Nomination of Fore approved by committee

Benjamin Grove

Wednesday, July 27, 2005 | 9:48 a.m.

WASHINGTON -- The Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Tuesday approved Las Vegan Henrietta Holsman Fore to a top post at the State Department after Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., agreed not to block her nomination.

The full Senate could vote later this week on Fore, who currently serves as director of the U.S. Mint. President Bush in May nominated her to be the State Department's undersecretary for management, which has authority over human resources and acts as a civil rights office for department employees.

Obama was concerned about racially insensitive comments Fore made 18 years ago as a business owner, while she was speaking to students at Wellesley College. Fore had suggested black workers preferred to sell drugs than work in a factory, according to an account in a 1987 New York Times story. Fore later resigned as a Wellesley trustee amid controversy over the comments.

Fore has said the comments were misunderstood as part of a discussion about workplace stereotypes.

Obama has since reviewed part of a FBI file on Fore's nomination and met with her. Obama also reviewed Fore's answers -- 36 written pages -- she submitted to 15 questions posed by Obama.

After the panel approved her Tuesday, Obama said he was now "confident" that Fore was committed to workplace diversity. He said he spoke to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice about Fore and said Rice was likewise committed to diversity and tolerance at the agency.

"The State Department is one of those areas where diversity is especially important to the mission of the department," Obama said.

In one written answer to Obama, Fore said that in her comments at Wellesley she had "referred to racial stereotypes held by some in the business community."

"As I thought I made clear at the time, these were not stereotypes I myself believed," Fore said.

Fore offered an apology.

"Although my remarks were misunderstood and mischaracterized at the time, I feel it was a serious mistake for me even to have referred to these stereotypes. I am deeply sorry for having done so."

In another response, Fore said she had worked to recruit minorities at the Mint, but also released data that revealed that the Mint's minority workforce has remained the same, at about 45 percent, since her tenure began in 2001.

Obama asked Fore how many complaints had been filed by workers at the Mint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, or in court under the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

Fore's answer: 37 in the 2004 fiscal year, and 12 in the first six months of 2005. But that doesn't reflect how many cases were settled or dismissed, Fore noted. Fore said no EEOC complaints had been filed during her tenure in business as president of Stockton Products, Stockton Wire Products and Poza Corp.

Fore pledged to "open up opportunities for everyone" at the State Department.

"There will be a greater need to employ and utilize diversity within the Department of State to support Secretary Rice's vision of transformational diplomacy," Fore wrote.