Intelligence chief to move to State Department

Story Highlights

• Bush nominates retired Vice Adm. Mike McConnell intelligence chief
• John Negroponte quitting as national intelligence director after less than 2 years
• Set to become Condoleezza Rice's deputy -- a job that's been open for months
• Negroponte was first national spy chief after post-9/11 intelligence reforms

Adjust font size:

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- President Bush on Friday nominated National Intelligence Director John Negroponte to become deputy secretary of state.

In the same White House announcement, Bush nominated retired Vice Adm. Mike McConnell to replace Negroponte as director of national intelligence.

"John Negroponte's broad experience, sound judgment and expertise on Iraq and in the war on terror make him ... a superb choice as deputy secretary of state," Bush said.

"Mike McConnell has the experience, the intellect and the character to succeed in this position," Bush said of the intelligence nominee.

Both Negroponte and McConnell must be confirmed by the Senate, now under the control of Democrats.

"Each of them will do good work in their new positions and it is vital that they take up their new responsibilities promptly," Bush said Friday, urging the Senate to confirm them "as quickly as possible."

The new chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, Sen. Jay Rockefeller, on Thursday voiced concerns about the Negroponte move because there is no deputy to serve as director until a replacement is confirmed.

"I am deeply troubled by the timing of this announcement and the void of leadership at the top of our intelligence community," the West Virginia Democrat said in a written statement.

"Director Negroponte has not had a confirmed deputy since May 2006, when General Michael Hayden left to head the CIA. It is not acceptable for the top two jobs to be vacant at the same time," Rockefeller's statement said. "The leadership of the intelligence community is too important."

Rockefeller's committee would be responsible for scheduling the confirmation hearings for the new director of intelligence.

He said he hopes to hold the hearings soon "to provide swift consideration of both nominations" and hopes that Negroponte does not depart before the confirmation of his replacement.

A high-profile diplomat

Negroponte, 67, received Senate confirmation in April 2005 to serve as the nation's first national intelligence director. The post was created in the wake of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, to oversee all 15 U.S. intelligence agencies. The 9/11 commission investigating the attacks recommend creating the position.

He has held several high-profile posts in the Bush administration, including those of United Nations ambassador and ambassador to Iraq in the months leading up to the invasion of Iraq. The career diplomat also served as ambassador to the Philippines, Mexico and Honduras, where he was accused of overseeing the arming of Nicaraguan rebels during the Iran-Contra affair of the 1980s.

Negroponte said Friday he was looking forward to helping Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice lead the U.S. diplomatic corps.

"Whether in Baghdad, Kabul, Kosovo or elsewhere, these dedicated professionals are on the front line of advancing America's commitment to freedom," he said.

If confirmed by the Senate, Negroponte would replace Robert Zoellick, who left office in July to join the investment banking firm Goldman Sachs. Zoellick's departure had been expected for some time after he was passed over to replace John Snow as treasury secretary.

McConnell was director of the National Security Agency from 1992 to 1996, during the administrations of former Presidents George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton, and was the intelligence officer for then-Joint Chiefs Chairman Colin Powell during the first Gulf War. He is a senior vice president at Booz Allen Hamilton, a global strategy and technology consulting firm.

"After spending most of my adult life in the intelligence community, focused on getting the right information to the right decision-maker in the right time and format, I'm excited about returning," McConnell said Friday.

The high-level personnel changes come as President Bush formulates a new strategy for the war in Iraq. Sources said Wednesday that Bush is likely to deliver his plan to Americans in a televised address Tuesday or Wednesday.

CNN's John King, Shirley Hung, Elise Labott, Suzanne Malveaux and Evan Glass contributed to this report.

Tools:
Save |
Print |
E-mail |
Most Popular |

Next story in Politics

Politics

What are E-mail Alerts? | Manage Alerts | Create Your Own

Florida Keys evacuating as Ike heads to Cuba

Hurricane Ike moved past the southern Bahamas on Sunday, carrying high winds and heavy rain as the Category 4 storm surged forward on a track that could tak ...