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by IANS |
Washington, March 19 (IANS) The US Senate has unanimously confirmed William Burns as the Director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), installing an experienced career diplomat to head the spy agency.
The Senate on Thursday cleared Burns' nomination by a voice vote on the floor.
With his confirmation, President Joe Biden now has his full team of top national security officials in place.
Retiring from the post of Deputy Secretary of State in 2014 after a three-decade career in the foreign service, Burns won bipartisan support after Biden tapped him to lead the CIA, reports Xinhua news agency.
He sailed through the Senate confirmation hearing in February.
Burns' confirmation came as Texas Republican Senator Ted Cruz lifted his hold after the State Department released what Cruz considered to be a welcoming announcement saying the Biden administration would comply with Congress' legislation sanctioning entities involved in the Nord Stream 2 natural gas pipeline project between Russia and Germany.
At his confirmation hearing last month, Burns stressed that intelligence must not become political.
"That is exactly what President Biden expects of CIA. It was the first thing he told me when he asked me to take on this role," he added.
"He said he wants the agency to give it to him straight -- and I pledged to do just that, and to defend those who do the same."
