Orrin Hatch: “I rise today to speak on the nomination of Mr. Jacob Lew to be Secretary of the Treasury. This is an important…”

“I rise today to speak on the nomination of Mr. Jacob Lew to be Secretary of the Treasury. This is an important nomination. With our still-struggling economy and our growing fiscal problems, the next Treasury Secretary is going to have a lot on his plate. That being the case, we have worked on the Finance Committee to vet Mr. Lew, to examine his background credentials, and provide a complete picture of his qualifications for this post. I wish to offer a few comments about our review process, what we have learned, and the reservations about the nominee that remain with me now that this process is complete. Let me begin by saying a few words about the process itself. For well over a decade, the Finance Committee has followed a specified procedure when considering executive branch nominations. Sadly, that procedure was not followed in the case of Mr. Lew. After publicly announcing Mr. Lew's nomination, the White House waited 16 days before submitting any of his paperwork. That was an atypically long delay and, in addition to slowing the vetting process, it ensured Mr. Lew would not be confirmed in time to prevent a vacancy at the Treasury Department. A nomination hearing was scheduled to be held only 12 calendar days after the paperwork was received, even though the nominee had not answered all of the questions submitted to him.…”