After a lot of soul searching this congressional interview available on our website cspan. Org. We will interrupt it for live coverage of Calista Gingrich for ambassador to the vatican. Mrs. Calistal. Gingrich is the president s nominee to be ambassador to the vatican. Mr. George edward glass is the nominee to be the u. S. Ambassador to portugal. And carl c. Rich to be secretary of state for counselor affairs. I want to congratulate the nominees and thank you for your willingness to serve. We have congressman rooney here supporting mrs. Gingrich. Congressman rooney was the ambassador to the holy sea during president bushs term. The senior senator from oregon, ron widen and an esteemed member of this committee, senator portman from ohio. Mr. Chairman, thank you for your courtesy. As senator portman knows, we are right in the middle of debating tax reform, i know a topic of great interest to many senators here. Im trying to help out chairman hatch. I will make this a filibuster free opportunity, mr. Chairman. It is a great privilege to be able to introduce a long time friend, George Edward glass. Mr. Glass has been nominated to serve as our next ambassador to portland. As we begin this discussion, im glad that the president has gun submitting more nominees to the senate for consideration because we all understand that having a Senate Confirmed ambassador makes a world of differences when challenges emerge as this committee knows better than just about anybody. Knowing mr. Glass as i do, i am confident that as all of you get to know him better, you are going to report him favorably to the senate floor. As he is going to tell you, george glass is an oregonian through and through. He was born in eugene. He attended college there, graduating from the university of oregon. Like me, he is a duck and he has continued to be involved with the university, with the community as he has been recognized as a pillar of portlands financial, real estate and tech communities. Hes been involved in a number of projects to help our community. Im particularly pleased that he has had a long interest in the Oregon Health and science university. They play a lifeline in terms of reaching out to our community and to those who have really found it hard to Access Health care. Hes been a trustee for the Oregon Health and science university, a former president of the university of Oregon Alumni Association and also a member of the catholic Business Leaders association. I just feel very strongly that as you look to portugal and to that part of the world, we are going to need people whove demonstrated a track record of stepping up, being involved in their community, someone with expertise in a variety of areas, not just his chosen profession of finance, but health care with his background at the Oregon Health sciences center. And i believe that as you get to know him and confirm him after youve had a chance to hear from him, you will come to the conclusion i have, which is george glass has values shared by americans, by those in the country he seeks to serve, portugal. And i very much appreciate my colleagues going out of order to extend this courtesy to me. And my guess is chairman hatch probably is grateful to you as well as we try to keep matters proceeding in the finance committee. Thank you very much, mr. Chairman. I very much look forward to members of the committee getting to know george glass as i have. I think youll come to the same judgment i have. He will serve and reflect great credit on the United States in this position. Thank you for that great introduction and your strong support for the nominee. As long as youre taking a look at my Corporate Tax reform, i really encourage you to get out of here and get back to the tax at hand. Senator portman. Thank you, chairman johnson. I wanted to be here to welcome this distinguished group of nominees. Thank you for your willingness to serve. To mr. Rich and mr. Glass, wer. Hes before this committee to be the next coordinator for Counter Terrorism at the state department, obviously a vital position that needs to be filled as quickly as possible. In these National Security positions, we need to have honorable, capable individuals who understand the importance of that mission, protecting the homemade land but also working with our allies y s ties to com threat of global terrorism. Were pleased to have your here. Did i mention hes from ohio . Never hurts to mention it again. Canton, ohio, to be specific. Also attended ohios miami university. He then for some reason headed south and went to duke law school. Following law school he did clerk for the honorable david sentel. And hes no stranger to Public Service. He served in the office of legal policy at the department of justice and at the department of Homeland Security during the george w. Bush administration, where i also served. There he focused on intelligence, information sharing, terrorist travel. At dhs, he drafted critical legislation to improve the security of our visa waiver program. Something that the chairman and i have had deep interest in. In the past few years, nathan returned to the private sector and academia. He teaches and writes in the fields of National Security law and Counter Terrorism law, among other areas. Hes superbly qualified for this position. Much more importantly because of his relevant experience, because of his strong record and because of his lifelong commitment to our constitution, laws and the security of our country. I hope my colleagues will join me in this effort to quickly fill this role with an experienced and capable public servant. Thank you, senator portman, for that great introduction. By all means go back to the finance committee and start working than Corporate Tax proposal. As great as it is to have nominees from oregon and ohio, i certainly preeshtd tappreciate that i have a privilege of introducing our nominee from the state of wisconsin. In my capacity, i also have the honor of introducing my fellow wisconsinite, Calista Gingrich. She was born and raised in whitehall, wisconsin. Its an area that you drop cell coverage frequently. She graduated from Whitehall Memorial High School as valedictori valedictorian. She attended Luther College in iowa where she was a regent scholar and honors graduate. Calista came to washington to intern for her hometown congressman steve gunderson. She served as the chief clerk of the House Committee on agriculture. After 18 years of service, she left capitol hill to found gingrich productions, producing documentary films, writing books and advising clients. She also supports many charitable causes through her role. Shes a lifelong catholic and has been active in her Faith Community for many years. She has sung for 20 years in the choir of the National Shine of the Immaculate Conception here in washington. Calista collaborated with Church Leaders to produce and host nine days to change the world, a documentary about Pope John Paul iis historic 1979 pilgrimage to poland. She also produced a documentary about Pope John Paul iis cannonization. Her interest in john paul ii is fitting given her nomination. President reagans trip with Pope John Paul ii led to relationships with the holy sea. Calistas understanding of the Catholic Church, her considerable experience in government and business and her talents as a commune ta tor mca her an ideal choice. I support her nomination and urge my colleagues to support her as well. Thank you for your willingness to serve. Im also delighted to introduce mr. Carl c. Rich of pennsylvania. Mr. Rich is a highly regarded Pennsylvania Attorney and current acting chief of staff in the u. S. Citizen and Immigration Services. He was previously the Field Office Director of the u. S. Citizenship and Immigration Services at the American Embassy in seoul, south korea. A senior immigration official brought in washington, d. C. For over a decade and a former counselor Foreign Service officer with the department of state, mr. Rich is an expert on the responsibilities. With that i would like to recognize the distinguished Ranking Member for his comments. Senator murphy. Thank you, mr. Chairman. We have actually a good full house of members here. Im going to defer my opening remarks. Thank all of you for your service. Mr. Sales and i had a chance to sit down and have a productive conversation yesterday. Im very glad for your testimony and for us to engage in a dialogue. The order of our nominees opening remarks will be mrs. Gingrich, mr. Sales, mr. Glass and mr. Risch. Chairman johnson, Ranking Member murphy and distinguished members of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, i am honored to appear before you today as President Trumps nominee to serve as the United States ambassador to the holy sea. I am thankful to President Trump for the confidence and trust he has placed in me to be his representative at this important embassy. In addition, i want to express my gratitude to secretary of state Rex Tillerson for supporting my nomination. It is a special honor to be introduced by chairman johnson from my home state of wisconsin. Thank you. I am also grateful to appear before this committee today with the full support of my husband newt. As veterans of capitol hill, we both have Great Respect for your role in assessing and confirming those who represent the American People abroad. If confirmed, i look forward to working closely with the members and staff of this committee. Like the United States, the holy sea is active on a global scale. It is engaged on every continent to advance religious freedom and human rights, to fight terrorism and violence, to combat Human Trafficking, to prevent the spread of diseases like ebola and hiv aids. And to seek Peaceful Solutions to crises around the world. Those who serve in the state department are known the world over for their patriotism and dedication. The staff at the u. S. Embassy to the holy sea exemplifies these traits. They work tirelessly to leverage the vaticans global reach and to advance our strong bilateral relationship. The embassy team did an extraordinary job preparing for and hosting the president on his visit to the vatican in may. During that visit, President Trump and pope francis highlighted shared concerns, including the protection of Christian Communities in the middle east. Pope francis has powerfully called on religious leaders and people of all faiths to unequivocally reject terrorism and violence in the name of religious. The vatican and its organizations play an active role to troubled areas around the globe, from venezuela to south sudan, to the democratic republican of the congo, countries where the holy seas support for Peaceful Solutions directly benefits the interests of the United States. The Catholic Church is a unique Global Network overseeing the worlds second Largest International aid organization, operating 25 of the Worlds Health care facilities and ministering to millions in every corner of the world. As global leaders, the United States and the vatican must continue to work closely to advance our shared values of Human Dignity and freedom. This can only happen if we maintain and build upon a Strong Foundation of trust and mutual communication. If confirmed i will continue this vital dialogue which has been so important for the people of the United States and the world. I understand how the United States and the holy sea can act as a worm wide forld wide force when we Work Together. Several years ago i had the honor of producing a documentary film entitled nine days that changed the world. It chronicled the historic visit to poland in 1979. Producing this film required substantial work with key Church Leaders and other experts in the United States, poland and the vatican. This film has been well received by the Catholic Church and is usedreligious programs throughout the United States. This is an example of the powerful role the vatican plays in international affairs. Recently i produced another documentary film entitled divine mercy. These projects along with my decades long membership, have given me the opportunities to build relationships with many church members, clergy and religious scholars. These have instilled in my the highest respect for the holy sea, a deep appreciation for the responsibility of this post and confidence that the United States vatican bilateral relationship is a force for good and one that cannot be ignored. As a lifelong catholic, business owner, documentary film maker, author and former public servant, i am profoundly humbled at the prospect of serving my country as the United States ambassador to the holy sea. If confirmed i will work diligently to develop Even Stronger ties between the United States and the holy c. Mr. Chairman, mr. Ranking member and members of the committee, i appreciate the opportunity to be before you today and would be pleased to answer my questions you may have. Thank you. Thank you. Our next nominee will be mr. Sales. Thank you, chairman johnson, thank you Ranking Member murphy and members of the committee. Its an honor to be here with you this morning. Let me start by introducing my family. My wife margaret along with our daughters ana and kate. My parents alex and marsha are here. They came out from ohio. Id also like to acknowledge my fatherinlaw and motherinlaw home in boston today. Special word of thanks to senator portman, my fellow buckeye for his kind words of introduction. You can take the boy out of ohio but you cant take the ohio out of the boy. I also want to express my gratitude to President Trump and secretary tillerson. If confirmed, ill do everything in my power to earn and pay back the trust and confidence that they have shown in me. I came to the field of Counter Terrorism almost by happenstance. In 2001 i was a young lawyer at the Justice Department. Id been hired to work on Administrative Law issues. It was the middle of august 2001. Three weeks later was 9 11. I still recall the chilling rumors that flew that morning as we evacuated main justice. A car bomb at the state department, fires on the national mall, another hijacked plane heading for the capital. Some of those rumors turned out to be false alarms, but that was little consolation. The reality was bad enough. My job and everybody at the administration, everybody in congress now shifted to one fundamental and over riding priority, preventing another assault on our homeland. 9 11 wasnt just an attack on our citizens and landmarks. It was an attack on our very way of life, our democracy, our commitment to the rule of law. Our top priority at the Justice Department was to equip our nations cops and spies and soldiers with the tools they needed to confront this new menace and just as importantly to do so in a way that maintained faith with our fundamental values as americans, our basic national values. We couldnt allow our fundamental values to become a casually of war. I took that commitment with me to Homeland Security a few years later. At dhs i learned the experience of working with our allies around the world. I saw firsthand that our alliances are strong, not just because of our shared economic and military might, but because of our shared values. Let me also say a few words about the dedicated career professionals at the state department. Ive developed a deep appreciation for their extensive knowledge, their commitment and sacrifices. It