counsel, Arya oversaw our response to a rogue and often lawless 
Presidency, crafting our reaction to each new instance of abuse, 
obstruction, and public corruption. She helped to hold a sitting 
Attorney General in contempt of Congress. She was instrumental in the 
first and second impeachments of President Donald J. Trump. Throughout 
those long, difficult years, Arya could almost always be found in the 
heart of the fight, managing the staff, preparing the Members for 
battle, and holding us all to the highest possible standards. Arya 
never, ever enters our hearing room unprepared.
  Arya's competence and confidence have been key assets to the 
Committee. Her oversight team has helped to prepare the ground for 
hearings on almost every topic we cover. She has worked on domestic and 
foreign surveillance, domestic terrorism, sexual violence, gun 
violence, hate crimes, and cybersecurity, just to name a few of the 
many subjects she has handled in her time with us. She has helped to 
prepare nearly every sensitive witness to appear before the Committee 
in the past 5 years. Her ability to tell a story through a 
congressional hearing is unparalleled.
  Mr. Speaker, if you had only seen Arya locked in argument with an 
uncooperative witness or firmly correcting a staffer from across the 
aisle for some breach of protocol, you might be forgiven for thinking 
that Arya has an edge. And, make no mistake, she is one of the toughest 
people to sit in the counsel's chair in the two-century history of our 
Committee. But what you might miss, if you only saw her in the heat of 
battle, is a person deeply respected by the Members of this body and 
beloved by her friends and colleagues. There is no one I would rather 
have by my side in a fight than Arya Hariharan.
  Arya is leaving us for the Senate Judiciary Committee, where she will 
advance their oversight agenda. We thank Arya for her tireless service 
to the House Judiciary Committee, and we advise Senator Durbin to keep 
the candy drawer well stocked for the late nights ahead.

                          ____________________