CIA Nominee Brennan Has Obama's 'Complete Trust'
President Obama's choice of John Brennan to lead the CIA appears to be less controversial than his decision to nominate former Sen. Chuck Hagel as secretary of defense.
The top Republican on the House intelligence committee, Rep. Mike Rogers, said in a statement Monday that he looks forward to working with Brennan at the CIA. Still, the Brennan nomination will raise questions about Obama's national security policy.
Brennan was widely regarded as Obama's choice to lead the CIA in 2009. But his service at the agency under President George W. Bush raised concerns among human rights groups, as it came at a time when the agency was using what critics considered torture on suspected terrorists.
So the president instead made Brennan his counterterrorism adviser. Serving at the president's right hand might be a heady experience, but in accepting the president's offer to head the CIA, Brennan said there's no place he would rather work.
"Leading the agency in which I served for 25 years would be the greatest privilege as well as the greatest responsibility of my professional life," he said.
The Two-Way
Obama Nominates Hagel For Defense, Brennan For CIA