Udall Statement on Brennan Confirmation

Statement

U.S. Senator Tom Udall (D-N.M.) issued the following statement today on his vote to confirm John Brennan as Director of the Central Intelligence Agency:

"I voted to confirm John Brennan to head the CIA today because he is a well-qualified nominee and this position is too important to our national security to remain vacant. While I'm supporting his nomination, I want to make clear that I am not satisfied by the administration's limited disclosure of documents outlining the legal justification for extraordinary authority to target and kill American citizens in the course of counterterrorism operations.

"Since September 2011, I have called on the administration to provide Congress with its full legal justifications for exercising such authority. While the Justice Department recently provided many of these documents to members of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, I believe all of us in the Senate should have the opportunity to review them.

"I will continue to seek access to these legal opinions so that we can fulfill our responsibility to conduct rigorous congressional oversight. When there is no oversight, abuses can occur. And I believe that every administration must be held accountable, regardless of which party is in the White House."

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