Executive Session

Floor Speech

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Mr. WARNER. Mr. President, I rise today in strong support of William Evanina to be the first Senate-confirmed Director of the National Counterintelligence and Security Center, or NCSC. I believe Bill is an American patriot and an American success story.

He was raised in Peckville, PA, with very modest means. He was the first in his family to go to college. Prior to joining the FBI in 1996, his first job was with the General Services Administration in Philadelphia. Over his 24-year long career with the FBI, Bill investigated organized crime and violent crimes. He investigated the 9/ 11 terrorist attacks, the anthrax attacks, and the Daniel Pearl kidnapping. Bill also led the counterespionage group at the Central Intelligence Agency. He earned a reputation as the consummate counterintelligence and security professional, fiercely dedicated to the mission with unquestionable honor.

Then, in June 2014, then-Director of National Intelligence, Jim Clapper--someone whom I know and respect very much--appointed Bill to serve as the Director of the NCSC. Many technical and complex activities fall under NCSC, including personnel security policy, information technology protection standards, CI cyber operations, supply chain risk management, threat awareness for the U.S. critical infrastructure, and damage assessments from spies and unauthorized disclosures. I have partnered, in my role as vice chairman, with Bill on many topics, to include educating industry about the threats posed by China and reforming an antiquated personnel vetting system.

The Intelligence Authorization Act for fiscal year 2016 recognized the vital work that NCSC does and made the position subject to Presidential nomination and Senate confirmation. In February 2018, President Trump nominated Bill to be the first Senate-confirmed Director. The Senate Intelligence Committee considered the nomination in May of 2018 and unanimously--unanimously, with some concerns from my colleague from Oregon, but unanimously--recommended his confirmation to the full Senate.

His nomination didn't get taken up because a Member on the opposite side had a concern. We considered his nomination again in February 2019 in the new Congress, and, again, our committee voted unanimously in favor of his nomination.

Unfortunately, over the last 2 years, despite universal recognition of Bill's qualifications for the position, his nomination became entangled in unrelated matters. Despite the delay--and I think Bill had plenty of opportunities to leave the government--Bill stayed the course, committed to the mission above all else.

Now, I share my colleague from Oregon's concerns about whistleblowers. I have seen this administration and this White House's disregard for whistleblowers. I tell you this: I believe I have Bill's commitment that the matter of processing the procedures on whistleblower protections will be dealt with. I also feel extraordinarily strongly that at this moment in time, when there is not a single Senate-confirmed appointee in the whole Office of Director of National Intelligence, now more than ever, we need at least one career intelligence professional with a good record, confirmed by this Senate, standing guard over an operation that right now, unfortunately, seems to be directed too often by political appointees that, both, disregard protection for whistleblowers and, in my mind, too often disregard protections for our whole intelligence community.

With the fact that we have now gotten rid of the unrelated matters that were precluding Bill's confirmation by my colleague on the majority, I think we deserve to give this nominee what he and the country deserves--a vote. And my hope is a very strong vote of confirmation so that we can send someone who, as a career professional, has a commitment to holding truth first and foremost above political interference. We need Bill Evanina confirmed in this position.

I look forward to Mr. Evanina's confirmation today so that he can continue addressing the many important counterintelligence and security challenges facing our Nation.

Cloture Motion

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