▶ 0:22:31Chair Risch: Four nominations on a business meeting. Has anyone anything to say in the order? One at a time? >> I think we would like a roll call on them, Mr. chairman.
▶ 0:22:50Chair Risch: We will take up Mr. jason evans. Is there a motion to send him forward? Seconded? The motion has been made. Is there discussion? Senator shaheen.
▶ 0:23:05Sen. Shaheen: I was disappointed in some of Mr. evans's responses and have some concerns about his management experience. I think that will be a very important part of the job. I intend to vote for him, however. His career, a professional at the state department, it's important we move our career personnel at state.
▶ 0:23:33Sen. Shaheen: I'm disappointed at the subcommittee hearing earlier this week. I'm disappointed we have not seen more career ambassadors nominated. I hope we will begin to see more of those career people sent to the committee and put into positions, because most of them have been vetted over the years before this committee. We ought to be able to move them out to posts as soon as possible.
▶ 0:24:01Chair Risch: Thank you. I agree with you on getting the careers moved. I think you will see some movement here in the immediate future, as I have communicated my views on the matter to those who are responsible. Further discussion? If not, the clerk will call the roll.
▶ 0:24:22Chair Risch: >> [calling roll] Mr.
▶ 0:25:14Chair Risch: Chairman, the yays are 14 and the nose are eight. -- no' ares eight.
▶ 0:25:25Chair Risch: Is there discussion? There be none. The clerk will call the roll. >> [calling roll]
▶ 0:26:28Chair Risch: Mr. chairman, the yays are 12 and the no's are 10.
▶ 0:26:34Chair Risch: The motion passes. We now have before us consideration of the nomination of Mr. bill white to be ambassador to the kingdom of belgium. >> Mr. chairman?
▶ 0:26:51Chair Risch: Let's do a motion first. So moved and seconded. >> Mr. chair, if I could. I will have a staff or distribute some material to you about Mr. white I find troubling. I want to say on the democratic side, I have a fairly high batting average of voting for trump nominees. Relative to my other colleagues. When I vote no, I usually say nothing either in committee or on the floor.
▶ 0:27:21Chair Risch: In rare cases I will speak up against the nominee. I want you -- everyone to be aware about Mr. white's statements. I think he poses a real risk of embarrassment to the united states in belgium. The material I'm giving you is very recent social media postings from Mr. white in 2023 and 2024. The first is a little hard to read some of the blue. It is from july of 2024.
▶ 0:27:52Chair Risch: It is a posting where he says, " it is high time to legit of the prosecute secretary of state kemp." I asked what he posted it and you will see these are q apart's desk -- qfr's. I don't recall ever posted this. I asked of the post is consistent with his views today and he said they were not.
▶ 0:28:22Chair Risch: This is a recent post from last summer. Go further, he posted in august of 2024, "locked georgia's secretary of state, this mother f-er up." not exactly mature behavior to recommend the secretary of state of the state of georgia should be locked up. I don't recall what I posted. Do you believe the views?? No, I don't.
▶ 0:28:53Chair Risch: It gets worse. Question five, he posted a posting about lindsey graham, saying "grandma's a snake -- graham is a snake." I don't recall the reason behind posting this tweet. Do you still believe the views expressed in this document? The senator is a close friend, mentor, etc. These show the character and judgment below the ambassadorial standard.
▶ 0:29:23Chair Risch: The concern I have is the next one. In may of 2024, this is a gentleman who is supporting president trump. This is long before her nomination that his nomination to be ambassador. He reposted deplatformed -- a video.
▶ 0:29:46Chair Risch: He's been convicted in belgium of holocaust denial, violence, pro-nazi-ism, and the video that Mr. white replied Mr. white repliatformed is a summary white he is right in the belgian government is wrong. I asked what he posted. As I mentioned in the hearing, a friend of mine asked me to repost this tweet as I respect senator immensely.
▶ 0:30:15Chair Risch: I apologize for not thoroughly reviewing it. That is a complete non sequitur. I asked why did you post material from a belgian holocaust denier, and antisemitic criminal. He said I was concerned about the georgia elections. That was his testimony. I'm not talking about georgia. I'm talking about belgium, the country you are nominated to represent. He said he could not recall. Now it has something to do with senator graham. I have no idea what it's about.
▶ 0:30:48Chair Risch: The last material are two articles about the criminal activity, is holocaust denial, his anti-semitism, his pro-nazi views and conviction. Belgium is an original nato ally, the headquarters of nato. Belgium has had one of the worst instances in recent years of the spike of anti-semitism. I don't know exactly why but the belgian holocaust memorial has been defaced.
▶ 0:31:17Chair Risch: Belgians went to france and defaced the french holocaust memorial. This issue of anti-semitism in belgium is a really big deal right now. This guy has been convicted and sentenced to a year in prison for being one of the leaders of this anti-semitism motion. I don't know why president trump would have nominated this guy for this position. I assume he probably did not know it. The belgians know it. They are going to know if it comes out of this committee with a yes vote.
▶ 0:31:48Chair Risch: If it comes up for a floor vote. I don't think this is the person who should be representing belgium. I think his denial is a friend asked me to repost it. If you are following months before your nominated to be ambassador of belgium the activities and videos posted by extremist belgian holocaust denier convicts and putting that out to your social media, you are down a rabbit hole.
▶ 0:32:18Chair Risch: Down a rabbit hole that's a particularly pernicious and dangerous one in a country that really is having a problem with anti-semitism right now. I would really urge my colleagues? For this individual for this post would be an embarrassment to the united states.
▶ 0:32:34Sen. Shaheen: I would like to follow-up up on that. I would have been inclined to vote for Mr. white except for these kinds of postings.
▶ 0:32:52Sen. Shaheen: More concerning, given the hearing we had and the fact that at that hearing a number of people expressed concern about those postings and what they would mean as he became ambassador.
▶ 0:33:10Sen. Shaheen: He has continued to post this kind of inflammatory statements attacking democrats, attacking those who may disagree with him. That is just not appropriate conduct for somebody who's going to be an ambassador representing the united states. Based on that I intend to vote against him as well.
▶ 0:33:35Chair Risch: Is there further debate? >> if I might just briefly, having traveled to belgium, having them are previous ambassadors to belgium and the current circumstances, I would hope we would either differ a vote on this candidate or vote against him in today's meeting.
▶ 0:33:58Sen. Murphy: Joining senator coons, senator shaheen and my real worry about putting this nominee into this very volatile political context with his history of speech.
▶ 0:34:16Sen. Murphy: I would note there were a number of biden nominees that came before this committee there were very deeply scrutinized by the now majority for their speech on twitter as private citizens. Some were denied votes on this committee even though they pledged to follow the policy of the administration but had expressed private views that were alarming to republicans on this committee.
▶ 0:34:47Sen. Murphy: I say that because this is going to be a continued issue that will come before this committee. We will have lots of nominees out of the private sector with voluminous histories of political speech. We will have to figure out what kinds of speech pose a real threat to U.S. national security interests if they end up in posts and what speech can be excused.
▶ 0:35:12Sen. Murphy: There were a bunch of democrats that were held to a very high standard in this committee because of some of their private-sector behavior. Well, this new well, this n nominee seems to be sped through despite some out of bounds language in his political speech.
▶ 0:35:30Chair Risch: Thank you. We have had a request to hold this until the next business meeting pursuant to the committee. I will hold it over to the next business meeting. Now Mr. peter lamelas of florida to be ambassador to the argentine republic. Is there a motion? Seconded? We will send Mr. lamelas.
▶ 0:36:10Chair Risch: With no debate the clerk will call the roll. >> [calling ru >> [calling roll]
▶ 0:36:53Chair Risch: Mr. chairman.
▶ 0:36:55Chair Risch: Aye. >> the yays are 14, the no's are eight.
▶ 0:37:07Chair Risch: That completes the business agenda. There being nothing further to come before the committee meeting, the committee is adjourned.