April 6, 2023
Letters to the Editor
The Washington Post
Re: “Make it easier to confirm,” (Editorial, April 6, 2023)
To the Editor:
While slashing lower-level executive branch officials requiring Senate confirmation, Congress should correct the incongruity of the national security advisor, the White House Counsel, and White House Czars, e.g., President Obama’s Ebola Czar Ron Klain, exercising powers eclipsing Cabinet secretaries but serving without confirmation. An example speaks volumes. John Bolton was denied confirmation as United States Ambassador to the United Nations under President George W. Bush but was later appointed to the vastly more powerful post of national security advisor by President Donald Trump with no Senate vetting whatsoever. These offices have grown from acorns into mighty oaks and the law should be adapted accordingly.
Sincerely,
Bruce Fein, associate deputy attorney general under President Reagan, 1981-83, and author of Constitutional Peril: The Life and Death Struggle for Our Constitution and Democracy
300 New Jersey Avenue, N.W., Suite 900
Washington, D.C. 20001
Phone: 202-465-8728; 703-963-4968
Email: bruce@feinpoints.com