Pistole’s replacement will play a potentially more significant role at the bureau than previous deputies because whoever gets the job is likely to take over the transition to a new Director after Robert Mueller leaves next year at the conclusion of his 10-year term at the country’s top law enforcement official.
Original post below:
The White House on Monday nominated FBI Deputy Director John S. Pistole to head of the Transportation Security Administration.
FBI Deputy Director John S. Pistole. (photo by Ryan J. Reilly / Main Justice)
Pistole, who became the second-highest ranking official at the FBI in 2004, has worked for the bureau since 1983.
He would be the White House’s third pick to head the agency. President Barack Obama first nominated Erroll G. Southers, a former FBI agent and head of the Los Angeles Airport police, to lead the TSA. He withdrew in January after questions arose about whether Southers used a federal database to look into his ex-wife’s boyfriend.
The White House then nominated Maj. Gen. Robert A. Harding, a retired Army intelligence officer, but he withdrew in March amid a controversy over his previous work as a defense contractor.
Pistole began his career in Minneapolis, then moved to New York before becoming a field supervisor of a White-Collar Crime and Civil Rights Squad in Indianapolis, Ind. He later became Assistant Special Agent in Charge in Boston before moving to FBI Headquarters in Washington, D.C. in 2001. After Sept. 11, 2001, he was appointed to the Counterterrorism Division, first as Deputy Assistant Director for Operations, then as Assistant Director, according to his FBI biography.
“The talent and knowledge John has acquired in more than two decades of service with the FBI will make him a valuable asset to our administration’s efforts to strengthen the security and screening measures at our airports. I am grateful that he has agreed to take on this important role, and I look forward to working with him in the weeks and months ahead,” Obama said in a statement.
Last year, Pistole was said to be a frontrunner to head the Drug Enforcement Administration. The White House eventually settled on the DEA’s acting Chief, Michele Leonhart.
Additional reporting by Ryan J. Reilly and David Johnston.
UPDATED:
Attorney General Eric Holder released the following statement on Pistole’s nomination:
“During more than 25 years of service with the FBI, John has demonstrated outstanding leadership and management skills and proven his ability to foster collaboration between our nation’s law enforcement and intelligence communities.
“As the Deputy Director and, previously, as the FBI’s Executive Assistant Director for its Counterterrorism and Counterintelligence Division, he has played a leading role in identifying and thwarting potential threats to the American people and in advancing the Justice Department’s national security goals.
“I am confident that John’s talent, integrity and expertise will make him a tremendous asset in our ongoing efforts to improve security and safety measures at our airports. He is well qualified for the critical position of Transportation Security Administration Director, and, if confirmed, I look forward to continuing to work with him in this new role.”
[...] been passed over for appointment to head the Drug Enforcement Administration, Deputy FBI Director John S. Pistole [...]