U.S. Senate approves Haines as Director of National Intelligence

Source:-Newzee


The U.S. Senate on Wednesday (January 20) approved Avril Haines as the Director of National Intelligence, the nation's top intelligence job, making her the first of President Joe Biden's nominees to be approved.

The vote was 84-10, with all the "no" votes coming from Republicans.

Biden's choice for the top U.S. intelligence job vowed on Tuesday (January 19) to work towards "restoring trust" in the intelligence community if she confirmed.

Haines, a former White House and CIA official nominated for to be Biden's Director of National Intelligence (DNI), appeared before the Senate Intelligence Committee at her confirmation hearing.

Critics of outgoing President Donald Trump have accused him of politicizing the intelligence services, something Haines said she would scrupulously avoid.

"To be trusted, the DNI must uphold our democratic values and ensure that the work of the intelligence community, mostly done in secret, is ethical, is wise, is lawful and effective," she said. "With the aim of restoring trust and confidence, both within the intelligence community and among those we serve and protect."

Haines also said she supported what she called an "aggressive stance" to deal with the challenges posed to the United States by China.

Biden has said he wants to rejoin the deal to limit Iran's nuclear activity that Trump withdrew from, if Tehran - which denies seeking the bomb - returns to strict compliance.

DNI nominee Haines said on Tuesday that the conditions necessary to do rejoin the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) were a "long ways" away.
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