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U.S. Senate votes to confirm Brennan as CIA chief
U.S. Senate on Thursday voted 63-34 to confirm the nomination of John Brennan to be director of the Central Intelligence Agency.
In a statement, President Barack Obama praised Brennan for "his determination to keep America safe, his commitment to working with Congress, his ability to build relationships with foreign partners, and his fidelity to the values that define us as a nation."
Obama said "timely, accurate intelligence is absolutely critical to disrupting terrorist attacks, dismantling al Qaeda and its affiliates, and meeting the broad array of security challenges that we face as a nation," and Brennan's leadership will be " essential" in these efforts.
The vote took place after a dramatic 13-hour filibuster by Republican Senator Rand Paul, which ended shortly after midnight. Paul was unhappy with ambiguity surrounding whether the administration could kill Americans on U.S. soil using drone strikes, and took to the floor to talk non-stop for about 13 hours Wednesday, delaying the vote.
The White House bowed to the pressure, and Attorney General Eric Holder sent Paul a letter Thursday, saying the president does not have the authority to use weaponized drones to kill an American not engaged in combat on American soil.
Brennan will replace Mike Morrell, the acting CIA director. Morrell is to continue serving as deputy director of the CIA.
As counterterrorism advisor for Obama, Brennan ran the secret program using drones to hunt down terror suspects in countries like Pakistan, Yemen and Afghanistan. His handling of the drone program has been a major obstacle during his nomination process, and senators have been asking the White House to shed more light into the secretive program.
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相关新闻：美国参议院7日投票表决，通过总统奥巴马对白宫国土安全及反恐事务顾问约翰·布伦南担任中央情报局长的提名。
美参议院当天以63票对34票的表决结果通过了对布伦南的提名。他将接替代理局长麦克·莫雷尔，莫雷尔则将担任中情局副局长。
提名获得通过后，奥巴马发表声明说，及时、准确的情报对打击“基地”组织及应对各种安全挑战极为重要，布伦南的领导能力将是确保这一点的重要一环。
布伦南在奥巴马政府内直接领导利用无人机袭杀恐怖嫌疑人的计划。在他任内，这一计划得到极大扩展，同时也让对他的提名面临不少争议。因对奥巴马政府的无人机计划权限模糊不满，肯塔基州参议员兰德·保罗6日利用阻挠议事手段，在参议院发表长达13小时的演讲，成功推迟原定于当天举行的批准提名投票。
压力之下，白宫7日作出让步，由司法部长霍尔德给保罗去信，解释总统无权利用无人机在美国国内袭杀被认定为“非作战人员”的美国公民，让投票得以举行 |
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发表于 2016-7-11 09:56:56