July 30, 2019 - Issue: Vol. 165, No. 129 — Daily Edition116th Congress (2019 - 2020) - 1st Session

[Page S5191]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   NOMINATION OF DANIEL HABIB JORJANI

  Mr. WYDEN. Madam President, today I wish to give notice of my intent 
to object to any unanimous consent agreement regarding Senate Executive 
Calendar No. 367, the nomination of Daniel Jorjani to be Solicitor at 
the Department of the Interior.
  Recently released documents reveal that, during Mr. Jorjani's 
confirmation hearing before the U.S. Senate Energy and Natural 
Resources Committee, he knowingly gave misleading and untruthful 
testimony about the Department's Freedom of Information Act--FOIA--
policy.
  Department officials appear to have created a policy with regard to 
the Freedom of Information Act allowing political appointees to delay 
and thwart the release of information to the public. Worse still, when 
I asked Mr. Jorjani about this policy, he told me it didn't exist.
  Attempts by political appointees at the Department to delay, 
stonewall, and otherwise inhibit public and congressional oversight are 
completely unacceptable. This sort of rank political interference with 
government accountability runs contrary to the very basis of our form 
of government.
  On February 28, 2019, the Department issued an updated version of its 
formal ``Awareness Review'' policy, which outlines the Department's 
review process for FOIA document productions. However, based on 
documents obtained through multiple FOIA requests, it appears the 
Department has a supplemental process for document productions that has 
not previously been made public.
  Mr. Jorjani appeared before the U.S. Senate Energy and Natural 
Resources Committee on May 2, 2019, for his confirmation hearing to 
serve as the Department's Solicitor. During Mr. Jorjani's hearing and 
in written testimony he provided the Committee shortly thereafter, he 
told me this supplemental awareness review process did not exist.
  Currently, the Department's inspector general is conducting a review 
of Interior's FOIA policies. In addition, I have asked the U.S. 
Department of Justice to look into whether Mr. Jorjani perjured himself 
before the committee.
  I cannot condone the movement of Mr. Jorjani's nomination. Therefore, 
I will object to any unanimous consent agreement to consider Mr. 
Jorjani's nomination.

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