[inaudible conversation] [inaudible conversation] [inaudible conversation] were calling back to order the confirmation hearing of the nominee of the fbi director of Christopher Rankin will begin with senator kearns. Thank you for the opportunities to question the witness. Mr. Ray, thank you for your Prior Service in your continued willingness to serve our country, particularly at this important a difficult time. I know this may not need repeating. Let us not forget why we are having this hearing. Your predecessor, james comey was not even at the Halfway Point of his ten year term of fbi director and President Trump abruptly fired him, without cause and without warning. President trump said when he fired director, that he was thinking about the fbis investigation of russian interference in our election, and investigation that director comey was overseen. Now, more than ever i believe it to be crucial the next fbi director be prepared to be steadfastly independent. As we had a chance to discuss before the searing it falls on you today, not only to clearly demonstrate to the committee that you have the legal skills required for the position you been nominated but you have a fierce commitment to maintaining the integrity of deputy is an independent agency and youll conduct yourself as fbi director in a way that is about partisanship. Lets move to it if we might. First, how will you ensure that the fbi provides all the resources and special counsel mueller needs to thoroughly conduct and complete the investigation hes currently in charge of . The first thing i wouldve confirmed is to reach out to former director mueller and elicit his advice about what it is he needs and whether he is getting it from the fbi. Knowing former director mueller and knowing what a straight talker and plane talker he is, ive no doubt that if he is second in what he needs he would let me know. I agree. Attorney general sessions priest your selection as fbi nominee, did you interview with him . I interviewed with rosenstein in sessions together at the same time. Ended either ask about the conduct of the Russian Investigation during your interview . No. Attorney general sessions, as we have discussed and you know is recused from and i quote, any existing or future investigations of any matters relating in any way to the campaigns for president of the United States, clinton investigation into russian interference. As i said before, im concerned that attorney general sessions hasnt fully complied with the scope of his recusal. Is it appropriate for the attorney general to make Public Comments on the ongoing investigation, to engage in decisions about its resourcing funding or staffing . Is that an appropriate part of his management role of the agency is attorney general question. Center, im not sure its for me to speak for the attorney generals decisionmaking about his own public. I would say that if he is recused from an investigation, to me that means he should not be participating in decisionmaking about the investigation. Of course, the attorney generals the head of the entire Justice Department. As important as this investigation is, and it is extremely important in my view, there are many other things the fbi and the Department Responsible for. I think that the appropriate role for the attorney general as its leader. I agree that is not appropriate for the attorney general to participate in investigations related to the Trump Campaign. And as the person in charge of the operations of the department of justice, he is involved in making at the highest Level Management decisions. Its those decisions about the access to resources, the scope and trajectory of the investigation that i want to make sure i got to. Will you commit to studying the scope of attorney general sessions recusal and ensuring appropriate procedures are placed honoring it and reporting any violations to this congress . Im not sure and the authority over his recusal scope. What i would commit to use that i will take a close look, shortly upon being confirmed, if confirmed to making sure the former director mueller, now special counsel mueller has all the appropriate resources here to have. My expectation is i would remain committed to that support regardless of any decisions by anybody else in the department. So, if a directive came down from the attorney general about privatization or resources the you thought inappropriately interfered in any way with the resources requested by special counsel mueller, he would act to prevent that from hindering the investigation. I would not tolerate any inappropriate influence of special counsel muellers investigation. At the end of the day its his investigation. We had another conversation last weeks thats been raised about an episode about your time in the department of justice when you are prepared to resign. This was over an ongoing but on authorized by Congress Surveillance program. He testified previously that you had not been privy to all the details on it seemed that you are following people who you knew the practice closely with said admired. In hindsight, have had time to better understand what is going on a was the context and issues. In hindsight, where you write to be willing to throw your career side and be willing to join these folks in resigning and would you do that again . The first part of your question, i have not for any minute ever regretted my willingness to resign as i explained it to Deputy Attorney comey at that time. My decision was not based solely on got. It was based on knowledge very close working knowledge with a range of people who were read in and knowing they were not as i said, not shrinking violets. Theyre very tough on terror, very thoughtful, intellectually honest people and people who, by the way did not agree with each other all of the time. So when i put all that together, with how they think, how they, on war and terror issues annoyed they felt strongly enough they were willing to resign over much Greater Knowledge of the program that i had at the time. I was confident then that resigning with them if necessary was the right decision. Later, having learned many more of the facts that were not available to them or to me then, im even more confident it would have been the right decision. Thank you. Former attorney general you a quota before saying that you should be willing to resign if necessary over conduct if youre press that is either ethical, illegal, or unconstitutional. Could you export me for a few more minutes what were the values you brought to that decision and what values among those three others would you bring to having to make a similar decision in the future if you get press to do something that meets one of those three. The values i brought a particular decision with the knowledge that it was the appropriate parts of the Justice Department and the fbi were doing their job, doing their duty to evaluate the legality of the program in question. I thought knowing the confidence i had in them and their commitment to duty that needed to be respected even to the point of me having to resign teresa support them in it. Im not sure if i got all of your questions. I might need you to refresh me. Thats more than satisfactory, thank you. Acting attorney general, ciliates was fired after she refused to enforce a travel ban. If you are fired or resigned to refusing for carrying out president ial order, we commit to come to congress to testify about that decision and what drove you to make that decision . Certainly if i legally and appropriately can. I need to know the circumstances of any particular situation. I would want to comply with the law and rules first and foremost. If i can i would comply with any lawful requests from congress. When he returned to a last question raised earlier. I want to make sure weve gone this clearly. Senator graham asked about an email to donald trump junior, offering the Trump Campaign very high level and Sensitive Information and this is a quote for an email as part of Government Support for mr. Trump. Chief ethics lawyer for george w. Bush and president obama have said, we worked on political campaigns for decades and have never heard of an offer like this one. If we had, we would assistant upon immediate notification of the fbi. And so it any normal Campaign Lawyer official or senior volunteer. Russian interference in our election happened i may have very well happen again. If a Campaign Staffer or senator someone working around them gets an offer for government assistance to defeat its opponent, do you agree the right thing to do is to probably notify the fbi . Senator, i would hope that anyone who is aware of an effort or an attempt to interfere with our election would report that to the up corporate authority. Whether somebody on the campaign or anywhere else, especially in the context of cyber type intrusions the fbi and others in the Intelligence Committee depend on people were receiving contacts for reaching out and coordinating with the Intelligence Community. Thats an important part of the messaging on that effort. Id hope anyone in that situation would want to bring the issue to the appropriate authorities, assuming they think something inappropriate has occurred. Kinney reach any other conclusion from that email, other than something inappropriate is being offered . Ive not read the email or any of the newspaper coverage. Its happened at a time when ive spent going and meeting with all of your colleagues. I dont know the details of it. To have if you are minutes . Understand waiting for senator who may be on the subway. I will conclude. Let me simply say to your family, i am grateful for your willingness to undertake this into personally im grateful for your willingness to undertake this. I think were had an essential moment for the future rule of law and respect for institutions and traditions in this country. A few have heard from senators both republican and democrat, this is essential confirmation hearing. Because of the pace at which things are moving, because of the challenges and issues and allegations in front of us, because of the central the fbi place in counterintelligence of enforcing our laws and im confident that you have the skills, expense, value to be a great fbi director. I appreciate your testimony today. Thank you. That is what. I like to associate myself with the comments from the senator of delaware as well. This is a critically important time in political life that just for the role of law but the norms around it. I appreciate the thoughts and sentiments from the delaware senator. Want to return to something he said in your Opening Statement. While the fbi has justly earned its reputation as the finest Law Enforcement agency in the world, special agents, agents and staff operate largely to public view. The toilet great risk to themselves and great sacrifice for them so families. They happily deserv different recognition. It is beautifully crafted and someone has worked with and around the borough before, 36000 employees of the bureau. I think its about that, some really thoughtful and selfless agents do it without a lot of recognition and oftentimes in danger and at threats of life and limb and time away from home. Thank you for representing that in a way that you talk about the mission and the culture of the bureau. Obviously there been dark times of the borough in the past, we spoke in a bit today about director hoover of the way he mismanaged that agency 45 and 50 years ago. But also, politicization of the barrel by the White House Administration across both parties. The Kennedy Administration in the Nixon Administration all regularly tried to the politicizing weapon eyes the fbi against the rights activist and lots of other people were not able to fight back against that big overreaching state. One of the reasons why you have heard so much support for the way you conceive of this mission and calling today is because of the ways you make clear how you think this calling in both obligate you to work for the constitution on behalf of the American People [inaudible] behalf of either political party. As you have reiterated your willingness to resign if ever forced to politicize and thats why think you have so much bipartisan support for your confirmation today. Would you also pledged to this committee that if ever directed by the white house to shut down or curtail an investigation, that you would report that back to this committee, not necessarily in a public setting, will you commit today that any white house direction that you would curtail would and an investigation is something you would report back . I was really report it wherever it is appropriate. I would need to make sure comply with my legal obligations in doing so. But if i can appropriately do it i would want to make sure i can bring it to the appropriate committees attention in an appropriate way. I appreciate the chain of command issues inside an agency like tears i recognize that is complicated. But wouldnt you also agree that the senates constitutional obligation to oversight mean that we are one of the destination to which you should be reporting not just the executive director Department Chain of command . I was really grew this committee and others with oversight responsibility over the fbi have an enormously Critical Role as part of our system. I think it needs to be respected and all the appropriate ways. I would make every effort within the chain of command that you are referring to to urge that we be as forthcoming as we legally and appropriately can be with all the right members of the senate in the house. This is obviously a very politicized lif time in the liff and filling in for the chairman, Chuck Grassley of iowa who has lots of bipartisan respect. Hes doing it as an Article One Branch of article two of the constitution that it either he is or is aligned with the his party affiliation. So i think on behalf of the chairman there is a lot of robust support for you to make sure to recognize that this is a committee that you like to hear these details your predecessor, assuming your confirmation famously referred to wikileaks as intelligence born it. He said the bedrock of our democracy requires public trust and that wikileaks is regularly acting on behalf of other government against the interest of the u. S. Public. Can you briefly explain to this committee and the American People how you believe that wikileaks came to be an outlet of foreign and specifically russian propaganda. I do not have access to that information. I dont know how that came to occur. I certainly share former director comeys concern about the. I have no reason to doubt his description, but that is something i need to learn more about once i have access to classified information. Wikileaks was not a thing when i was in government before. So my observations of it have been solely through like any american watching the news media in bits and pieces. I recommend you been in the private sector so you not up to speed with all these issues yet. Is it your senses you are arriving to lead a Critical Agency that is a part of the Intelligence Committee probably lawenforcement agency but it has the National Security division and many other relationships, is it your view that we are currently adequately investing in the cyber challenges were time . I dont think i know enough to make a responsible evaluation of resources. What i can tell you is my senses as much is everybodys talking about the threats of the sort that you are describing, i have a sense that we are just scratching the surface of how great the threats are or at least how great they are about to be before we blink and wake up. That is really based on what limited information and conversations ive had with people but my sense is one of the biggest change so seen from being in lawenforcement for number of years of them being out and now getting reintroduced again is that where a cyber was a discreet topic and 2005 that of a lot of attention cyber in many ways permeates every type of criminal conduct that would deal with has become part of the fabric of our security and threat to our security. Hard to me to imagine that were doing nearly enough. We can always do better. When youre in the classified bunker getting briefings on these topics, im one of five people in the u. S. Senate was there been a politician before. Ive been here for about 30 minutes of my time interviewing people it stunning about how when you ac to questions about cyber doctrine, when you ask who is responsible for cyber doctrine inside the executive branch, the last administration in the Current Administration the main thing happened as people start looking sideways to figure out who else they can point to. How do you conceive of the fbis responsibility in the larger institutional framework cyber responsibilities . What is their role . The fbi probably is multiple roles. Criminal investigative when there are ways in which the criminal investigative tools can be used to prevent, detect, disrupt threats. But the there is an intelligence role where partners with our partners in the Intelligence Community and overseas partners in trying to defend our System Center infrastructure from attacks, just a slightly different kind of role. The two things work handinhand. I would think that there is an analogy that could be drawn to the terrorism arena in terms of awareness. I remember listening to a counterterrorism expert in a room full of prosecutors from all around the world. It was a very jovial meeti