[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 140 (Thursday, September 15, 2016)]
[Senate]
[Page S5839]
TRIBUTE TO MICHAEL F. BUCHWALD
Mrs. FEINSTEIN. Mr. President, today I wish to pay tribute to Mike
Buchwald, a dedicated member of my staff for over 9 years. Mike has
served in my personal office, as my counsel, and finally, as deputy
staff director for oversight and policy on the Senate Select Committee
on Intelligence. Over this time period, Mike has displayed a work ethic
like none other. I have come to rely deeply on his attention to detail
and exceptional command of the Nation's intelligence analysis.
Before joining the committee, Mike served an associate at the
international law firm of O'Melveny & Myers, where he specialized in
criminal, congressional, and internal investigations of corporations
and nonprofit entities as a member of the white-collar defense and
strategic counseling groups. He served as a law clerk for Federal
District Judge George P. Schiavelli in California, where he was born
and raised. Prior to law school, he worked as a legislative assistant
in my personal office for 3 years. Mike earned his J.D. from the
University of Virginia School of Law and his B.A. cum laude with
distinction in history from Yale University. He is a member of Phi Beta
Kappa and has been admitted to practice law in California and the
District of Columbia.
Mike's accomplishments on the Intelligence committee were extensive,
many of which were completed behind the scenes in furtherance of the
committee's oversight mandate. Two important public reports on which
Mike was involved were the 2010 report on Attempted Terrorist Attack on
Northwest Airlines Flight 253 and the 2013 SSCI Review of Terrorist
Attacks on U.S. Facilities in Benghazi. Both reports were critical in
helping improve our understanding of these attacks and how the U.S.
Government and the intelligence community can prepare for them in the
future.
The sheer volume of other committee activities in which Mike was
engaged are too numerous to mention. Suffice it to say that he was an
integral part of my intelligence team, supporting me and the committee
in the enactment of seven consecutive intelligence authorization bills
and overseeing the most complex activities undertaken by our
government. He has unmatched passion for congressional oversight, for
the intelligence community, and for this country's national security.
Mike not only served me well, but was the consummate professional with
all members and committee staff on both sides of the aisle.
Mike will continue to further his government career by accepting a
position within the U.S. Department of Justice's National Security
Division. I am certain the Department will find him to be a shining
light, committed to protecting this country and its citizens. It is
also important for me to acknowledge the support Mike has received from
his fiancee and now wife, Jamie Lynn Poslosky. I thank her for allowing
Mike to spend many late nights in the office meeting the oversight
demands of the Intelligence Committee.
I am pleased to have this opportunity to publicly thank Mike and to
wish him the very best in all his future endeavors. I will miss his
insights and his ability to always have the right document at hand for
any discussion or deliberations. Thank you, Mike, for your many years
of service and dedication both to the country and to me personally.
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