type: timeline_event
The Senate Intelligence Committee held an open confirmation hearing for Lt. Gen. Joshua M. Rudd, nominated to be Director of the National Security Agency, Chief of Central Security Service, and Commander of U.S. Cyber Command. Questions at the hearing reflected concerns about whether Trump has politicized federal security programs to target critics and political opponents. Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR) asked whether Rudd would insist on judicial warrants if directed to target people in the United States for surveillance, to which Rudd responded he would "absolutely commit to executing the foreign intelligence mission of the NSA in accordance with the authorities it has been given and within all applicable laws."
During an earlier Armed Services Committee hearing on January 15, Rudd had been so noncommittal on policy questions that Republican chair Sen. Roger Wicker urged him to be more open about his views. Rudd told lawmakers he would evaluate the efficiency of the dual-hat leadership role between U.S. Cyber Command and the NSA, declining to directly answer questions about developing offensive cyber deterrence policies against Chinese intrusions into U.S. critical infrastructure.
The confirmation process demonstrates congressional attempts to establish oversight constraints on intelligence agencies amid concerns about politicized surveillance, though Rudd's carefully calibrated testimony avoided substantive commitments beyond pledging to follow existing law. Senators from both parties indicated they believed Rudd's nomination would be confirmed by the full Senate.