Confirmation hearing for Biden’s DNI pick postponed

The confirmation hearing President-elect Joe Biden’s nominee for Director of National Intelligence (DNI), Avril Haines, has been postponed to next week, leaders on the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence said Thursday.

The confirmation for Haines had initially been scheduled for Friday and was planned to take place virtually. 

Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), acting chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence and Vice Chairman Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.) released a joint statement referring to the postponement Thursday evening. 

“Despite the unusual circumstances on Capitol Hill, the committee is working in good faith to move this nominee as fast as possible and ensure the committee’s members have an opportunity to question the nominee in both open and closed settings,” said the lawmakers.

“The Director of National Intelligence plays a crucial role in overseeing the 18 agencies that make up our nation’s Intelligence Community, and the committee looks forward to holding a hearing next week with Ms. Haines,” they added.

A spokesperson for Rubio was not immediately available for further comment on the postponement. 

However, a source with knowledge of the matter told CNN that the confirmation timeline is not expected to be altered significantly. The source told the outlet that the hearing was delayed because a senator wanted the hearing in person, and Friday’s session would have been remote. 

Haines has previously served as deputy director of the CIA as well as national security adviser in the Obama administration. If confirmed, Haines will be the first woman to hold the position.

Biden has pushed for his nominees to be confirmed quickly following the violent riot that took place at the Capitol last week.

“Given what our country has been through the last four years — the last few days — given the threats and the risks in this world, they should be confirmed as close to Jan. 20 as possible,” Biden said last week. “There should be no vacancies at State, Defense, Treasury and Homeland Security. We have no time to lose with regard to the entire team.”