Political Quotes

“I rise today to express my support for the nomination of James O'Brien to be Coordinator of Sanctions Policy at the U.S. Department of State. At a time when we must keep the pressure on Putin to end his unprovoked, brutal, and illegal war against Ukraine, we need experienced officials at the helm to ensure that we are using every sanctions tool against Russia. As the power of our sanctions has been amplified by working closely with our allies and partners around the world, the long-term success of those efforts will be greatly enhanced by having a Senate-confirmed official in place to ensure that those coordination efforts continue and that we maximize the costs on Russia's economy. Mr. O'Brien is exactly the type of leader that the Office of Sanctions Coordination needs. And he brings impressive substantive expertise and professional background to this role. Mr. O'Brien is a former career employee of the State Department and recipient of numerous performance awards. He has served two U.S. administrations as a special envoy, for Hostage Affairs, and for the Balkans. Over the course of his career at the State Department, he has led a large and successful sanctions program and advised on a range of issues, including peace negotiations in Europe, scientific and environmental agreements, and initiatives to investigate and prosecute persons responsible for war crimes. In addition, Mr.…”