https://www.judiciary.senate.gov/meetings/04/10/2019/nominations
Rosen testimony starts about the 29 min mark.
Testimony of
Jeffrey A. Rosen
United States Senate
Committee on the Judiciary
Hearing on the Nomination of the Honorable Jeffrey Adam Rosen to beDeputy Attorney Generalof the United States
Wednesday, April 10, 2019
10:00 A.M.
Good morning, Chairman Graham, Ranking Member Feinstein, and members of the Committee:
It is a privilege to have the opportunity to come before you today. If I am confirmed, I will look forward to working with all of you to advance the important work of the Department of Justice.
I also want to thank Senator Portman for his kind introduction. I was honored to serve with him at OMB when he was the Director there. I sincerely appreciate his taking the time to be here today.
With me today is my wife of nearly 37 years, Dr. Kathleen Rosen. She has always supported my public service, and I am grateful that she continues to do so.Unfortunately, our three adult children, who live in Colorado and New York,are not able to be heretoday.
I am honored that Attorney General Barr recommended me to become the Deputy Attorney General, and that President Trump has nominated me for this position. I must add my thanks as well to Transportation Secretary Chao--with whom I have been so fortunate to work during the last two years--for her support.
I have been blessedto this point to have had a long and varied legal career, both as a litigator and as a leader and manager of a large number of professionals. During my nearly thirty years at my former law firm Ihad the opportunity to appear in federal and state courts all across the country, and to work with outstanding lawyers all along the way. At the law firm, and during nearly six years as general counsel of two federal agencies, I had the opportunity to lead, supervise, and manage large organizations of lawyers, handling the widest possible range of legal matters. And in my current position as the Deputy Secretary of Transportation, I serve as the chief operating officer of a federal cabinet department with a budget in excess of $80 billion and more than 55,000 employees.I believe these experiences should serve me well if I am confirmed to become Deputy Attorney General.
With regard to the Department of Justice, if I am confirmed as the Deputy Attorney General, I would arrive from the outside, but not as a stranger. I have had many, many dealings with a wide variety of DOJ components over the years, both during my public service and while representing parties in private practice. I have admired the Department’s proud traditions of excellence, independence, and professionalism, and revered its historic role as the advocate and guarantor of the rights of all Americans.
I consider service at the Department of Justice one of the highest callings that a lawyer can undertake.There have been 37 Deputy AttorneysGeneral thus far, some who had served as federal prosecutorsat the Department, some who had served in legal roles at other departments, and some who had worked primarily in private law firms. I fall in the latter two categories, so if confirmed would expect to draw fully on the extraordinary lawyers with prosecutorial experience at the Department, including some in what would bemy immediate office, as well as throughout the Departmentof Justice.
These experiencedand committed career public servants are the lifeblood of the Department. If confirmed, I plan to work hand-in-hand with them each day. For example, we will work together to combat violent crime and the opioid epidemic ravaging our communities. We will work together to implement the President’s and Congress’ bipartisan goal, enshrined in the First Step Act, of giving Americans convicted of certain offenses another chanceat a productive life. We will, each day, work together to ensure therights, thesafety and the security of all Americans. Asthe Attorney General has said, over the long run, the course of justice in our country has more to do with the character of the Department of Justice as an enduring institution than with the tenure of any particular Attorney General or Deputy Attorney General.
I have occasionally been asked why I would be interested in serving at the Department of Justice. The short answer is that I believe I can make a meaningful contribution to an institution that I regard asa cornerstone of our American system of government, and consider it both a duty and an honor to serve our country. My parents were not college graduates, but they were smart and caring people who made sure I had the education and opportunity to become a lawyer.I wish they were still with us to see this day. My father used to remindme that “to whom much has been given, much is expected.” Like the President, the Attorney General, and all of you, I love our country, and stand ready to serve again in a new role if I am confirmed.
Finally, let me say that I am keenly aware that Congress makes our laws, and it is the duty of the Department of Justice to enforce them. The year in which I was born, President Eisenhower said that “if civilization is to survive, it must choose the rule of law.” If I am confirmed as the 38thDeputy Attorney General, I will work tirelessly to help the Attorney General lead and manage the Department of Justiceas aguiding light for the rule of law, which is what the Department should always be.
Thank you again for the opportunity to be here today, and I will look forward to answering your questions.
https://www.judiciary.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/Rosen%20Testimony.pdf
