In yesterday's hearing, Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Carl Levin (D-MI) said that Deputy Defense Secretary nominee William J. Lynn III could not be confirmed until he responded to questions raised by Ranking Member John McCain (R-AZ) on January 26 about what impact the committee's ethics rules will have on his new position. In the letter, which POGO has posted here, Senator McCain writes:
Against that backdrop and to inform whether I can support your nomination, I would like to establish what impact, if any, those restrictions might have on your ability to discharge fully your responsibilities as Deputy Secretary. Accordingly, by Friday, January 30, 2009, please provide a detailed listing of what matters and decisions (under the Committee's ethics standards that apply to all nominees and any other applicable restrictions) from which you believe you will have to disqualify yourself and an explanation of how those matters differ from those you would have been required to disqualify yourself from had a waiver to the President's new Executive Order not been issued on your behalf. (emphasis POGO's)
-- Mandy Smithberger
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