Deputy National Security Adviser for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism John Brennan briefs reporters at the White House in Washington, in this Oct. 29, 2010 file photo. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak, File)
President Barack Obama will nominate John Brennan as the next director of the Central Intelligence Agency.
Brennan currently serves as Obama’s top counterterrorism adviser and is a 25-year CIA veteran. The nomination will be announced formally by the White House at an event on Monday afternoon. Brennan’s appointment must be confirmed by the Senate, BBC News reported.
During Monday’s event the President will also nominate Chuck Hagel as the next defense secretary.
The Associated Press reported that both Brennan and Hagel are controversial picks for a second-term national security team.
Brennan was considered for director of CIA in 2008, but he withdrew his name after questionsabout his connection to “enhanced interrogation techniques” during his time at the CIA were raised. Brennan spoke out against the tactics and denied any involvement.
Hagel has faced criticism from Congressional republicans who say that the former GOP senator is soft on Iran and is anti-Israel. The White House disagrees, claiming that Hagel’s positions on Iran and Israel have been misrepresented.
The nomination will also be controversial because of Brennan’s stance on drone warfare.
In April, Brennan defended drone strikes as legal and ethical weapons to use against Al Qaeda.
“The United States government conducts targeted strikes against specific Al Qaeda terrorists, sometimes using remotely piloted aircraft, often referred to publicly as drones,” Brennan said at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars in Washington. “The constitution empowers the president to protect the nation from any imminent threat of attack.”
Glenn Greenwald, a political reporter for Salon wrote in May that in the years since Brennan has been Obama’s chief counter-terrorism adviser, he’s been spreading a few lies.
Brennan’s the person responsible for the narrative that claimed Osama bin Laden “engaged in a firefight” with US forces entering his house and “used his wife as a human shield.” He also lied when he claimed that in 2010, drone attacks in Pakistan had no collateral damage.
This story was originally published by Global Post.