The first confirmation hearing for one of the crucial posts in President-elect Joe Biden’s office was abruptly rescheduled, senior members of the Senate Intelligence Committee said on Thursday.
Biden announced in November that Avril Haines, who held key national security positions under former President Barack Obama, would become his director of national intelligence in his government. The virtual hearing was scheduled for Friday, but has been postponed.
A Republican Senate aide told NBC News that there is still no rescheduled date for the postponed hearing, but the delay was partly because members wanted to appear in person. The aide said they did not expect this to “significantly delay the confirmation process”. Another aide said the Senate expects to hold the hearing on Tuesday.
Having served under Obama as a national security attorney and deputy director of the CIA, Haines, 51, has played a key role in national security in the Biden transition. She will become the first woman in the position of DNI, which was created after the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks to better coordinate the growing bureaucracy of American intelligence.
Senator Marco Rubio, R-Fla., Who is the acting chairman of the Senate intelligence committee, and Senator Mark Warner, D-Va., The vice president, said in a joint statement on Thursday that the panel is working in “good faith” for a confirmation hearing.
“Despite the unusual circumstances on Capitol Hill, the committee is working in good faith to move this nominee as quickly as possible and to ensure that committee members have the opportunity to question the nominee in open and closed environments,” said lawmakers.
“The Director of National Intelligence plays a crucial role in overseeing the 18 agencies that make up our country’s Intelligence Community, and the committee hopes to hold a hearing next week with Ms. Haines.”
