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 Vanessa J. Le (Executive Session)” mentioning the U.S. Dept. of Justice was published in the in the Senate section section on pages S6900-S6901 on Oct. 5.
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 Vanessa J. Le
Mr. BURR. Mr. President, I rise today to pay tribute to Vanessa Le, a dedicated member of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence staff, an integral part of the committee's investigation into Russia's interference in the 2016 U.S. elections, and my designee on the committee staff since March of 2019. While with the committee, Vanessa proved herself time and again to be more than just another capable lawyer. Although there is no debating her strengths as an attorney, it is--and I hope always will be--Vanessa's courage in the face of corruption and expedience that distinguishes her counsel. As an unrelenting advocate for virtue, sensibility, and the common good, Vanessa lives the axiom, ``What is right is not always popular, and what is popular is not always right.''
Vanessa's work for the committee covered a waterfront of complex national security challenges that ranged from investigating Russia's election interference to conducting oversight of the U.S. counterintelligence apparatus. As lead investigative counsel for the majority on the Russia investigation, Vanessa worked tirelessly to secure witness interviews and document production, draft and serve committee subpoenas, interview witnesses, and liaise with the Department of Justice, the Office of Special Counsel, and the Senate legal counsel. In addition, she helped conduct witness interviews, drafted and reviewed chapters of the committee's report, and provided crucial legal advice on the committee's constitutional and Senate procedural authorities.
Vanessa was also responsible for overseeing the FBI and helping to actualize my policy objectives relative to the Bureau and the Nation's broader counterintelligence enterprise. Vanessa brought a keen mind, exacting questions, and a heartfelt passion for the role of the committee in keeping this Nation secure to work with her every day.
Vanessa's professional experience prior to joining the committee staff includes time as a litigation associate at the Drinker, Biddle & Reath law firm branch in Chicago, and as an Honors Attorney in the National Security Agency's Office of General Counsel. Vanessa is leaving the committee staff to work for the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, where she will serve as a special advisor to the DNI. I can most assuredly say that our loss is Director Haines' gain. Vanessa will achieve incredible things at the ODNI, and it is to the country's benefit that her contributions to work with this intelligence community will continue. Although I am hopeful the transition will afford her more time with her husband Gary and son George and baby girl Margaux, anyone who has ever met Vanessa will tell you that she is not really the relax-at-home type. I suspect she will bring the same intensity and ``let's get this done'' attitude that she was known for on the committee into her role at the DNI.
Therefore, it is with a little reluctance and a lot of pride that I wish Vanessa well and thank her for all she has done for the committee. Her wit, intellect, boundless energy, and unparalleled mastery of the culinary arts will be impossible to replace.
Thank you, Vanessa. The vital investigative work of this committee would not have been accomplished absent your dedication, your clear-
minded judgment, and your unwavering moral compass.
