For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
July 5, 2001
Remarks by the President
In Nominating Robert S. Mueller as Director of the Fbi the South Lawn
11:30 A.M. EDT
THE PRESIDENT: Thank you all for
coming. General, thank you for being here. It is
my honor to nominate Robert S. Mueller, of California, to become the
Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. I want to
welcome his wife, Anne, here, and I want to welcome you all to the Rose
Garden.
When confirmed, Mr. Mueller will be only the
sixth person to hold this position. He assumes great
responsibilities. He was chosen with great care and he has
my full confidence. Bob Mueller earned my trust and that of
the Attorney General when he served as Acting Deputy Attorney General
earlier this year. He also has earned the confidence of
other Presidents before me.
He is the current U.S. Attorney for the
Northern District of California; he was appointed to that position by
President Clinton. He served in my father's administration,
as well. Before that, he was U.S. Attorney for
Massachusetts, making him one of the very few ever to serve as Chief
Federal Prosecutor in two jurisdictions.
Out next FBI Director has given nearly all his
career to public service, going back to his days in the Marine
Corps. He served with distinction and was decorated during
the Vietnam War. As a lawyer, prosecutor and government official, he
has shown high ideals, a clear sense of purpose and a tested devotion
to his country.
As Director, Mr. Mueller will succeed a good
and honest man, Director Louis Freeh, who has my respect and the
gratitude of our nation. I also want to thank Acting
Director Pickard, who has served well during this transition.
The FBI has a great tradition that Mr. Mueller
must now affirm, and some important challenges he must
confront. Like the Department of Justice, the FBI must
remain independent of politics and uncompromising in its mission.
Bob Mueller's term in office will last longer
than my own. And the next 10 years will bring more forms of
crime, new threats of terror, from beyond our borders and within
them. The tools of law enforcement will change, as
well. The FBI must be ready to protect Americans from new
types of criminals who will use modern technology to defraud and
disrupt our society.
The Bureau must secure its rightful place as
the premier counter-espionage and counter-terrorist organization in the
United States. It must continue to serve as a resource and training
center for law enforcement. And it must do all this with a
firm commitment to safeguarding the constitutional rights of our
citizens.
Bob Mueller's experience and character
convinced me that he's ready to shoulder these
responsibilities. Agents of the Bureau prize three virtues
above all: fidelity, bravery and integrity. This
new Director is a man who exemplifies them all.
Congratulations.
MR. MUELLER: Thank you very much,
Mr. President. Thank you, sir.
I am deeply honored by the trust that
President Bush has shown in nominating me to head the Federal Bureau of
Investigation. The FBI is the foremost law enforcement
agency in the world. I look forward to the confirmation
process. And, if confirmed, I look forward to working with
the thousands of dedicated men and women who are agents and employees
of the FBI, to enforce our nation's laws fairly and with respect to the
rights of all Americans.
Again, thank you, Mr. President, for the
confidence you've shown in me. Thank you, sir.
THE PRESIDENT: Congratulations.
MR. MUELLER: Thank you very much,
sir.
THE PRESIDENT: Thank you all for
coming. (Applause.)
END
11:36 A.M. EDT
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