FBI’s Deputy Chief to Head Transportation Security Administration

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http://washingtonindependent.com/84960/fbis-deputy-chief-to-head-transportation-security-administration

FBI’s Deputy Chief to Head Transportation Security Administration
By Spencer Ackerman 5/17/10 3:42 PM


It’s a star-crossed nomination, having run into Senate Republican obstruction, but President Obama thinks he’s found an unobjectionable candidate to helm the Transportation Security Administration in deputy FBI director John Pistole. Obama gives a vote of confidence in a just-released announcement of Pistole’s nomination:

“The talent and knowledge John has acquired in more than two decades of service with the F.B.I. will make him a valuable asset to our administration’s efforts to strengthen the security and screening measures at our airports. I am grateful that he has agreed to take on this important role, and I look forward to working with him in the weeks and months ahead.”

Importantly, Pistole’s tenure at the FBI gave him a background in both counterterrorism and civil rights, a mixture increasingly important as the administration has previously waded a toe — since retracted — into ethnic profiling at airports. Pistole also spent last week on the Hill briefing lawmakers on the latest in the Faisal Shahzad attempted car-bombing case, so he might be a reassuring figure in Congress for a crucial position.