Statement for the Record of John P. Carlin
Before the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence
February 25, 2014
Thank you, Madam Chairman, Vice Chairman Chambliss, and distinguished Members of
the Committee.
It is an honor to appear before you today, and I thank you for considering my nomination.
I know this Committee has many demands on its time, and many pressing issues before it.
I want to thank the President for his confidence in nominating me, and the Attorney
General for his support. It is an honor to be considered for this position, and an opportunity for
which I am very grateful.
In addition, I would like to take this opportunity to recognize my family for their love and
support over the years. My wife, Sarah, who has made countless sacrifices to allow me to pursue
a career in public service, and our daughter, Sylvie, for her tolerance for the many evenings I
have missed at home. My parents, Patricia and Roy, for teaching my sister and me by lesson and
by example, the importance of dedication, discipline, and always doing what’s right. My
mother- and father-in-law, Jura and Stuart Newman, for their love and support for me and my
family. I also want to thank my sister Jennifer, my brother-in-law Don, and their children,
Daniel and Katie, for their support. Because of all of them, and their selflessness, I have been
able to choose the path that has led me here today.
I have been privileged to have spent my entire legal career with the Department of
Justice. For more than a decade, I have learned from, and worked alongside, legendary public
servants as the United States undertook fundamental changes in our approach to combating the
threat of terrorism and other emerging national security challenges. While serving as FBI
Director Bob Mueller’s Special Counsel and later, as his Chief of Staff, I worked with the
lawyers, policymakers, and leaders who helped the Bureau evolve from a law enforcement
agency into a threat-based, intelligence-driven national security organization. As Principal
Deputy and Chief of Staff to Lisa Monaco, now Assistant to the President for Homeland Security
and Counterterrorism, when she was Assistant Attorney General, I had the chance to help lead
another evolution – one in which the Justice Department’s National Security Division continued
to adapt to meet the growing and evolving cyber threat, and further developed its all-tools
approach to disrupting a growing range of national security challenges.
These experiences taught me significant lessons about the responsibilities of national
security lawyers in our government, and about how individuals in these roles can shape the way
that we protect the American people. And those lessons have only been reinforced during the
approximately 11 months in which I have been fortunate to serve as the Acting Assistant
Attorney General for National Security. As I have said before, but cannot say enough, I have
been both humbled and driven by the responsibilities and mission entrusted to me in this role.

The Assistant Attorney General is charged with leading the Department’s National
Security Division, which Congress created to unite the Department’s national security elements to
bring all tools to bear in the fight against terrorism and other threats to national security. NSD
lawyers play an indispensable role in ensuring that the Intelligence Community is able to
consider all legally available options to detect and disrupt threats to our nation’s security while
scrupulously adhering to complex and evolving legal requirements. If confirmed, I will remain
committed to supporting this all-tools approach, and to ensuring that as we adapt our intelligence
practices to stay ahead of our adversaries, our critical operations are conducted within the bounds
of the law and consistent with our nation’s values. I recognize that these values include
protecting vital civil liberties, privacy, and the rule of law.
The Division serves as a bridge between the Intelligence Community and the Department of
Justice, to support the approach Congress embraced when it removed legal and structural barriers to
information-sharing among intelligence and law enforcement professionals. This bridge has allowed
us to maximize our disruption options and offers our best chance to prevent the next attack. If
confirmed, I will build on the relationships that I have made during my time in the national security
community, so that the bridge we have worked so hard to build remains strong and grows stronger.

I also appreciate the importance of effective oversight in ensuring accountability. This
Committee performs an essential function in overseeing intelligence activities of the Intelligence
Community, and I am committed to building and maintaining a strong, cooperative, and
productive relationship with you to help promote the shared goals of oversight and
accountability.
Thank you again for the opportunity to appear before you today, and for your
consideration. I look forward to answering your questions.