Washington, D.C. – President Bush today withdrew the nomination of John Rizzo to serve as the General Counsel of the Central Intelligence Agency. Senate Select Committee on Intelligence Chairman John D. Rockefeller IV and Vice Chairman Christopher S. Bond issued the following statement reacting to the President’s decision.
Chairman Rockefeller stated: “The President and Mr. Rizzo made the correct decision in withdrawing this nomination. The confirmation process highlighted Mr. Rizzo’s 31 years of dedicated service, but it also raised serious questions about whether he was the right person for this job. It was clear that he did not have the support of a majority of the Committee and would not have been confirmed.
The position of CIA General Counsel is extraordinarily important and deals with the most sensitive and often controversial programs in our government. I encourage the President to nominate someone with the necessary legal expertise and sound judgment required for this job as soon as possible.”
Vice Chairman Bond stated: “Mr. Rizzo has a long and distinguished record of government service. There is, however, opposition in the Senate to his nomination, and it seems unlikely that he would have been confirmed. The CIA General Counsel is an important job that needs to be filled as soon as possible and pulling his nomination was probably for the best.”
