[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 147 (2001), Part 18] [Senate] [Pages 24685-24687] [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]NOMINATION OF JORGE L. ARRIZURIETA Mr. ALLEN. Madam President, I rise today in strong support of President Bush's nominee to be U.S. Alternative Executive Director to the Inter-American Development Bank, Jorge L. Arrizurieta. I ask unanimous consent that letters of support for this nomination from our colleagues, Senator Graham and Senator Frist, as well as letters of support from Governor Bush of Florida, the Undersecretary of the Treasury for International Affairs, Mr. John Taylor, and the Special Assistant to the Assistant Attorney General, Mr. Jeffrey Ross, be printed in the Record at the conclusion of my remarks. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered. (See Exhibit 1.) Mr. ALLEN. Mr. Arrizurieta's background represents a strong combination of public service at the Federal, State, and local levels. Previously, Mr. Arrizurieta worked for five years as the Director of State Projects for our former colleague Senator Mack where he did an outstanding job. He was also appointed by Governor Jeb Bush of Florida to the Post Secondary Education Planning Commission, where he was elected Vice Chairman by his colleagues. For the past eight years, Mr. Arrizurieta has been closely associated with corporate ventures of Mr. Wayne Huizenga, a southern Florida entrepreneur. As Vice President of Public Affairs for Huizenga Holdings, Mr. Arrizurieta has had the opportunity to meet and work with a broad variety of government and business leaders throughout the country and the Western Hemisphere. In this capacity he has worked on developing extensive business development outreach efforts in the Latin American and Caribbean region. Aside from these commitments, Mr. Arrizurieta has devoted his time and effort to many charitable, community and business organizations, including the Make A Wish Foundation, the Florida Chamber of Commerce, La Liga Contra el Cancer, and the Florida FTAA, Free Trade Area of the Americas, initiative as a founding member of its Board of Directors. [[Page 24686]] Jorge Arrizurieta is the son of Cuban immigrants, is fluent in Spanish, and has a strong understanding of Latin American culture. His government affairs and community relations background will serve him well in a position where people and diplomatic skills are highly valued to advance the interests of the United States, and the efficacy of the bank as a political institution. I would like to note that a misimpression may have been left by questions raised at Mr. Arrizurieta's nomination hearing before the Committee on Foreign Relations, regarding a bank on whose board he serves. I call my colleagues' attention to the very helpful letter of clarification from the Department of Justice which I have entered into the Record and which should resolve any questions that arose during the Committee hearing. The nomination of Mr. Arrizurieta will come before the Committee on Foreign Relations soon. I urge my colleagues on the Committee to join me in voting to favorably report this nomination. Once the nomination has been reported from the Committee, I urge the Majority Leader to bring the nomination promptly before the Senate so that President Bush and the American people will have the benefit of Mr. Arrizurieta's strong background and experience on the Inter-American Development Bank. Exhibit 1 U.S. Senate, Washington, DC, November 27, 2001. Hon. Joseph R. Biden, Jr., Chairman, Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Dirksen Building, U.S. Senate, Washington, DC. Dear Chairman Biden: I write today to support the Administration's nominee for U.S. Alternate Executive Director to the Inter-American Development Bank, Jorge Arrizurieta, and ask that you also support this nomination. The son of Cuban immigrants, Jorge is a fellow Floridian, and an American success story. Coupled with his fluency in Spanish and strong understanding of the Latin American culture, Jorge has a strong background in government and community relations in Florida's large Latin-American community. Mr. Arrizurieta's work with Senator Mack was well regarded and extremely valuable to the Senator and all Floridians. At the Huizenga organization he began his work as the Director of Community Relations for the Florida Marlins Baseball Club. The team's focus on marketing to Latin America and the Caribbean allowed Mr. Arrizurieta the opportunity to meet and work with many government and business leaders in the region and assist the team in their efforts to become ``The Team of the Americas.'' His current duties at Huizenga Holdings include managing the government relations for its business interests as diverse as the Miami Dolphins Football Club, Pro Player Stadium, and Autonation, Inc., the largest automotive retailer in the world. Notwithstanding these responsibilities, Mr. Arrizurieta has continued to make time to give back to his community. His unselfish devotion to the Make A Wish Foundation, his work with the Annenberg Educational Challenge, his key role with the Florida FTAA (Free Trade Area of the Americas) effort as a member of its Board of Directors and his appointed position to the State of Florida's Post Secondary Education Planning Commission, where he was elected Vice Chairman by his colleagues, have prepared Mr. Arrizurieta very well for this important position. Jorge Arrizurieta's proven background in community and government relations will serve him well in a position where people and diplomatic skills are highly valued to advance the partnership between the U.S. and in the Americas. I urge you to support his nomination. Sincerely, Bob Graham, U.S. Senator. ____ U.S. Senate, Washington, DC, December 5, 2001. Hon. Joseph R. Biden, Jr., Committee on Foreign Relations, U.S. Senate, Washington, DC. Dear Chairman Biden: I write today to support the Administration's nominee for U.S. Alternate Executive Director to the Inter-American Development Bank, Jorge Arrizurieta. Mr. Arrizurieta is currently Vice-President of Public Affairs for Huizenga Holding, Inc., managing government relations for its business interests as diverse as The Miami Dolphins Football Club, Pro-Player Stadium, various real estate holdings, and AutoNation, Inc., the largest automotive retailer in the world. In addition, Mr. Arrizurieta is no stranger to public service. He served as Senator Connie Mack's Director of State Projects, and was Vice-Chairman of the State of Florida's Post Secondary Education Planning Commission. Mr. Arrizurieta has always distinguished himself as an accomplished and trusted leader. His integrity and commitment to his community will serve him well. Mr. Arrizurieta has the talents and skills required to be an effective and respected representative for the United States at the InterAmerican Development Bank, and I urge your favorable consideration of him for U.S. Alternative Executive Director. Sincerely, Bill Frist, U.S. Senator. ____ Governor of the State of Florida, November 30, 2001. Hon. Joseph R. Biden, Jr., Chairman, Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Dirksen Building, U.S. Senate, Washington, DC. Dear Chairman Biden: I write today to strongly support the nomination of, Jorge Arrizurieta for US Alternate Executive Director of the InterAmerican Development Bank, and that you also support this nomination. I have known Jorge for over 15 years. The Arrizurieta family was among the first families I came to know upon my move to Miami. I have watched Jorge for many years in a variety of political, business and community efforts. I can assure you Jorge has the ability, the integrity and dedication that will be required of him in this most important position. Jorge's abilities and good work were very visible during his five years with Senator Connie Mack's office. For the last eight years he has been associated with Wayne Huizenga's organization in a variety of positions. From the Director of Community Relations position with the Florida Marlins, to the current position where he serves as the holding company's Vice President of Public Affairs, he has always been very effective and enjoyed the respect of his peers. These positions have prepared him very well for his return to public service. I appointed Jorge to a position on the State's Post Secondary Education Planning Commission, where his colleagues elected him Vice Chairman. Here again he served successfully and with extreme dedication. Through his role on the commission, he was very helpful to our efforts in the reorganization of the state's education system. Jorge has all the ingredients required to do an effective job in an area where diplomatic and business skills are required in equal measure. Jorge has always made me proud of his work and commitment to our nation. I know he will serve our country very successfully and effectively. I urge you to support this excellent nomination. Sincerely, Jeb Bush. ____ Department of the Treasury, Washington, DC, November 27, 2001. Hon. Joseph R. Biden, Jr., Chairman, Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Dirksen Building, U.S. Senate, Washington, DC. Dear Chairman Biden: I write today to strongly support the Administration's nominee for U.S. Alternate Executive Director to the Inter-American Development Bank, Jorge Arrizurieta, and ask that you also support this nomination. Mr. Arrizurieta's background is a strong combination of public service and government and community relations in Florida's Latin-American community. Previously, Mr. Arrizurieta performed public service in government as the Director of State Projects for Senator Connie Mack, in which I understand his work was extremely well regarded. He was also appointed to the State of Florida Post Secondary Education Planning Commission and was elected Vice Chairman by his colleagues. Mr. Arrizurieta was also the Director of Community Relations for the Florida Marlins Baseball Club. The team's focus on marketing to Latin America and the Caribbean allowed Mr. Arrizurieta the opportunity to meet and work with many government and business leaders in the region and assist the team in their efforts to become ``The Team of the Americas.'' In this capacity he worked in developing extensive business development outreach efforts in the Latin American and Caribbean region. His responsibilities at Huizenga Holdings include managing the government relations for its business interests as diverse as the Miami Dolphins Football Club, Pro Player Stadium, Autonation, Inc. (the largest automotive retailer in the world) and Alamo and National Rental Car. Notwithstanding these commitments, Mr. Arrizurieta has donated his time and effort to our society through his devotion to many charitable, community and business organizations--including the Make A Wish Foundation and the Florida FTAA (Free Trade Area of the Americas) effort as a founding member of its Board of Directors. To sum up, Jorge Arrizurieta is an accomplished Hispanic- American. He is the son of Cuban immigrants, is fluent in Spanish, and has a strong understanding of the Latin American culture. His proven background in government affairs and community relations will serve him well in a position where people and diplomatic skills are highly valued [[Page 24687]] to advance the interests and influence of the U.S. The Atlantic U.S. Executive Director to the Inter-American Development Bank takes policy direction from the Treasury Department, and I hope to have the opportunity to work, and achieve success with, Mr. Arrizurieta in this capacity. If you or your staff would like to meet Mr. Arrizurieta, he is available at any time. I urge you to support this excellent nomination. Sincerely, John B. Taylor, Under Secretary for International Affairs. ____ U.S. Department of Justice, Criminal Division, Washington, DC, June 12, 1998. Mr. Javier Aguirre, Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer, International Finance Bank, Miami, FL. Dear Mr. Aguirre: The purpose of this letter is to correct any misimpressions that might have resulted from the May 20, 1998, joint U.S. Department of the Treasury and Department of Justice press release captioned: ``Operation Casablanca Continues Its Sweep: Money Laundering Case Extends to Venezuela.'' The press release misidentified International Finance Bank as being a Venezuelan bank. Further, the press release should be read as stating only that accounts at International Finance Bank received funds wired through the undercover operation. Neither International Finance Bank nor any of its employees were the subject of the criminal indictments returned as a result of Operation Casablanca. We understand that, despite this fact, you are concerned over downstream news accounts suggesting or even stating that your institution or its employees were involved in the laundering of drug money through accounts in your bank. The public material released from the Justice and Treasury Departments does not indicate that your bank or any bank employee was charged with any criminal wrongdoing. I know you feel the public may reach a contrary conclusion because the name of your bank was mentioned in public documents, but I again assure you that the indictment and public statements convey nothing more than a list of the Venezuelan banks through which undercover drug funds were laundered. Please feel free to circulate the contents of this letter as you deem appropriate. Sincerely, L. Jeffrey Ross, Special Assistant to the Assistant Attorney General. ____________________