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Bush Picks Chertoff to Head Homeland Security
Wed Jan 12,12:21 AM ET Politics - Reuters
By Steve Holland
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Bush (news - web sites) on Tuesday nominated federal judge Michael Chertoff, a former prosecutor and architect of the anti-terror USA Patriot Act after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, to become secretary of homeland security.
After the debacle involving the nomination of former New York police commissioner Bernard Kerik, who abruptly withdrew from consideration a month ago in the face of some uncomfortable personal revelations, Chertoff, a U.S. appeals court judge in Philadelphia, appeared to be a safe choice.
Bush pointed out Chertoff, 51, has already been confirmed by the Senate three times for previous jobs. Reaction to the nomination from Capitol Hill was cautiously optimistic.
Chertoff's confirmation would bring a veteran of the U.S. legal response to the Sept. 11 attacks to head the 180,000-employee department charged with guarding the country against a repeat.
"In the days after Sept. 11, Mike helped trace the terrorist attacks to the al Qaeda network. He understood immediately that the strategy in the war on terror is to prevent attacks before they occur," Bush said.
The White House also announced that Fran Townsend, White House homeland security adviser and mentioned as a candidate for homeland security secretary, would stay in her job.
On Sept. 11, 2001, Chertoff was managing the Justice Department (news - web sites)'s criminal division, and was closely involved in the investigation of the Sept. 11 attacks.
He also gave congressional testimony arguing for passage of the Patriot Act, which has been criticized by civil liberties groups.
UNDERCOVER AGENTS
The American Civil Liberties Union (news - web sites) said Chertoff should be questioned aggressively about his dedication to U.S. constitutional rights and said he was instrumental in revising internal Justice Department guidelines to allow the FBI (news - web sites) to infiltrate religious and political gatherings with undercover agents.
Bush and Chertoff stressed the nominee will preserve U.S. civil liberties.
"He's faced countless challenging decisions and has helped to protect his fellow Americans while protecting their civil liberties," Bush said at a White House ceremony with the balding, gaunt Chertoff by his side.
Chertoff said if confirmed, he would "devote all my energy to promoting our homeland security and, as important, to preserving our fundamental liberties."
Chertoff, of New Jersey, is a former assistant attorney general at the Justice Department and in the mid-1990s was Republican counsel for the Senate committee that investigated the Whitewater affair involving former President Bill Clinton (news - web sites) and his wife, Hillary.
The experience earned him a reputation among Democrats as an aggressive and partisan investigator.
Chertoff, involved in several Republican political campaigns, has been an appeals court judge for the 3rd Circuit based in Philadelphia since June 2003.
Maine Republican Sen. Susan Collins (news, bio, voting record), chair of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee that will consider Chertoff's nomination, called him a strong candidate.
The ranking Democrat on the committee, Sen. Joe Lieberman (news - web sites) of Connecticut, said if confirmed, Chertoff will face significant challenges to improve the department's operations.
Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, a Tennessee Republican, described Chertoff as an outstanding candidate.
Bush now has one last major job to fill, that of director of national intelligence. One candidate is retired Gen. Tommy Franks, who led the invasion of Iraq (news - web sites) and the war in Afghanistan (news - web sites).
Chertoff would replace Tom Ridge, the first secretary of the Homeland Security Department, which was created in the wake of the Sept. 11 attacks. (Additional reporting by James Vicini and Thomas Ferraro)
Wed Jan 12,12:21 AM ET Politics - Reuters
By Steve Holland
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Bush (news - web sites) on Tuesday nominated federal judge Michael Chertoff, a former prosecutor and architect of the anti-terror USA Patriot Act after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, to become secretary of homeland security.
After the debacle involving the nomination of former New York police commissioner Bernard Kerik, who abruptly withdrew from consideration a month ago in the face of some uncomfortable personal revelations, Chertoff, a U.S. appeals court judge in Philadelphia, appeared to be a safe choice.
Bush pointed out Chertoff, 51, has already been confirmed by the Senate three times for previous jobs. Reaction to the nomination from Capitol Hill was cautiously optimistic.
Chertoff's confirmation would bring a veteran of the U.S. legal response to the Sept. 11 attacks to head the 180,000-employee department charged with guarding the country against a repeat.
"In the days after Sept. 11, Mike helped trace the terrorist attacks to the al Qaeda network. He understood immediately that the strategy in the war on terror is to prevent attacks before they occur," Bush said.
The White House also announced that Fran Townsend, White House homeland security adviser and mentioned as a candidate for homeland security secretary, would stay in her job.
On Sept. 11, 2001, Chertoff was managing the Justice Department (news - web sites)'s criminal division, and was closely involved in the investigation of the Sept. 11 attacks.
He also gave congressional testimony arguing for passage of the Patriot Act, which has been criticized by civil liberties groups.
UNDERCOVER AGENTS
The American Civil Liberties Union (news - web sites) said Chertoff should be questioned aggressively about his dedication to U.S. constitutional rights and said he was instrumental in revising internal Justice Department guidelines to allow the FBI (news - web sites) to infiltrate religious and political gatherings with undercover agents.
Bush and Chertoff stressed the nominee will preserve U.S. civil liberties.
"He's faced countless challenging decisions and has helped to protect his fellow Americans while protecting their civil liberties," Bush said at a White House ceremony with the balding, gaunt Chertoff by his side.
Chertoff said if confirmed, he would "devote all my energy to promoting our homeland security and, as important, to preserving our fundamental liberties."
Chertoff, of New Jersey, is a former assistant attorney general at the Justice Department and in the mid-1990s was Republican counsel for the Senate committee that investigated the Whitewater affair involving former President Bill Clinton (news - web sites) and his wife, Hillary.
The experience earned him a reputation among Democrats as an aggressive and partisan investigator.
Chertoff, involved in several Republican political campaigns, has been an appeals court judge for the 3rd Circuit based in Philadelphia since June 2003.
Maine Republican Sen. Susan Collins (news, bio, voting record), chair of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee that will consider Chertoff's nomination, called him a strong candidate.
The ranking Democrat on the committee, Sen. Joe Lieberman (news - web sites) of Connecticut, said if confirmed, Chertoff will face significant challenges to improve the department's operations.
Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, a Tennessee Republican, described Chertoff as an outstanding candidate.
Bush now has one last major job to fill, that of director of national intelligence. One candidate is retired Gen. Tommy Franks, who led the invasion of Iraq (news - web sites) and the war in Afghanistan (news - web sites).
Chertoff would replace Tom Ridge, the first secretary of the Homeland Security Department, which was created in the wake of the Sept. 11 attacks. (Additional reporting by James Vicini and Thomas Ferraro)