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Obama picks former Clinton aide to head CIA
President-elect Barack Obama on Monday chose former White House chief of staff Leon Panetta to lead the CIA, which has been widely criticized for harsh interrogation of terrorism suspects, Democratic officials said on Monday.
- Agencies
- Published: 09:43 January 6, 2009
Washington: President-elect Barack Obama on Monday chose former White House chief of staff Leon Panetta to lead the CIA, which has been widely criticized for harsh interrogation of terrorism suspects, Democratic officials said on Monday.
The selection of Panetta for Central Intelligence Agency director, which came as a surprise, is one of the last major nominations for the incoming Obama administration, which replaces the Bush administration on January 20.
Panetta lacks experience on matters regarding national security, although he did participate in daily intelligence briefings with President Bill Clinton when he served as Clinton's chief of staff between 1994 and 1997.
Senator Dianne Feinstein, poised to head the Senate intelligence committee, said she had not been notified of the selection of Panetta to be CIA director and indicated that she was displeased by Obama's choice.
"My position has consistently been that I believe the agency is best-served by having an intelligence professional in charge at this time," Feinstein said in a statement.
Panetta is best known as a budget expert who tamed deficits in the White House and during a prior 16-year stint as a congressman from California.
He was a member of the Iraq Study Group, a bipartisan commission that was charged with assessing a way to end the Iraq war. Its recommendations for a phased troop withdrawal were largely ignored by the Bush administration, which chose to increase the U.S. military presence there instead.
Intelligence experts said Panetta's knowledge of the inner workings of government, and his strong bipartisan reputation for fairness, would prove valuable.
"It was a surprise, but I think he will prove to be a valuable pick," said a source with close ties to US intelligence.
Panetta will succeed Michael Hayden, who has been largely criticised by some Democrats and human rights groups for his defence of the Bush administration's counterterrorism tactics.
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