|
Senate intelligence panel approves Brennan's CIA nomination
The Senate Intelligence Committee voted overwhelmingly on Tuesday to approve John Brennan as President Barack Obama's new CIA director, after the committee resolved a dispute with the White House over access to classified legal opinions on the targeted killings of U.S. citizens overseas.The vote clears a major hurdle for Brennan, currently Obama's top counter-terrorism adviser. While he seems likely to ultimately win confirmation by the full Senate, his nomination still could face further delays from Republican lawmakers. The committee vote, at a closed-door meeting, was 12-3, according to Senator Dianne Feinstein, the committee's Democratic chairwoman. The "no" votes were cast by Republican Senators Tom Coburn, Saxby Chambliss and James Risch. But other Republican committee members joined the panel's majority Democrats in voting to approve Brennan's nomination. It was not immediately clear when the full Senate might hold a floor vote on the nomination. A Congressional official said a floor vote later this week might prove difficult due to an anticipated snowstorm in the Washington, D.C. area on Wednesday. Some Republican Senators are seeking to delay that vote while they press the White House to release additional information on the U.S. response to the attacks last September 11 on U.S. official outposts in Benghazi, Libya. Feinstein said after the committee meeting that while she expected a floor vote soon, she also believed that the Democrats would have to assemble 60 votes to ensure the defeat of a possible Republican filibuster, a delaying tactic. At least a handful of Republicans would have to vote with majority Democrats and two independent Senators to cut off any filibuster. "I believe we can get 60 votes," Feinstein said. Posted by: tipper 2013-03-05 |
| http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?ID=363558 |