as rumors build that the Trump administration plans to boot Rex Tillerson from his post atop the State Department in order to replace him with Mike Pompeo, it's worth examining who would lead the CIA in Pompeo's absence. Trump is reportedly considering Arkansas Republican Tom Cotton to replace Pompeo as the head of the CIA — a pick that isn't uncontroversial given Cotton's deep Trump loyalty and relative intelligence inexperience.
The insanity of treating these massively consequential roles as interchangeable aside, here's a bit of background on Cotton in case the rumors come to pass.
Who is Tom Cotton?
An Army veteran, Cotton served two combat tours in the Iraq war where he received a Bronze Star, among other decorations. He served one term in the House before joining the Senate in 2014 where he is serving his first term.
What does Cotton do in the Senate?
Cotton serves on the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs, the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, the Joint Economic Committee and the Senate Committee on Armed Services. He serves as the chair of the Air Land Power Subcommittee and the Economic Policy Subcommittee.
Cotton on surveillance and Section 702
Cotton strongly believes in intensive surveillance measures as a prophylaxis against terrorism — a hardline stance that's vehemently opposed by privacy advocates. "We've deprived very patriotic intelligence officials of critical tools that would keep this country safe," he told Politico after losing a battle in favor of enhanced NSA surveillance measures.
Unsurprisingly, Cotton is a staunch supporter of Section 702, a controversial portion of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) that provisions warrantless surveillance of American citizens. As he wrote in September, Cotton supports a full reauthorization of Section 702:
"I'm pleased that Attorney General Sessions and Director Coats have joined me in calling for a clean and permanent reauthorization of FISA Section 702. It's crucial to collecting the intelligence we need to keep our country safe, and it has all the necessary safeguards to protect Americans' privacy rights. My bill would extend the program indefinitely, as requested by the Trump administration, and now is as good a time as any for the Senate to pass it. The threats to our nation won't end anytime soon, and neither should this vital tool."
The insanity of treating these massively consequential roles as interchangeable aside, here's a bit of background on Cotton in case the rumors come to pass.
Who is Tom Cotton?
An Army veteran, Cotton served two combat tours in the Iraq war where he received a Bronze Star, among other decorations. He served one term in the House before joining the Senate in 2014 where he is serving his first term.
What does Cotton do in the Senate?
Cotton serves on the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs, the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, the Joint Economic Committee and the Senate Committee on Armed Services. He serves as the chair of the Air Land Power Subcommittee and the Economic Policy Subcommittee.
Cotton on surveillance and Section 702
Cotton strongly believes in intensive surveillance measures as a prophylaxis against terrorism — a hardline stance that's vehemently opposed by privacy advocates. "We've deprived very patriotic intelligence officials of critical tools that would keep this country safe," he told Politico after losing a battle in favor of enhanced NSA surveillance measures.
Unsurprisingly, Cotton is a staunch supporter of Section 702, a controversial portion of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) that provisions warrantless surveillance of American citizens. As he wrote in September, Cotton supports a full reauthorization of Section 702:
"I'm pleased that Attorney General Sessions and Director Coats have joined me in calling for a clean and permanent reauthorization of FISA Section 702. It's crucial to collecting the intelligence we need to keep our country safe, and it has all the necessary safeguards to protect Americans' privacy rights. My bill would extend the program indefinitely, as requested by the Trump administration, and now is as good a time as any for the Senate to pass it. The threats to our nation won't end anytime soon, and neither should this vital tool."
