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