U.S. Vice President-elect Joe Biden defended on Tuesday the decision of President-elect Barack Obama to pick former White House Chief of Staff Leon Panetta as the head of Central Intelligence Agency (CIA).
"He has been a consumer of intelligence for a long time," Biden told reporters after he was sworn in the Senate as the 111th Congress convened. "He was chief off staff and he understands the agency well."
Media reports said on Monday that Panetta would be soon named by Obama as the new CIA director, which draw criticism since he had no working experience in intelligence community.
"What the agency needs now is a strong figure who understands how it functions and is going to take it up on a new path," Biden said.
However, he admitted that it was a mistake not to discuss about the CIA chief choice with Senate Intelligence Committee Chair Dianne Feinstein, who has issued a statement on Monday saying she only learned about Panetta's selection from media reports.
"I'm still a Senate man," said Biden, a veteran Senator from Delaware. "I think it's always good to talk to the requisite members of Congress."
Although being sworn in to a new Congress, Biden is expected to vacate his seat in the Senate on Jan. 20 as he moves into the office of vice president.
As the last mission as a lawmaker, Biden is heading to Southwest Asia later this week as the Foreign Relations Committee on a U.S. congressional trip.
He will be joined by Senator John Kerry, a Democrat and the incoming chairman of the committee.
Source:Xinhua
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