FROM THE OFFICE OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS

Mr. Chairman, Senator Moynihan, and members of the Committee: I am honored to appear before you today as you consider my nomination to be Under Secretary of the Treasury for Enforcement.

At the outset, I wish to thank Secretary Rubin both for recommending me to the President and for his support during the last two years. I thank President Clinton for my nomination.

On a personal note, I would like to recognize my family: My wife, Sigrid Gabler; one of our two daughters, Abigail (at five months, Amalya is not quite ready for such a gathering); and my mother, Birdie Johnson. It is as a result of the continued support of my family and friends -- many of whom are here -- that I sit before you again this morning.

First, I would like to tell you a bit about my professional background. From 1990 to 1996, I served as an Assistant United States Attorney in the Southern District of New York. During the last two and one-half of those years, I was privileged to serve as a Deputy Chief of the Criminal Division under United States Attorney Mary Jo White. During my tenure as an Assistant U.S. Attorney, I personally prosecuted or supervised the prosecution of criminal cases brought by the United States Secret Service, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, the United States Customs Service, and the Internal Revenue Service. For approximately four months, beginning in November of 1994, I was detailed by the Department of Justice to serve as Assistant Director of the Treasury Department's White House Security Review.

As you know, I began serving as the Treasury Department's Assistant Secretary for Enforcement in March of 1996. Since he joined the Department in June of that year, I have assisted Under Secretary Kelly in the oversight of the United States Customs Service, the United States Secret Service, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF), the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center (FLETC), the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN),

and the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC). Since June of 1996, I have also served as the co-chair of the National Church Arson Task Force, which was created by President Clinton to coordinate the federal law enforcement response to church fires.

During these last two years, I have had the privilege of working with an array of talented and dedicated individuals. Starting from the top, I would like to take this opportunity to acknowledge my colleagues, Under Secretary for Enforcement, Raymond W. Kelly, and Deputy Assistant Secretary, Elisabeth A. Bresee, who are also here before you today. I look forward to continuing to work with them as members of Treasury's team. I also wish to extend my compliments to the heads of Treasury's law enforcement bureaus; they are exemplary public servants and are a source of tremendous strength for the Department. Indeed, during my tenure as Assistant Secretary, I have consistently observed that the commitment and professionalism demonstrated by the men and women of our bureaus are nothing less than impressive. If confirmed as Under Secretary, I look forward to the privilege of heading this gifted team.

The range of issues handled by Treasury's law enforcement bureaus and the Department's Office of Enforcement is broad: From the Secret Service's protection of the American president to OFAC's enforcement of economic sanctions; from Customs' protection of our borders to FLETC's training of the majority of federal law enforcement officials; and from ATF's work on the President's Youth Crime Gun Interdiction Initiative to FinCEN's continued efforts to build a regulatory regime that will curtail the laundering of the illicit proceeds of crime. The reach of these bureaus, and our ability to work together for good in the life of this Nation, is tremendous.

This breadth of responsibility provides both opportunity as well as challenge. As Assistant Secretary, under the leadership of Secretary Rubin and Under Secretary Kelly, I have had the honor of helping to design, develop and implement policies aimed at advancing the missions of Treasury's law enforcement bureaus. As Under Secretary, I look forward to moving forward with our enforcement agencies as they carry out these missions. I look forward to working with each as it shapes a strategy that will carry it into the 21st Century and expect to work closely with the Congress as we carry this work forward.

While the challenges before us are considerable, I believe that Treasury law enforcement personnel have consistently demonstrated the capacity to meet those challenges. As Under Secretary, I look forward to continuing in that tradition and to maintaining the high standards of oversight practiced at the Department of the Treasury.

Thank you.