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The Senate voted to confirm Avril Haines as director of national intelligence on Wednesday night, making her the first of President Biden’s cabinet nominees to be confirmed. Haines was approved by a majority bipartisan vote of 84-10.
The Senate adjourned overnight after confirming Haines, and will meet at 12 p.m. Thursday.
“Avril Haines was the right fit for the Director of National Intelligence. We appreciate the bipartisan cooperation to get it confirmed tonight, and we hope there will be many more as the nation is in crisis and we need it. President Biden’s team in place, as quickly as possible, ”Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said in a statement.
Sen. Mark Warner, the top Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee, said in a Senate speech ahead of the vote that it was “appropriate” that Haines be the first candidate confirmed by the Senate.
“I believe she is firmly committed to rebuilding the office of the director of national intelligence,” said Warner, implicitly rebuking the office under former President Trump. He said morale within the intelligence community had been damaged as officials had “seen many of their leaders sacked for simply doing the right thing: telling the truth to power.”
Republican Senator Tom Cotton had previously opposed the speedy holding of the vote on Haines’ nomination, but announced in a Senate speech that he was withdrawing his objection.
“I was the last person to oppose this vote. I am no longer opposing it,” Cotton said. He initially opposed the vote because he was unsure whether Haines wanted to reopen investigations into the detention and interrogation programs from the early 2000s.
“She clarified privately that we had no intention of opening these investigations and exposing CIA operations officers to criminal prosecution or employment measures. unfavorable, or even to hold them against them and possible promotions or future placements, ”Cotton said to me.
Senate committees on Tuesday began holding confirmation hearings for five of Mr. Biden’s picks just before his inauguration: Janet Yellen, candidate for the post of Secretary of the Treasury, Hates, candidate for the post of director of national intelligence, Lloyd Austin, candidate for the post of Secretary of Defense, Tony blinking, candidate for the post of Secretary of State, and Alejandro mayorkas, candidate for the post of Secretary of Internal Security. A hearing for Pete Buttigieg, candidate for the post of Secretary of Transport, is scheduled for Thursday. Denis McDonough, the candidate for the post of Secretary of Veterans Affairs, will receive a hearing next week.
Federal agencies will be headed by interim officials until all of Mr. Biden’s nominees are confirmed.
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