The Congressional Record is a unique source of public documentation. It started in 1873, documenting nearly all the major and minor policies being discussed and debated.
“TRIBUTE TO PEGGI HANRAHAN” mentioning the U.S. Dept. of Justice was published in the Senate section on pages S7013-S7014 on Nov. 6, 2017.
The Department is one of the oldest in the US, focused primarily on law enforcement and the federal prison system. Downsizing the Federal Government, a project aimed at lowering taxes and boosting federal efficiency, detailed wasteful expenses such as $16 muffins at conferences and board meetings.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
TRIBUTE TO PEGGI HANRAHAN
Mr. STRANGE. Mr. President, today I wish to pay tribute to an Alabamian who has spent more than two decades in public service, Peggi Hanrahan.
Many people in Washington, DC, know Peggi as the executive assistant and gatekeeper to the former Alabama Senator, Jeff Sessions, who is now the U.S. Attorney General. For more than 20 years, Jeff Sessions has been a strong leader on the issues of legal reform and immigration. In order to speak with Jeff Sessions on any issue, you had to go through Peggi.
Peggi has earned praise from the countless people she has worked alongside throughout the years. Here are a few statements from her former colleagues.
Attorney General Sessions stated:
Peggi has been at the center of everything we have accomplished in public service. She loves America and its ideals, is smart, decisive, loyal, and a total professional. She speaks up for the high principles she believes in, and for two decades has been the key point of contact in our office for thousands of Alabamians and Americans all over the Country. She has provided invaluable service to me, the Nation, and the so many who she trained and mentored. Though we will miss her marvelous contributions, we wish her all the best as she and Kevin embark on this next adventure.
Kate Hollis, then-Senator Sessions' former scheduler, said the following:
For 14 years I had the pleasure of working side by side with Peggi for Senator Jeff Sessions. We were a great team and became great friends during that time. I can attest that she was one of the hardest working people in the United States Senate who always went the extra mile to assist Senator Sessions and our staff, as well as our constituents from the great State of Alabama.
Pete Landrum, former military legislative assistant under former Senator Sessions, stated:
Peggi Hanrahan is a great colleague and friend. She is a person that can be depended on when things are good or when things are bad--it doesn't matter.
Danielle Cutrona, counselor to the Attorney General, said:
Peggi is an institution in our office. Her loyalty and dedication to then-Senator, now Attorney General Sessions and to his staff has been unwavering. I am grateful to have had the opportunity to work with Peggi all these years and will miss her tremendously.
Michael Brumas, former press secretary for Senator Sessions, said:
The phrase `best in the business' certainly applies to Peggi Hanrahan, who served for more than two decades as Jeff Sessions' executive assistant, first in the Senate and then at the Department of Justice. In many ways Peggi was the backbone of the Senate office, with a knack for solving those administrative dilemmas that always crop up in a busy Senate office as well making sure the senator stuck to his active schedule--not always an easy task.
Senator Sessions' first chief of staff in the Senate, Armand DeKyser, said the following:
From the earliest days of Senator Sessions' tenure when Peggi began sitting just outside Jeff's transition office, she never was more than 20 feet from his desk. She was THE constant among all the many staff that worked for Senator and now Attorney General Jeff Sessions. Her calm demeanor combined with a wonderful work ethic are so very vital to the successful operation of a complex staff operation. She was composed, efficient and trustworthy on the most harried of days--a presidential inauguration, a swearing-in, or even the fateful 9/11 day. Even on a normal day--if there is ever one of those--Peggi's demonstrated support both up and down the ladder of responsibility was one of her best traits and one most admired by all.
Alan Hanson, now Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General, said:
Peggi Hanrahan is a national treasure. She is both a trusted confidante and an invaluable colleague. While she will be sorely missed by all of us, her retirement is both hard earned and well deserved.
Paige Hanson, a former Sessions staffer, said:
While I know the Attorney General will miss the benefit of having Peggi around, we are truly happy for her and grateful for her service and friendship.
Stephen Boyd, former communications director for Senator Sessions and now Assistant Attorney General, said:
It is difficult to overstate the important role that Peggi played for all those years in the Senate office. If things got done, it was usually because Peggi made it happen. Her service to then-Senator and now Attorney General Sessions, the Senate, and to the people of Alabama has been tremendous. She is one of many who asked not for recognition or public appreciation, but only for the opportunity to serve her country alongside a leader she respected. It was a pleasure to work with her for many years, and I certainly hope that she enjoys the retirement that she has clearly earned.
Finally, Rick Dearborn, Senator Sessions' longtime chief of staff and now White House Deputy Chief of Staff, said:
Peggi Hanrahan was an extraordinary member of Senator Sessions' former Senate staff. She is part schoolmarm, part drill sergeant, with a pinch of traffic cop and a spoonful of soft marshmallows all rolled into one. Indispensable in the Senator's office, Peggi made it all run. She organized the Senator's office, our lives, his life, kept up with all our constituents and friends back home, both with personal notes she and the Senator would spend significant time on and checkup calls. She'd place those calls with his good friends back home, often early in the morning and after hours. She was, along with Kate Hollis, the Senator's scheduler, the glue that held us all together. It would have been impossible to manage the Senator's office without her. She was my Senate colleague, my teammate, and continues to be my very dear friend. I wish her and her husband Kevin the absolute best as they enter the next chapter of their lives, separate from the two institutions they served so well, the Senate and the House.
On behalf of the people of Alabama, I want to join all of those who are wishing Peggi and Kevin a very happy retirement.
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