Investigative Senate Subcommittee Staff Director To Join D.C. Based Law Firm

INVESTIGATIVE SENATE SUBCOMMITTEE STAFF DIRECTOR TO JOIN D.C. BASED LAW FIRM

Senator Norm Coleman, Chairman of the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations (PSI), announced today that Raymond Shepherd is stepping down as PSI Staff Director and Chief Counsel to join a Washington, D.C.-based law firm. Shepherd has served in this position for three and a half years, overseeing the historic investigation into allegations of abuse and misconduct related to the United Nations Oil-for-Food Program. Through various investigations, Shepherd helped to identify over $12 billion in waste, fraud, abuse and potential taxpayer savings.

"Ray Shepherd has been a consummate professional as Staff Director of my Subcommittee, efficiently, effectively, and aggressively carrying out Congress's most important responsibility - oversight," Senator Coleman said. "Ray was instrumental in leading a number of critically important investigations, exposing billions in government waste, uncovering massive fraud in the U.N. Oil-for-Food scandal, and improving our port security and homeland defense capability. Under his guidance, PSI has rightfully earned the reputation as one of the most respected, bipartisan committees on Capitol Hill. I am grateful for his service, and I wish Ray and his family well in this new position."

"One of the hallmarks of the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations is bipartisanship and, during his three years here, Ray Shepherd carried on that tradition by consistently working with my staff in a bipartisan manner to advance important investigations," said Sen. Carl Levin, Ranking Minority Member on the Subcommittee. "We wish him well in his new endeavor."

During his tenure as Coleman's Staff Director and Chief Counsel of PSI, the Subcommittee conducted twenty-five hearings and issued ten staff reports. Additionally, he led a three-year investigation into port and supply chain security and played a key role in bringing the SAFE Port Act to final passage.

"It has been the greatest honor of my professional life to serve Senator Coleman on PSI," said Shepherd. "At the Senator's direction, we conducted investigations the way they were meant to be conducted -- in a bipartisan, objective, and substantive manner. I am especially proud of PSI's investigations that exposed more than $12 billion in waste, fraud, and abuse. I am equally proud of our oversight of DHS, which led to not only improvements in the way DHS implemented counter-terrorism programs, but also led to provisions of the SAFE Port Act signed by the President in October. Without Norm Coleman, our team at PSI could not have achieved this. I am indebted to him for the opportunity to serve my country."

http://coleman.senate.gov/index.cfm?FuseAction=PressReleases.Detail&PressRelease_id=1183&Month=12&Year=2006