Senate Confirms Hayden as CIA Chief

Senate Confirms Hayden as CIA Chief

The Associated Press

Friday 26 May 2006

Washington - After hearing assurances he will be independent of the Pentagon, the Senate appeared set to confirm a career Air Force general to head the CIA.

The CIA director-nominee, four-star Gen. Michael Hayden, is currently the top deputy to National Intelligence Director John Negroponte.

Hayden, 61, would be the first active-duty or retired military officer to run the spy agency in 25 years. The Senate was expected to vote on the nominee Friday.

At his confirmation hearing, Hayden sought to assure lawmakers he would be independent from his military superiors but said he would consider how his uniform affects his relationship with CIA personnel. If it were to get in the way, he said, ''I'll make the right decision.''

Hayden became a lightning rod for the debate about the Bush administration's domestic eavesdropping program. Some Democrats and civil-liberties advocates argue the monitoring was illegal.

As head of the National Security Agency from 1999 to 2005, Hayden oversaw the program. His defenders say he was relying on the advice of top government lawyers.

The White House hurried Hayden's nomination through in only 17 days, in part by heeding Congress' 5-month-old requests for more information on the classified operations.

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