A strictly divided by party United States Senate voted today to confirm NAFUSA life member Representative John Ratcliffe of Texas to become the next director of national intelligence. Ratcliffe served as the United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Texas 2007-2009. He had served as the first assistant to NAFUSA Past-President Matt Orwig, and succeeded Orwig when the latter returned to private practice. He is shown below meeting with the NAFUSA Liaison Committee in Washington on June 25, 2019.

On the Speaker’s Balcony at the Capitol overlooking the Mall with Congressman and NAFUSA Life Member John Radcliffe

The Congressional panel tasked with overseeing at least $2.8 trillion in COVID-19 economic rescue spending has tapped as a top adviser NAFUSA member David Hickton, a University of Pittsburgh policy researcher and former U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Pennsylvania.

Hickton, the founding director of the University of Pittsburgh Institute for Cyber Law, Policy and Security, is taking a leave of absence from the school to serve as staff director and senior counsel to the House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis.

Hickton will advise the Democratically-led panel, chaired by Rep. James Clyburn, D-S.C., as it examines how federal dollars flow from the Trump administration to families, businesses, health care institutions and the broader economy amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

“I have watched and admired the principled leadership of Chairman Clyburn for many years,” Hickton said. “When he offered me the opportunity to help do this important work for the American people, I could not say no.”

Hickton arrives just as the subcommittee — a panel under the auspices of the House Committee on Oversight and Reform — begins to ramp up its efforts about three weeks after it was established.

The resolution formally establishing the subcommittee passed on April 23 by a vote of 212-182 along party lines, with Rep. Justin Amash, I-Mich., voting with Republicans in opposition.

That vote occurred the same day lawmakers approved another $310 billion for the Small Business Administration’s Paycheck Protection Program, which provides forgivable loans to small businesses and has been rife with oversight issues. Several large, publicly traded companies were approved for the small business loans, potentially crowding out mom-and-pop shops.

Last week, the panel’s first official action was to call out five large publicly traded firms, for taking small business loan money. The panel announced one of the five companies, Georgia-based biopharmaceutical firm MiMedx Group, has returned the loan. An aide to the subcommittee said Friday it was “continuing to work with the companies to hear their perspective and review materials.”

 Hickton spent six years as a U.S. attorney, co-chairing a national Heroin Task Force to address the opioid epidemic and bringing an high-profile indictment against the Chinese People’s Liberation Army for economic espionage against four Pittsburgh-area companies.

As head of Pitt Cyber, Mr. Hickton has explored subjects like election security and Russian hacking.

Mr. Clyburn, in a statement released by his office, said Hickton’s record as a U.S. attorney “demonstrates some unique abilities to identify and weed out fraud and abuse.” Mr. Hickton will “help protect the extraordinary and unprecedented outlay of taxpayer money as Congress continues to fight this pandemic and its economic consequences.”

Mr. Hickton’s role will be to oversee the professional staff and operations, an aide to Mr. Clyburn said.

Pitt Chancellor Patrick Gallagher praised Mr. Hickton as the “consummate public servant” with an “unyielding commitment to integrity, collaboration and ingenuity.”

On February 20, 2020, NAFUSA member and former Georgia State Senator and federal prosecutor Ed Tarver announced he was running for the United States Senate from the State of Georgia. Tarver is running for the seat that was vacated by U.S. Senator Johnny Isakson.

“Georgia needs experienced, committed leadership in the United States Senate,” said Tarver. “As a Captain in the United States Army, I embraced the values of hard work and public service. That led me to serve my state as a senator and my country as a federal prosecutor appointed by President Barack Obama. In the Army, we were never asked if we were Conservatives or Liberals. It was about serving one nation.

“Today, Washington is broken. Too much emphasis is placed on one side winning and another side losing. Our values are under assault by those individuals who are willing to sacrifice the future of our nation for personal gain. I’m running for the U.S. Senate to restore decency to Washington, bring real leadership, and fight for our Georgia values – bipartisan criminal justice reform, fiscal responsibility, and access to quality health care. We can do so much better than we’re doing today. I’ve been fighting for Georgia for more than 20 years, and I am ready to keep that fight going.”

In announcing his candidacy, Tarver released this a 3 minute introductory video that is available by clicking here.

Tarver was born while his father served in the Army to parents who were natives of Blythe, Georgia. He is a graduate of Glenn Hills High and Augusta College (currently Augusta University in Augusta). After serving seven years in the United States Army, earning the rank of Captain, Tarver went on to graduate from the University of Georgia Law School. From 2005 to 2009, he represented August in the Georgia General Assembly before being appointed by President Barack Obama as a federal prosecutor for the Southern District of Georgia.

While a federal prosecutor, Tarver aggressively prosecuted sex traffickers and drug dealers. He identified individuals who committed fraud against Georgia taxpayers and returned more than $27 million to Georgians who were victims of a prescription drug scheme. Recognizing the need to reform the nation’s criminal justice system, Tarver worked with community leaders to identify solutions to long term incarceration for non-violent and drug addicted criminals.

In the U.S. Senate, Tarver pledges to fight to provide adequate health care for Georgians, reduce poverty, fight social injustice, and promote bipartisan criminal justice reform. Recognizing that agriculture is the lifeblood of Georgia’s economy, he’ll work to remove barriers for Georgia farmers, while fighting for a cleaner environment.

Peter Vaira

In his May column for The Legal Intellegencer, NAFUSA member Peter Vaira writes about “Changes in the Law Practice After Covid-19…What Will Be the New Normal?” Vaira says,

Paul Coggins, president of NAFUSA, has released a new legal thriller, Sting Like A Butterfly, and it’s perfect for time indoors. You can order on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and visit his author page on Goodreads. 

Paul Coggins is the co-chair of the White Collar and Government Investigations Section of Locke Lord. He is the former United States Attorney for the Northern District of Texas. A Rhodes Scholar, a graduate of Harvard Law School, and a former host of a popular radio call in show, Paul is also a frequent commentator for the media, and a contributor of articles to newspapers and magazines.   

Paul previously published a mystery titled The Lady is the Tiger and co-authored a nonfiction book on sports titled Out of Bounds with former Congressman Tom McMillen. The second Cash McCahill book is expected to be released next year. 

NAFUSA member Herbert Stern has co-authored, along with Alan A. Winter, “Wolf: A Novel”, a novel about Adolf Hitler’s rise to power. There are lots of great reviews on Amazon, Goodreads and on March 31, 2020, Shawn Tully wrote in Fortune Magazine,

A novel about Adolf Hitler’s rise to power doesn’t sound the ideal diversion we’re all craving to escape cabin fever.

 

But Wolf (Skyhorse) is that rare blend that puts the reader in the limos and backrooms with the gang of diabolical villains who conned the German masses and changed the arc of history, while providing a detailed, factually meticulous account of the fifteen years of tumult leading to the birth of the Third Reich.

 

Wolf could be considered a “forensic thriller.” While working through its 549 pages, this Fortune writer cooped up in Manhattan’s Chelsea found himself both learning lots of new things about the stricken German spirit and economy of 1920s and early 1930s, and itching to discover where the next twist would take a cast of characters brought fully to life, including brave and lovable madams, dance hall impresarios, police chiefs, and actresses who refused to compromise their humanity- and suffered dearly for it.

Judge Stern served as the U.S. Attorney for the District of New Jersey 1971-1974. In 1962-1965, he served as an assistant district attorney in Manhattan, participating in the investigation of the assassination of Malcolm X. He also served in the Organized Crime and Racketeering Section of the U.S. Department of Justice. He was appointed by President Nixon to serve on the U.S. District Court in the district of New Jersey, serving from 1974-1987. He has authored several books on trial advocacy and Judgment in Berlin, later made into a film.

Judge Stern is a partner and founding member of Stern & Kilcullen. He earned his J.D. from the Universtiy of Chicago Law School.