Chairman Menendez Opening Remarks at Full Committee Nominations Hearing
Press Release
U.S. Senator Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, today delivered the below opening remarks at this morning's full Committee hearing to consider the nominations of Ms. Sarah H. Cleveland to be Legal Adviser of the Department of State; Mr. James C. O'Brien to be Head of the Office of Sanctions Coordination, with the Rank of Ambassador; Mr. George J. Tsunis to be Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to Greece; and Dr. Beth Van Schaack to be Ambassador-at-Large for Global Criminal Justice.
"This hearing of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee will come to order.
We are here today to consider nominations for four important positions: Sarah Cleveland to be State Department Legal Adviser; James O'Brien to be Coordinator for Sanctions Policy; Dr. Beth Van Schaack to be Ambassador at Large for Global Criminal Justice; and George Tsunis to be Ambassador to Greece.
Congratulations to each of you. We appreciate your willingness -- and that of your families, as we recognize that this is a sacrifice by families as well -- to serve the country in this capacity.
I know that there are various colleagues who are looking to make introductions of our nominees before the Committee. I understand that Senator Coons is seeking to introduce Ms. Cleveland, Senator Booker will be introducing Dr. Van Schaack, and Senators Casey and Paul will be introducing Mr. Tsunis.
I understand Senator Casey is joining us virtually.
Senator Casey? The floor is yours.
Thank you, Senator Casey, for that insightful introduction. Now turning to a distinguished member of this Committee, Senator Paul.
Thank you very much, Senator Paul.
Senator Booker, are you ready to introduce Dr. Van Schaack?
I understand that Senator Coons is here. We recognize him now.
Thank you Senator Coons.
Let me turn to these nominees briefly.
Ms. Cleveland, welcome and congratulations on your nomination. You have a stellar legal resume, and I have no doubt that your experience, including in the Office of the Legal Adviser, or "L' as it is well known, will serve you well. I am pleased to note that you have the strong support of your predecessors: all nine living former Legal Advisers -- six Republicans and three Democrats -- have written to Senator Risch and myself endorsing your nomination. Without objection, I'll ask that those letters be included in the record.
As you know, the role of the Legal Adviser is somewhat unique in our government. If confirmed, you will be the general counsel of the State Department -- leading L and its cadre of exceptionally-talented lawyers -- and you also will be the chief international legal diplomat for the United States. You will be expected to provide objective legal advice to the Secretary of State, other Department policymakers, and offices across the federal government. I expect that, if confirmed, you will build upon the work of the current administration to return to the United States to a place it once held on the global stage, as a country that both observes and advances the rule of law.
As an attorney for the executive branch, you will no doubt be pressed to broadly interpret the President's Article II authorities. I will look to you for rigorous and objective legal analysis, and I expect that, consistent with our Constitution, you will understand the interests and role of Congress in the area of foreign affairs and work in good faith with this Committee to ensure that Congress' constitutional role in foreign affairs is fully and meaningfully respected.
Mr. O'Brien, I am pleased to have you before us both because I believe you are an excellent nominee and because your presence signifies something that both Senator Risch and I worked towards: the establishment of the sanctions coordinator position in law.
It is a critical position, and the last administration's decision to leave it unfilled was, in my view, short-sighted and damaging. As you know, sanctions are one of the few meaningful tools we have in our foreign policy toolkit.
If confirmed, you will have three statutorily-mandated roles: you will be the lead sanctions diplomat, the lead for State on sanctions in the interagency process, and the lead within State in coordinating sanctions policy. In short, your efforts will be instrumental to ensuing that our sanctions policies are fully aligned with and advancing our foreign policy.
I look forward to hearing how you will approach the complex set of challenges awaiting you if confirmed.
Dr. Van Schaack, congratulations on your nomination. I am glad to hear you can outrun my distinguished colleague from New Jersey. You have had a distinguished career that has prepared you well for this position. If confirmed, you will be tasked with advising the Secretary of State and others in the U.S. government on how to prevent and respond to atrocities around the world. To say this is a critical task would be an understatement.
For decades, the United States has led the world in seeking responsible mechanisms of international justice to hold accountable the dictators, thugs and warlords who commit atrocities against their own citizens.
And yet, when we look around the world today, we see rising impunity for perpetrators of atrocities against innocent civilians. The genocide of Uyghurs in China's Xinjiang region, the murderous assault on the Rohingya and other ethnic and religious minorities by the military junta in Burma, the Assad regime's machinery of torture and death in Syria, and the use of starvation and sexual assault as a weapon of war in Ethiopia are only some examples.
Strengthening international mechanisms for accountability is essential to helping prevent mass atrocity crimes, and I look forward to hearing your ideas on how best to accomplish this.
Mr. Tsunis, I welcome your nomination, which comes at such a high point in the U.S.-Greece relationship. Greece is a critical U.S. ally, a strategic partner, and a linchpin for security and democracy in the Eastern Mediterranean. As the birthplace of democracy, Greece continues to be a beacon of freedom in southeastern Europe.
In recent years, we have taken several important steps towards strengthening our strategic partnership with Greece. Congress has reaffirmed its strong bipartisan support for Greece with the landmark Eastern Mediterranean Security and Energy Partnership Act in 2019, which I led with Senator Rubio and other members of this Committee.
Last year, we made strides in strengthening NATO's southern flank with the passage of the U.S. Greece Defense and Interparliamentary Partnership Act, which I also led with Senator Rubio and other members of this Committee. And Secretary Blinken and Foreign Minister Dendias recently signed an updated and expanded defense cooperation agreement, furthering our ability to stand with our allies.
Mr. Tsunis, if confirmed, you will inherit the strongest U.S.-Greece relationship in history, one that is well poised for even further growth. You know Greece and the dynamics of the region well, and I am confident in your ability to bring the U.S.-Greece relationship into the next era.
With that, let me turn to the distinguished Ranking Member for his comments. Senator Risch?"
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