Adam J. Szubin

On August 1, 2006, Treasury announced that Secretary Henry M. Paulson had named Adam Szubin Director of the Office of Foreign Assets Control. The archived release (hp-39) states that in that role he would be “responsible for administering and enforcing the United States Government’s economic sanction programs to advance foreign policy and national security objectives,” targeting supporters of terrorism, WMD proliferators, narcotics traffickers, and select foreign countries. Under Secretary Stuart Levey is quoted calling him a “central engineer of TFI’s policies.” The same release records prior service as Senior Advisor to the TFI Under Secretary, DOJ Counsel to the Deputy Attorney General, Civil Division Terrorism Litigation Task Force attorney, Gilman clerkship, and Harvard College / Harvard Law degrees. An appointment is not a later Iran-policy finding. It is not a conviction.

Office lock for the OFAC Directorship. White House Apr 16, 2015 bio later states he held OFAC since 2006. Not a crime. Not a judgeship.

N/A — personnel / appointment announcement.

The April 16, 2015 White House release announcing Obama’s intent to nominate Adam J. Szubin as Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Crimes states: he “serves as the Director of the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC)… a position he has held since 2006. Concurrently, he serves as the Acting Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Crimes at Treasury, a position to which he was designated in February 2015.” That sentence is the White House’s. Acting service is not Senate confirmation. Congress.gov later treats the under-secretary nomination as PN371.

Acting TFI under-secretary designation locked by White House primary. Keep Acting. Not a floor confirmation.

N/A — designation / personnel. Full Senate never confirmed the under-secretary nomination.

On April 16, 2015, the White House announced President Obama’s intent to nominate Adam J. Szubin as Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Crimes. Congress.gov records PN371 received in the Senate on April 20, 2015, referred to Banking: “Adam J. Szubin, of the District of Columbia, to be Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Crimes, vice David S. Cohen, resigned.” Latest action: returned to the President January 3, 2017, under Senate Rule XXXI, paragraph 6. The full Senate never confirmed him. A nomination is not a confirmation. See also nomination-returned and nomination-hearing.

The Senate Banking printed hearing The Implications of Sanctions Relief Under the Iran Agreement (GovInfo CHRG-114shrg97883) lists Adam J. Szubin, Acting Under Secretary of Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Crimes, as a witness alongside Under Secretary of State Wendy Sherman. The transcript records the chairman introducing him in that acting title. Szubin’s opening, as printed, thanks the committee for inviting him “to discuss the nuclear deal with Iran.” This is testimony. It is not a crime. It is not Senate confirmation of PN371. Cotton later quoted other Szubin lines about dollarization when he blocked the floor vote — that politics is in Claims, with Cotton’s own release as the source for Cotton’s words.

Printed hearing identity and acting title. Not upgraded to a finding about every Iran-policy dispute.

N/A — congressional hearing record. Not a judgment.

On September 17, 2015, Senate Banking held a nomination hearing on “Mr. Adam J. Szubin, of the District of Columbia, to be Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Crimes.” The committee hearing page is the official notice. Congress.gov lists the same date; printed S.Hrg. 114-129. Treasury posted his prepared statement the same day (jl0165). He thanked President Obama and Secretary Lew. He said he had directed OFAC for nine years and had been acting under secretary for six months. On Iran he wrote that TFI’s campaign “culminated in the diplomatic process that produced the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action,” and that even as the government prepared “to suspend our secondary nuclear sanctions if Iran fulfills its commitments under the deal,” other sanctions would continue. Chairman Shelby’s contemporaneous opening (as reported in the file’s prior packet) flagged the assemble-then-dismantle tension — Shelby’s words are Shelby’s; this page does not invent extra Shelby quotes beyond the hearing notice and Szubin’s own Treasury statement.

Hearing held + nominee statement on Treasury letterhead. Not floor confirmation. See committee-vote for the later favorable report.

Hearing only. PN371 later returned without full-Senate confirmation.

Congress.gov records that on March 10, 2016, the Banking Committee ordered PN371 reported favorably and placed it on the Executive Calendar. Fox News contemporaneous reporting described a 14–8 committee vote and GOP Iran-deal opposition. The Fox piece is reporting for the vote tally color; the Fact of favorable report / Executive Calendar placement is Congress.gov. A committee report is not floor confirmation. The nomination was later returned under Rule XXXI.

Favorable committee report locked. Floor block politics → Claims (Cotton’s own release is primary for Cotton’s objection, not a finding against Szubin).

Never confirmed by the full Senate; returned Jan 3, 2017.

Congress.gov latest action on PN371: returned to the President January 3, 2017, under Senate Rule XXXI, paragraph 6. The full Senate never confirmed Adam J. Szubin as Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Crimes. Acting service and Acting Secretary continuity are separate titles (see acting-tfi, acting-secretary). Non-confirmation is not a criminal finding.

Nomination terminated by return. No under-secretary confirmation.

On January 19, 2017, Treasury posted a spokesperson statement (jl0713): “To ensure the smooth continuity of leadership at the Department of the Treasury, Acting Under Secretary Adam Szubin will serve as Acting Secretary of the Treasury, effective January 20, 2017. He will serve in that capacity until a new Secretary is confirmed and in place. At that point, Mr. Szubin will leave government service to pursue other endeavors.” That is a contemporaneous Treasury.gov release. Acting secretary is a continuity title. It is not a confirmed appointment as Secretary of the Treasury. This page does not invent the last calendar day he physically left the building.

Continuity Acting Secretary + scheduled exit. Politico “asked to stay” reporting → Claims. Not a MAGA conversion finding. Not a cabinet confirmation.

N/A — succession / spokesperson statement.

On April 13, 2016, Treasury posted remarks by Acting Under Secretary Adam Szubin at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies annual forum (jl0419). Quote: “The JCPOA represents a tremendous diplomatic breakthrough — a peaceful means of effectively cutting off all of Iran’s potential pathways to a nuclear weapon.” He called the result “a massive accomplishment” and said “we got the policy right.” In the same remarks: claims “that we are about to provide Iran access to the U.S. financial system are also untrue. We will not provide Iran access to the U.S. financial system and we will not restore the ‘U-turn’ authorization.” Cotton’s later allegation that Lew had “all but announced” dollarization is Cotton’s politics in Claims — not upgraded here to a finding that Szubin secretly opened the dollar.

The Johns Hopkins SAIS faculty page for Adam J. Szubin states that he “joined the Johns Hopkins SAIS faculty as a Distinguished Practitioner-in-Residence in May 2017” and notes Acting Secretary service during the 2017 transition (also locked by Treasury jl0713). Covington & Burling’s professional page describes him as a partner/counsel-level sanctions lawyer and lists acting secretary (2017), acting TFI under secretary (2015–2017), and OFAC director (2006–2015). Exact private-practice start day is the firm’s claim, not a government filing. No FEC itemized gift or USAspending personal line locked as Fact this pass. Do not invent donations. Do not assign firm revenue to him personally.