Senate Confirms Justice Department Nominee Who Represented Russian Bank
- 6 years ago
The Senate on Wednesday voted to confirm Brian Benczkowski.
The Senate on Wednesday confirmed Brian Benczkowski as the Department of Justice's Assistant Attorney General for the Criminal Division.
According to the Washington Post, the Senate voted 51 to 48, despite "the objection of Democrats who worried about his representation of a Russian bank and lack of prosecutorial experience."
"Benczkowski acknowledged briefly performing legal work for Alfa Bank, which has ties to Russian government officials, in 2017," reports NPR.
Democratic Senator Dick Durbin tweeted Wednesday in response to the confirmation: "This could prove to be a historic mistake."
Meanwhile, Attorney General Jeff Sessions praised Benczkowski in a statement.
"Brian is an outstanding lawyer with a diverse public service and criminal law background spanning over 20 years," Sessions said. "This will be the sixth senior position Brian has held at the Department, and we are fortunate to have someone with his breadth of experience and strong leadership skills willing to serve again. At a time like this—with surging violent crime and an unprecedented drug epidemic—this position is especially important."
The Senate on Wednesday confirmed Brian Benczkowski as the Department of Justice's Assistant Attorney General for the Criminal Division.
According to the Washington Post, the Senate voted 51 to 48, despite "the objection of Democrats who worried about his representation of a Russian bank and lack of prosecutorial experience."
"Benczkowski acknowledged briefly performing legal work for Alfa Bank, which has ties to Russian government officials, in 2017," reports NPR.
Democratic Senator Dick Durbin tweeted Wednesday in response to the confirmation: "This could prove to be a historic mistake."
Meanwhile, Attorney General Jeff Sessions praised Benczkowski in a statement.
"Brian is an outstanding lawyer with a diverse public service and criminal law background spanning over 20 years," Sessions said. "This will be the sixth senior position Brian has held at the Department, and we are fortunate to have someone with his breadth of experience and strong leadership skills willing to serve again. At a time like this—with surging violent crime and an unprecedented drug epidemic—this position is especially important."