US President Barack Obama has nominated former Pentagon lawyer and the main advocate of his administration’s drone policy Jeh Johnson to be the next Secretary of Homeland Security.
“Jeh Johnson is the right person to take this on,” Obama said on Friday. “Jeh understands this country is worth protecting … because of who we are.”
“That’s why as a nation, we have to keep adapting to threats … stay ready when disaster strikes, fix our broken immigration system. I am confident that I could not make a better choice than Jeh, not just for moving the agency forward but for moving the country forward,” he added.
The 56-year-old Johnson served as general counsel at the Department of Defense during Obama’s first term.
While at the Pentagon, he was instrumental in shaping the Obama administration’s drone policy, taking part in the review establishing the legality of their use.
During the 2008 presidential campaign, he was a top fundraiser for Obama. Johnson served as a part of Obama’s transition team in 2008 before being appointed as the top lawyer for the Pentagon.
If confirmed by the Senate, Johnson will succeed Janet Napolitano, who resigned in July to lead the University of California system.
The nominee said his nomination is a “tremendous honor.”
“I was not looking for this opportunity,” Johnson said. “But when I received the call, I could not refuse it.”
Republicans criticized the nomination, saying President Obama is renewing his push to convince House to approve the Senate version of immigration reform.
Texas Republican Sen. John Cornyn said Johnson was a crony of the president and the Department of Homeland Security needs someone better versed in immigration law enforcement.
“We need someone who knows how to secure the border, not dial for dollars,” he said.
AGB/AGB
